Jane Caroline Rebecca Parker-Smith (1950–2020) was a British classical organist. Her obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' said she had "a stellar international career, popular with audiences for her wide-ranging sympathies and jaw-dropping virtuosity".

Personal life and education

Jane Caroline Rebecca Smith was born on 20 May 1950 in

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

and moved soon after to

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

where she was educated at

Barton Peveril Grammar School Barton Peveril Sixth Form College is an Ofsted 'Outstanding' sixth form college located in Eastleigh, Hampshire, UK with approximately 5,000 students, aged 16–18. It is part of the Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges. History Originally Barton ...

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

. She then studied at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

, at first taking piano, cello and harpsichord before changing to the organ. She used the name Parker-Smith professionally from her debut recital aged 20: Parker was her mother's maiden name. She studied under , organist of

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

, whom she "acknowledged ... as the most important musical influence of her life", and

Jean Langlais Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III (15 February 1907 – 8 May 1991) was a French composer of modern classical music, organist, and improviser. He described himself as "" ("Breton, of Catholic faith"). Biography Langlais was born in La ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She married John Gadney (died 2012) in 1996, and became stepmother to three children. She died on 24 June 2020.

Career

Parker-Smith performed at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

in 1972.

Select discography

* ''Jane Parker-Smith at the Grand Organ of Armagh Cathedral''.

ASV Records ASV Records was a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records (UK), Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo general manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca Records, Decc ...

. * ''

Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

''. Romantische Orgelmusik. Jane Parker-Smith on the organ of St Nikolaus, Bergen-Enkheim, Frankfurt am Main. Motette-Verlag. * ''Popular French Romantics Volume 1''. Jane Parker-Smith on the organ of

Coventry Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midla ...

. ASV Records. * ''Popular French Romantics Volume 2''. Jane Parker-Smith on the organ of

Beauvais Cathedral Beauvais Cathedral otherwise the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais () is a Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in the High Gothic style, ...

. ASV Records. * '' Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 'The Organ.

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

. EMI Classics. * ''

Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

Organ Symphonies 5 & 7''. Jane Parker-Smith on the organ of St Eustache, Paris. ASV Records. * ''Janacek: Glagolitic Mass & Sinfonietta''.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall, Birmingham in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its adminis ...

(Dirigent:

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rat ...

). EMI Classics. * ''Romantic and Virtuoso Works for Organ (Vol. 1)''. Jane Parker-Smith at the Goll organ of ,

Memmingen Memmingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the ...

Avie Records AVIE Records is a UK-based independent classical music recording company founded in 2002 by Simon Foster and Melanne Mueller who devised a unique business model based on artist ownership. Foster and Mueller continue to run the company together with ...

. * ''Romantic and Virtuoso Works for Organ (Vol. 2)''. Jane Parker-Smith at the Great Seifert Organ of ,

Kevelaer Kevelaer (; Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. Over one million Marian devotees, mostly from Germany and ...

. Avie Records. * ''Romantic and Virtuoso Works for Organ (Vol. 3)''. Jane Parker-Smith at the Organ of the Church of in

Rhede Rhede () is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern ...

. Avie Records.

References

External links

* Guardian Obit for Jane Parker-Smith

1950 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Northampton People from Eastleigh Alumni of the Royal College of Music 20th-century British organists 21st-century British organists 20th-century British women musicians 21st-century British women musicians British classical organists British women organists {{organist-stub