THOMAS TROTTER

Biography

Thomas Trotter is one of Britain’s most widely admired musicians. The excellence of his musicianship is reflected internationally in his musical partnerships. He performs as soloist with, amongst many others, the conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly and Sir Charles Mackerras. He has performed recitals in Berlin’s “Philharmonie”, the “Gewandhaus” in Leipzig, both the “Musikverein” and the “Konzerthaus” in Vienna and London’s Royal Festival Hall. He has given the opening recital on new or restored organs in places such as Cleveland’s Severance Hall (Ohio), Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the “Concertgebouw” in Amsterdam, St David’s Hall Cardiff, and the Royal Albert Hall in London. He is regularly asked to perform on major historic instruments such as those at St. Ouen in Rouen, St. Bavo’s in Haarlem (Netherlands), Weingarten Abbey in Germany and Woolsey Hall at Yale University and he appears at the festivals of Salzburg, Berlin, Vienna, Edinburgh and London’s BBC Proms. He performs with leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, and in the USA he has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. In May 2001 he was the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society award for Best Instrumentalist, the first organist to win this award. Past winners include Andras Schiff, Itzak Perlman and Julian Bream.

Thomas Trotter’s career is also firmly founded on his relationship with the City of Birmingham in England where he was appointed City Organist in 1983 in succession to Sir George Thalben-Ball. He is also Organist at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey and Visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music. Earlier in his career he was organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge and later continued his studies with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris, winning the Prix de Virtuosite in her class. He won First Prize at the St Albans International Organ Competition in 1979 and made his debut in London’s Royal Festival Hall the following year. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in 2003 and from Birmingham University in 2006.

Alongside his weekly recitals in Birmingham, Thomas Trotter regularly performs throughout the USA and Europe. He is an active recording artist and of his several recordings, releases of Messiaen and Mozart have been named “Critics Choice” by The Gramophone magazine, and he received a Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of music by Liszt in 1995. He was consultant for the new Marcussen organ in Manchester’s newly-built Bridgewater Hall and also for the new organ in Birmingham at Symphony Hall. Engagements this season include a Messiaen concert at St Paul's Cathedral London (as part of the South Bank Messiaen series), five performances of Poulenc's Organ Concerto for the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, and recitals in the USA, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Russia.

Current as of January, 2008