The T.CLewis organ (1897) at Southwark Cathedral is one of the finest romantic instruments anywhere in the world and suits music of many different styles and periods

To mark our Director of Music Peter Wright's retirement after 30 years, the Cathedral will be hosting four organ recitals, given by Peter himself and three of the world’s leading organists.

• 2 May - Stephen Disley (Sub-Organist and Director of the Girls' Choir, Southwark Cathedral)
• 9 May - Olivier Latry (Titulaires des Grand Orgues, Notre-Dame, Paris)
• 23 May - Peter Wright (Director of Music, Southwark Cathedral) includes post recital reception
• 6 June - Colin Walsh (Organist Laureate, Lincoln Cathedral)

Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite here and further information about the organists can be found below.

Stephen Disley, Sub-Organist and Director of the Girls' Choir, Southwark Cathedral

Stephen Disley won a joint Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music and London's Temple Church.

As a recitalist and accompanist, Stephen appears frequently at the Royal Albert Hall, and has performed and broadcast with ensembles such as the Budapest Radio Choir and the BBC Singers including a recording of “Choir Book for The Queen”, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. Other performances include Janacek's Glagolitic Mass in the Montepulciano Festival, Italy, and Regular Organ Galas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alessandro d’Agostini, also performing as a soloist in Warsaw, Cologne, and at the Royal Festival Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit.

Stephen is Assistant Organist at Southwark Cathedral and founding Director of its Girls’ Choir. 

He has also performed and recorded premieres of music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Judith Bingham, Bob Chilcott, Gabriel Jackson, Tarick O’Regan and others. Stephen is also involved with the JAM (John Armitage Memorial) Trust and is organist to the City of London School.

Olivier Latry, Titulaires des Grand Orgues, Notre-Dame, Paris

Established as the leading worldwide ambassador for his instrument, French organist Olivier Latry has performed in the world’s most prestigious venues, been the guest of leading orchestras under renowned conductors, recorded for major labels and premiered an impressive number of works. Named titular organist at Notre-Dame in Paris at the age of 23 and organist Emeritus at the Orchestre National de Montréal since 2012, Olivier Latry is first and foremost an accomplished, thoughtful and adventurous musician, exploring all possible fields of the organ music, with an exceptional talent as an improviser.

Olivier Latry regularly appears in venues like the Philharmonie de Paris, Disney Hall, San Francisco’s Davies Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Budapest’s Palace of Arts, Royal Festival Hall, KKL Lucerne, Royal Albert Hall, Suntory Hall, Mariinsky, Rotterdam’s de Doelen, and as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, RSO Wien, Hong-Kong Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre National de France, under conductors like Myung-Whun Chung, Andris Nelsons, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Stéphane Denève, Fabien Gabel, Christoph Eschenbach, Kent Nagano, Edo de Waart and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

Recent highlights include the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Maan Varjot for organ and orchestra with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre National de Lyon and Philharmonia Orchestra in 2014, and the premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2015. He premiered Benoît Mernier’s organ concerto for the inauguration of Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts’ new organ in 2017. In 2016 he recorded for Warner Music at the Philharmonie de Paris’ magnificent Rieger organ, which he had inaugurated earlier in the year. In the 2017 – 2019 seasons, Olivier is artist in residence at the Dresdner Philharmonie.

His strong attachment to the French organ repertoire led him to record Olivier Messiaen’s complete works for organ for Deutsche Grammophon which he also performed in recitals in Paris, London and New York. In 2005, he also recorded a César Franck album for Deutsche Grammophon. Among several other recordings, Olivier also recorded Saint-Saëns’ organ concerto with Christoph Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra for Ondine. His most recent recording on the Naïve label is entitled Trois Siècles d’Orgue à Notre-Dame de Paris which features music composed by past and current organists of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

A former student of Gaston Litaize, Olivier Latry now teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and is a recipient of numerous international distinctions and awards worldwide, including the Prix de la Fondation Cino et Simone Del Duca (Institut de France–Académie des Beaux-Arts) in 2000, and “Honoris Causa” Fellowships from the North and Midlands School of Music (UK) in 2006, and from the Royal College of Organists (UK) in 2007.  He was also named International Performer of the Year by the American Guild of Organists in April 2009, and received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from McGill University in Montreal Canada in 2010.

Peter Wright, Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral

Peter Wright was born in Hertfordshire. He was educated at Highgate School and then spent two years as Organ Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, studying with Richard Popplewell (Organ) and Angus Morrison (Piano) and gaining various prizes and diplomas. In 1973 he went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, as Organ Scholar where he continued his organ studies with Dame Gillian Weir and with Flor Peeters in Belgium.

Following this Peter Wright became Sub-Organist at Guildford Cathedral and, since 1989, has been Organist and Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral. In March of 2014 the Bishop of Southwark awarded him an Honorary Lay Canonry to mark his 25 years in the post. Under his direction, the Choir has recorded many CDs and undertaken three tours to the USA and several in Europe.  They have sung at the BBC Proms andbroadcast regularly on television and radio.

Peter is much in demand as an organ recitalist and choral conductor, both here and abroad, and enjoys a wide and varied repertoire. In addition, he plays regularly with the country’s leading orchestras, both solo and continuo and has performed widely in Europe, Japan, South Africa, USA, Bermuda, Australia and New Zealand. 

In May 2011 Peter Wright was awarded the prestigious FRSCM, in recognition of his work at Southwark and for church music in general, and he is also an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. Now a Vice-President of the Royal College of Organists, Peter Wright became a member of the Council in 1990 and was Chief Examiner from 1997 before becoming President (2005-2008). 

Colin Walsh, Organist Laureate, Lincoln Cathedral​

Colin Walsh’s association with Cathedral music goes back over forty years. He has served, in various capacities, St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, Christ Church Oxford (where he worked closely with Simon Preston and studied the organ with Nicholas Danby), Salisbury Cathedral and St Albans Cathedral. He went to Lincoln Cathedral in 1988 as Organist and Master of the Choristers, becoming Organist Laureate in 2003.

As an organ recitalist he has played in all the major venues in the UK, most European countries, the USA, Australasia, Hong Kong and Russia.

His studies in Paris with the blind French organist and composer Jean Langlais inspired him to specialise in 19th and 20th century French organ music. In 1988 he played at The Royal College of Organist’s some music of Olivier Messiaen in front of the composer. His recordings on CD and DVD as a choral conductor, accompanist and soloist number nearly forty over many years and various labels. He has appeared as organ soloist in the BBC Radio 3 ‘Live in Concert’ series, and more recently he has recorded a CD of Bach in Lincoln Cathedral, and Dupré and Demessieux from the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ of St Ouen, Rouen.

He describes the famous ‘Father’ Henry Willis Organ of Lincoln Cathedral as ‘one of the best’. He teaches in Cambridge and London and is an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Lincoln. His interests include travel, animals and, of course, good food.

All income generated from ticket sales goes towards supporting the upkeep and restoration of our T.C.Lewis organ.

For further details about the organ please visit our website here