Organ Recital
The 2024 Cathedral Organ Recital Series welcomes first-rate organists to play Truro’s acclaimed Father Willis Organ. This recital marks the last in the series for 2024 and will be given by Truro Cathedral's director of music James Anderson-Besant. This recital will be live-streamed on this page at 13:10 and our YouTube channel
Programme
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 – J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
Uppon ‘La Mi Re’ – Anonymous 16th century
Variations sur un thème de Clément Jannequin – Jehan Alain (1911 – 1940)
Apparition de L’Eglise Eternelle – Olivier Messiaen (1908 – 1992)
Chorale Prelude on ‘Nun ruhen alle Wälder’ – Jacques van Oortmerssen (1950 – 2015)
Largo (Double Violin Concerto) – J.S. Bach
Andante tranquillo (Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta) – Bela Bartok (1881 – 1945) arr. Anderson-Besant
Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor – Max Reger (1873 – 1916)
Bio
Born in 1998, James Anderson-Besant grew up in Oxfordshire. He started learning the keyboard at primary school with Judith Ward, who ran the choir at St Helen’s Church, Benson; James joined the choir and later became it's organist. He learned to play the organ with James Brown at Abingdon School, where he held academic and music scholarships.
After taking a gap year as the organ scholar of Gloucester Cathedral, which included teaching the first girl choristers in the cathedral’s history, James then spent four years as organ scholar, then assistant organist, of St John’s College Cambridge. With the college choir, he accompanied services, broadcasts, recordings and tours under the direction of Andrew Nethsingha, and helped train the choristers. He has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and his playing for St John’s appears on many acclaimed CD releases, including Advent Live II, Ash Wednesday, and The Psalms. An organ student of Stephen Farr, James won second prize at the 2019 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition. He graduated in 2020 with a double starred first degree in music, and during the following year supervised Cambridge music students in harmony and keyboard skills.
From 2021-2023, James was assistant director of music at Exeter Cathedral, where he played the organ for the cathedral’s services, and assisted Timothy Noon in the training of the choristers and in the choir’s musical rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. He also directed the St Peter’s Singers, the cathedral’s auditioned voluntary choir.
In 2023, at the age of twenty-four, James was appointed director of music and organist of Truro Cathedral, becoming the youngest cathedral organist in the country. At Truro, James directs the cathedral choir in its daily rehearsals and services, and is responsible for all aspects of the cathedral’s musical output. He also conducts the Three Spires Singers.
In his spare time he enjoys walking, exploring Cornwall, and reading about history and engineering.
Live-stream
The series runs from March to October and each recital lasts around 45 minutes. There is no charge to attend or listen to these concerts. We rely on your support to help with the cost of maintaining the cathedral’s famous Father Willis Organ. Keeping the cathedral’s musical instruments in first-rate condition enables us to put on such recitals.
To give regularly by Direct Debit, please use the Parish Giving Scheme Single donations can be made through Just Giving
Popular donations are £5/person