JAMES O’DONNELL

Biography

James O’Donnell is Organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey and has over the last decade established a reputation as one of the outstanding musicians of his generation. He was a junior exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music and then organ scholar of Jesus College, Cambridge, where he read music and studied the organ with Peter Hurford, Nicolas Kynaston and David Sanger. Having served for five years as Assistant Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, he was appointed Master of Music at the age of 26. Under his 12-year leadership the Choir of Westminster Cathedral consolidated its reputation as one of the finest choirs of its type in the world, and won much praise and several awards for its many recordings, notably the Gramophone ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Choral recording’ awards (1998) for a Hyperion recording of Masses by Frank Martin and Ildebrando Pizzetti.

In January 2000, James O’Donnell was appointed to Westminster Abbey, where he is responsible for the direction of the music at the daily choral services and state occasions for which the Abbey is renowned. He also directs the Abbey Choir in its programme of concerts, tours, broadcasts and recordings, including visits in recent years to the Far East, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States, and the first two discs in a new series of recordings for Hyperion Records.

James O’Donnell is internationally known as an organist, having appeared in concert all over the world. He has played many times in the United States and throughout Europe. He has appeared at the BBC Proms and in many other festivals both at home and abroad and has worked with some of the country’s leading orchestras and ensembles. In October 2003 he gave the opening concert in the Royal Festival Hall’s series to mark the 50th anniversary of its organ, and has recently given recitals in St-Sulpice, Paris, Germany, Japan, and the United States where he was a featured recitalist at the 2006 national convention of the American Guild of Organists in Chicago. Plans for the forthcoming season include visits to Russia, Germany and the United States. From 1997 until 2004 he was Professor of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music, where he now holds the post of Visiting Professor. James O’Donnell is represented in North America by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.

Current as of September 2006