John Challenger has been Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral since 2012. In this role he plays the Cathedral’s famous 1876‒7 ‘Father’ Henry Willis organ, and assists in the running of the Cathedral choirs. A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (UK), John is a former Organ Scholar of St John’s College, Cambridge, and he was taught by Frédéric Blanc, David Briggs, Jeremy Filsell, Mark Williams, and the late David Sanger. In 2017, he acted as Director of Music at St John’s College, Cambridge, during the sabbatical of the College’s Director of Music, Andrew Nethsingha. John continues to work regularly as a conductor with Salisbury Musical Society and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, and alongside his teaching work, he has been responsible for many recent projects at Salisbury Cathedral including Organ Vespers, the Organ Prom, the Cathedral’s ‘virtual’ Father Willis Organ, and several solo albums including, most recently, Salisbury Meditation, released to raise funds for NHS Charities Together.
Programme:
J. S. Bach (1685‒1750): Fantasia super ‘Komm, Heiliger Geist’ (BWV 651)
C. V. Stanford (1852‒1924): Prelude on a theme of Orlando Gibbons (Opus 105, No 1)
Richard Wagner (1813‒83) arr. Franz Liszt (1811‒86): Pilgrims’ Chorus (Tannhäuser)
Amy Beach (1867‒1944): Prelude on an old folk tune
Louis Vierne (1870‒1937): Andante; Final (from Symphonie I)
We are delighted to welcome back an audience to Chichester Cathedral. However, please note the following important points:
This lunchtime concert will be a little different to before! You cannot simply turn up on the day. Your place must be booked in advance via TicketSource, to ensure we are able to support NHS Test and Trace and of course to manage overall numbers in the Cathedral, in light of ongoing Covid concerns. We want to do our utmost to make sure this concert is safe as well as enjoyable for you.
For this concert, the audience will be seated both in the Nave and the Quire. If you have a preference, please arrive in good time as no specific seats will be reserved in advance. (Those seated in the Nave will have the benefit of a screen, showing the organists hands as he plays. Those in the Quire will have a slightly better audio experience.)
The concerts remain free at present. We do however ask for donations to help us to continue running the series. As we are unable to accept cash, we would request your donations are made either by using the QR code printed on your programme on the day, or by visiting https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/support-us/donations or by using one of the paypoints around the Cathedral.
Finally, if you're unable to visit in person, a recording of the concert will be available to watch for a week from lunchtime the day after the concert (Tuesday 29 June):
Thank you for your support.