Simon Johnson became Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in September 2021, following 13 years as the Organist and Assistant Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral. He was involved in all of the national occasions that took place at St Paul’s during this time, playing for Her Majesty the Queen, the Dalai Lama, as well as numerous Prime Ministers and Archbishops.

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Simon Johnson

Douai Abbey

Before becoming Head of Music at Westminster Cathedral in London in 2021, Simon Johnson was organist at St. Paul's Cathedral, where he performed at a variety of royal events, including the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the celebrations for her 90th birthday. The Eule organ in the Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, with its four manuals and 72 stops, is also very British and majestic. Its four manuals and 72 stops are modeled on the late-Romantic English town hall organs—in the first Toccata of the season, the Duisburg Philharmonic Choir will provide powerful support. Choir director Marcus Strümpe has included Anton Bruckner, among others, on the program, as the late-Romantic composer, as a virtuoso organist and composer of sacred music, was well versed in the combination of choir and organ. In Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Hear My Prayer," a soprano joins the organ and choir: the frequent alternations between solo voice and choir are reminiscent of the "anthem" tradition of the Anglican liturgy. William Harris and Herbert Howells, two prominent representatives of Anglican church music, are also on the program, while Louis Vierne, long-time chief organist at Notre-Dame de Paris, represents the rich organ scene in France. An exuberant romantic richness of sound characterizes his organ symphonies, a genre he himself invented.

Organ & Choir

CityPalais

One of Britain’s best-loved choirs, The Sixteen – under Harry Christophers – returns to the Proms on Choral Day for some of the most serene and spiritual choral works written in England during the Victorian period – music in line with this ensemble’s singular combination of style and beauty, blend and expression.

Prom 63: Choral Day - The Sixteen

Royal Albert Hall

BBC Prom Choral Day: London

Join conducting talent from across the UK, Austria and Finland as they direct the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a varied programme of works by Debussy, Gregson & Elgar. This concert, jointly presented by the BBC SSO and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is the culmination of a week’s activities with conductor Martyn Brabbins.

RCS & BBC SSO: Young Conductors Showcase

City Halls

Voilà vingt ans que James O'Donnell exerce la charge d'«Organist and Master of the Choristers» – entendez: de directeur de la musique – sous les voûtes de l'une des plus prestigieuses églises d'Angleterre: Westminster Abbey. Deux ans après le titulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, Olivier Latry, il est convié à la tribune de l'église Saint-Maurice de Saanen pour y faire résonner les plus belles pages de son répertoire, en harmonie bien sûr avec la thématique de l'été. C'est ainsi que l'on se délectera à l'écoute de pages pour orgue des grands maîtres anglais, de Purcell à Vaughan Williams. Une «tradition» serait-elle en train de naître?

Simon Johnson

Events

Past events

May 13, 2026

Simon Johnson · Newbury Spring Festival

Nov 1, 2025

Organ & Choir · Duisburger Philharmoniker

Future and recently performed repertoire

Organ in Master Tallis's Testament by Howells

Newbury Spring Festival

Organ in Prelude and Fugue in C major by Bach

Newbury Spring Festival

Organ in L’Ascension by Messiaen

Newbury Spring Festival

Organ in Symphony No. 2 by Vierne

Duisburger Philharmoniker

Organ in Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn by Bach

Newbury Spring Festival

Organ in A Fancy by Byrd

Newbury Spring Festival

About

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