Professor David Baker MA, MMus, MLS, PhD, MBA, FCILIP, FCMI, FRCO, FRSA

By the time that he was 16, David Baker was an ARCO, becoming FRCO 12 months later. He graduated after an Organ Scholarship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, with a First Class Honours degree in Music. He has an MMus degree from Kings College, London. In 2011 he founded the Halifax Organ Academy, which aims to offer high quality tuition and support to organists of all ages and backgrounds within northern England.


He has remained active as musician and musicologist, with the first edition of his book The Organ (Shire Publications, 1991) selling over 10,000 copies. A second edition was published in 2003 and a second revised edition in 2010. He has undertaken recital tours to Germany, Italy and Scandinavia and has performed the entire organ works of J S Bach in 26 recitals.
http://halifaxorganacademy.com/

Darius Battiwalla MusM FRCO

Darius has taught organ, continuo and improvisation for 15 years at the Royal Northern College of Music at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as privately teaching students of all ages.

Darius has given organ recitals at cathedrals and concert halls throughout the country and abroad including Leeds Town Hall, Westminster Abbey, York Minster and Bath Abbey, and for the RCO and IAO. He has appeared as soloist with the Hallé Orchestra - most recently in Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with Sir Mark Elder - and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and is a regular orchestral organist and pianist for the BBC Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. In September this year he became curator of the Leeds Town Hall organ, programming this very successful recital series and giving regular solo concerts. As a pianist, he gives regular chamber concerts with members of the Manchester orchestras, and on the harpsichord he has played continuo with many UK orchestras, and performed and broadcast harpsichord concertos: this autumn he will be soloist in Frank Martin’s Harpsichord Concerto for the Northern Ballet Theatre.

Richard Brasier BMus(Hons), MMus (Orgelsolo), ARCO, LRAM, ATCL


Richard Brasier enjoys a busy and far-reaching international career as a soloist, teacher, chamber musician, accompanist, animateur, editor and recording artist. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with David Titterington and Nicolas Kynaston. Aided by the Nicholas Danby Scholarship, he continued with Johannes Geffert at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Köln. Other important musical influences have included Anne Marsden Thomas and David Sanger.


As a concert organist, Richard has performed widely across the UK and Europe in recital series and major international festivals on historic and modern instruments. He has a wide-ranging repertoire covering all periods from the Middle Ages to Contemporary. Recent projects have included performances of the complete organ music of J.S and C.P.E. Bach, and Robert Schumann’s works for Pedalflügel on a pedal piano from the late 19th century.


Since 2014, Richard has been active as a teacher for the Royal College of Organists. He leads masterclasses and study trips for students at home and abroad, and regularly teaches on residential courses for organists of all ages and abilities. Elsewhere he has been invited to sit as a competition jury member, and external examiner.


Richard has had articles and videos on matters relating to the organ published on various platforms, and has edited several editions of organ repertoire. Since 2020, Richard has been organist for the German speaking communities of St. Marien mit St. Georg in London, where he plays and maintains the historic 1886/1937 instrument by E.F. Walcker (Ludwigsburg).
ww.richardbrasier.com

Gerard Brooks FRCO, MA(Oxon.), PGCE.

Gerard first studied the organ with John Webster and then with Susi Jeans. In 1978 he won the Stephen Arlen Memorial Award enabling him to study with Daniel Roth at Strasbourg Conservatoire. He was the first recipient of the RCO Forsyth-Grant/Hurford Travelling Scholarship. Gerard is particularly associated with French repertoire and has contributed many articles to musical journals as well as writing the chapter on French and Belgian organ music for the Cambridge Companion to the Organ. His recordings on the Priory label include the complete works of Eugne Gigout played on historic organs in France on five CDs; the first voted an Editors Choice in Gramophone magazine. He has recently recorded the complete organ music of Saint-Sans and he presents and plays on the Fugue State Films DVD The Genius of Cavaill-Coll. Gerard is Director of the London Organ Improvisation Course and has been a regular examiner for the Associated Board and the RCO.
ww.gerardbrooks.org.uk

Jonathan Bunney BMus (Hons), MMus, FRCO

In 2000 Jonathan was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. His teachers have included Anne Marsden Thomas, Nigel Stark, David Graham and Margaret Phillips. During his time at the RCM he won all the major prizes for organ. In 2004 Jonathan became Director of Music at St. Giles-in-the-Fields and in 2008 he returned to the RCM to study for a Masters in Advanced Performance, achieving a distinction. He was also awarded the Walford Davies Prize for his performance of Louis Vierne's Sixth Symphony. Since graduating, Jonathan has worked as a freelance musician as well as Head of Music at Cameron House School in Chelsea from 2011-2014. Jonathan has made several broadcasts on radio and part of his CD 'Let the Pealing Organ Blow' produced by Regents Records on the historic organ of St. Giles-in-the Fields was broadcast on BBC Radio 2

Roger Carter FRCO (CHM), FTCL, ARCM, LRAM

Roger studied the organ initially with Christopher Scarf and Richard Popplewell, In 1984 he was awarded a Belgian Government Scholarship to study with Flor Peeters at the Mechelen International Summer School. Following participation in the Haarlem Summer Academy in 1988, he was invited by Harald Vogel to take part in a recital on the city's historic St Bavochurch organ. He has also participated in courses in France and Germany and with Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini in Italy to gain specialist knowledge of various sections of the organ repertoire.
Performing widely as a soloist and accompanist in this country and abroad has offered him experience of playing many different types of organs.
He is often invited to tutor on courses, including those run by the RCO and RSCM, and has recently retired as Director of Music at St John's Church, Harpenden, enabling him to offer his experience to churches on a more flexible basis. He is also a visiting teacher at The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys School.

Dr Roland Dee BA Hons (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), M.Mus (Edinburgh), PhD (Hull), LTCL, LRSM, ARCO.

Roland is an experienced organist whose recitals have taken him to various cathedrals and churches in the UK. While researching the music of the English composer Patrick Hadley, Roland was also a music lecturer at Hull. In addition, he has written (and is currently preparing) introductory essays to a number of orchestral scores for Musikproduktion Höflich, Munich.

His organ studies were with Frederick Peacock, John Scott Whiteley, and Graham Barber, along with study residencies at RCO workshops. Studies in historically informed performance along with performance on historical instruments were undertaken at the Haarlem Summer International Organ Academy with L. Ghielmi, E. Kooiman, J. van der Kooy, and B. van Oosten.

Roland is currently the organist of Leeds St. Aidan's Church in addition to which he is a music tutor for Roundhay Music, Leeds. He is out-going President of the Leeds Organists' Association.

William Dore MA (Oxon); FRCO.

William Dore was educated at Jesus College Oxford as Organ Scholar, where he studied with Nicolas Kynaston and specialised in Baroque and Renaissance performance practice with John Wellingham. He was organ scholar at Norwich Cathedral, before taking up teaching posts in Suffolk and Ampleforth College, being appointed as Abbey Organist in 2005. He has performed as accompanist and soloist in many churches and cathedrals throughout the UK, Europe and in South East Asia, and continues to work as a freelance accompanist and teacher of organ, harpsichord and piano. He has also participated and given a recital for the RCO as part of a study day on Plainsong. He has recorded for Priory Records from Ampleforth Abbey. He teaches for the Young Organ Scholars Trust, and several students have gained organ scholarships to cathedrals and Oxbridge. William teaches all ages, and whilst lessons normally take place at Ampleforth, he can travel moderate distances.

Julian Haggett BA (Dunelm) MMus (Organ Performance) ARCO

Julian is a sought-after educator and has taught organ for 10 years. He has a wealth of experience tutoring students of different ages and abilities. Julian’s teaching time is shared between London and Norwich. It includes teaching at undergraduate level for Goldsmiths College, University of London, and at two schools preparing students for concerts, services, competition, and Oxbridge organ scholarship audition where he has a strong record of students gaining scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge. He also teaches privately throughout Norfolk.

Julian studied organ with Henry Fairs at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he gained his MMus degree in Organ Performance. Prior to this he studied with Anne Page and James Lancelot. As a recitalist Julian performs regularly throughout the UK and internationally. He has appeared in the International Gloger Festival Norway, the Veurne International Organ Festival Belgium, and toured extensively in Holland, France, Italy, and Asia.

Martin Hall MA (Oxon), GRSM, FRCO(CHM), LRAM, PGCE

Martin was trained at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was a prize-winning organ student, and at New College Oxford, where he later joined the music staff for a sabbatical year. His career has seen him working in London, Oxford, Cornwall and Surrey as a teacher, conductor, keyboardist, academic and animateur. As a teacher he has taught in primary and secondary schools in both the private and maintained sector. From 1986-2005 he was Director of Music at Reigate Sixth form College and is now Director of Music at St Barnabas Church, Ranmore and St Michael's, Betchworth. Several of his young organ students have proceeded to organ scholarships at Oxbridge colleges. They, and those of more advanced years, have gained high marks in ABRSM exams. He is keen whenever possible to give students experience of playing and directing services in parish churches as soon as they have the necessary technique and musicianship and are confident to take on the challenge.

Martin has been active as a recitalist and continuo player as well as playing and directing services for the smallest village church to Westminster Abbey and New College, Oxford. Martin particularly valued working for Richard Hickox from whom he learnt so much about choir direction.

Marilyn Harper MA, FRCO, GRSM, ARMCM, Cert Ed.


Following lessons in Bolton with William Morgan, Marilyn studied with Eric Chadwick at the Royal Manchester College of Music and with Dame Gillian Weir whilst Organ Scholar at Girton College, Cambridge. She gained her RCO Fellowship Diploma, gaining the Harding and Durrant Prizes in 1982. She occasionally attends Cambridge Academy of Organ Studies courses, and has also visited Leipzig to study with Ullrich Böhme.

Organist at Christ's Chapel Dulwich, London, since 2000, she demonstrates the restored 1760 George England organ annually during the Dulwich Festival and organises the chapel's Sunday evening organ recital series. She also led organ demonstrations for students at the Royal Festival Hall during the celebrations for the return of the pipe organ and also at Reading Town Hall.

An organ accompanist, Marilyn has accompanied visiting choirs in many cathedrals, and undertakes foreign tours with chamber choirs and choral societies. As a recitalist Marilyn has played in a number of UK cathedrals and London city churches, and has just completed her learning of the complete organ works of Buxtehude. She is well known for her holistic approach to studying the organ.

PhD BMus(Hons)/GradRNCM FNCM ARCO LTCL DipLCM PGCE(QTS) FRSA

Robin began lessons with Graham Eccles, gaining his Grade 8 in two years. At 15 he received a bursary towards masterclasses with David Titterington and Petr Eben at Dartington International Summer School. Regular teachers were Noel Rawsthorne, Margaret Phillips (RNCM) and Roger Fisher. His PhD is on The Late Style of Frank Bridge.


He taught Academic Studies to RNCM undergraduates and has been Director of Music at independent schools internationally. His pupils have won many exam awards. He regularly prepares multiple students per session for FRCO, ARCO and CRCO examinations, not just for the performance and skills aspects, but he has many students online worldwide who come to him for specialist paperwork, history and analysis, harmony, aural and improvisation work. He has also had the honour of being an RCO paperwork examiner in past years. Robin's improvisation teaching is particularly unique in that it is historically informed and thus he specialises in Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and early Romantic improvisation skills in the way that performers of the day would have learned. He also studies classical Indian improvisation with a specialist guru in Sri Lanka.

His teaching is Kodaly-derived with activities to develop the inner hearing of contrapuntal music, cadences, modulations and more besides. He particularly adapts the methods of leading aural trainers to the needs of an organist. His theories on aural training, inspired by Kodaly are published by Routledge "The Routledge Companion to Aural Skills Pedagogy Before, In, and Beyond Higher Education".


His musical experience is broad having lived with tribes, performed as a jazz improviser, director of a Gospel-Rock-Pop choir, performed and coached in theatres for shows such as We Will Rock You. His composition commissions have taken him to the USA. He continues to study classical singing and pop vocals with international names.

Claire Hobbs MA (Oxon), ARCO, PGDip RNCM, PGDip (MTh) GSMD, LRAM (Piano)

Claire was organ scholar at St John’s College, Oxford before postgraduate organ study at the Royal Northern College of Muic and Geneva Conservatoire (with François Delor), where she won the Prix Otto Barblan for performance. After positions as Assistant Organist at Bristol Cathedral and Organist at Clifton Cathedral, she retrained as a music therapist, working in the NHS and education. She has examined for the ABRSM since 1994. With extensive experience in teaching, she is happy to work with all standards and ages, taking a holistic approach to teaching and performance skills. She enjoys working on the psychological aspects of playing and continues to perform as a recitalist.


Claire enjoys contributing to the Organists’ Review and writing about teaching and music therapy. www.clairehobbs.net

Simon Leach G Mus RNCM (Hons)


Simon is a prize winning graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and a former organ scholar at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. He is on the team of organists that play for the Daily Service which is broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He teaches piano at the ESMS schools Edinburgh and at the Junior Department of the Royal Scottish Conservatoire. Simon is the organ tutor at Manchester University. Recent recital venues have included the church of St Thomas 5th Ave and St Patrick's Cathedral, New York, Westminster Cathedral and Notre Dame, Paris. He gave the world premier of Naji Hakim’s Toccata on the Introit for the Feast of the Epiphany and his performances of Hakim’s music have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Many of his pupils have been awarded Oxbridge organ scholarships and have achieved success at Conservatoire entry. Simon has been a tutor for various organ days in the North West of England, including the recent RCO Manchester Organ Day.

James Lloyd Thomas MA FRCO FTCL GTCL LRAM PGCE


James has held several teaching positions as well as prestigious organist posts, including at Oundle School, Shrewsbury Abbey, St. Mary’s Bourne Street, and Nelson Cathedral NZ. He studied the organ with David Sanger, James Parsons, and Margaret Phillips, and piano with Christine Croshaw. His MA research and performance was concerned with the little-known romantics August Ritter and Johann Töpfer.
James has a wealth of experience in teaching, having been Director of Music at Kingston Grammar, Christ College Brecon, and Lingfield Notre Dame School. He maintains a busy schedule of recitals and accompaniment, as well as freelance work as an examiner and conductor. He had a long-standing association with ‘Oundle for Organists’, and has also taught regularly for the RSCM.

James recently moved to Northamptonshire where he is DoM at St Mary the Virgin, Finedon whilst maintaining a wide ranging freelance career.

Jeffrey Makinson BMus, FRCO

Jeffrey Makinson is Assistant Director of Music and Sub-Organist of Lincoln Cathedral. He trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and at Manchester University. He was Organ Scholar at York Minster from 1992-1994, Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral, then Sub-Organist at Manchester Cathedral until 2015. He was Tutor in Organ Studies at the RNCM and at Manchester University. He is also a busy recitalist, accompanist, conductor, teacher and adjudicator in the city and throughout the country. He has performed at most of the major British venues and in numerous foreign countries including Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy and the USA. Jeffrey has a keen interest in promoting new music and has given first performances of works by numerous leading composers. As an orchestral musician, he has worked alongside some of the country’s leading ensembles.

Anne Marsden Thomas MBE, FRCO, FRSCM, B. Mus, ARAM, Dip RAM, LRAM, ARCM.

Anne founded St. Giles International Organ School in 1992 and directed it until January 2012 when it became part of RCO Academy. She has over 40 years' experience of organ teaching and wide experience of examining grade examinations and organ diplomas. She teaches in both the Junior and Senior departments of the Royal Academy of Music. She is Director of Music at St. Giles Cripplegate Church in London's Barbican.

Anne's concert and teaching work has taken her to Australia, the USA, Japan, Europe and all over the UK and she has made several commercial recordings. She has written 24 books for the student organist, as well as many articles for organists and their teachers.

Simon Mercer BMUS(Hons) ARCO

Chichester Cathedral was central in Simons’ formative years; studying organ with Alan Thurlow and trumpet with Crispian Steele-Perkins, he twice attended the Susi Jeans Summer School. He took BMus(Hons) and ARCO at the University of Sheffield continuing organ tuition with Graham Matthews, before a postgraduate year at the RNCM with Ronald Frost and Gillian Weir; then returning to Sheffield to research The Victorian Organ.

He taught in schools and colleges for 25 years, latterly as Director of Music at The King’s School in Macclesfield and moved into freelance work in July 2014.

As Organ Tutor at Junior RNCM, an RCO Accredited Institution, his pupils have been awarded Organ Scholarships at Trinity Hall, Sidney Sussex, Corpus Christi and Christs Colleges Cambridge, Liverpool Anglican and Metropolitan, Blackburn and Coventry Cathedrals, Hertford and Keble Colleges Oxford.

Simon is also Organ and Piano Teacher at The Manchester Grammar School, also an RCO Accredited Institution, where he has 20 pupils with access to excellent mechanical and digital organs.

Simon conducts the highly regarded JRNCM Vocal Ensemble, a group of talented young musicians who tackle works from Gabrieli to Britten, Lauridsen and beyond. He is currently Musical Director of Hayfield Singers and has been a national and international ABRSM Examiner since 2002.

Simon’s colourful, versatile playing and accompanying is much enjoyed; he has given recitals from Dunkeld to Vienna with further trips planned to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Marc Murray MA FRCO(Dip CHD)

Marc is a versatile and experienced musician, with many years as a dedicated organ teacher working with students across all ages, from the beginner to the established musician. Initial studies were at the University Cape Town with further studies at the University of York specialising in organ and harpsichord performance practice. Marc is a seasoned recitalist and continuo player.

He is Director of Music at Bury Parish Church, a parish church with an established choral tradition which includes a comprehensive training programme for treble choristers and an organ scholar. He conducts several choral groups. As a recitalist, Marc has performed across the UK, Europe and South Africa. He is a regular organ accompanist for choral concerts and has accompanied visiting choirs in a several cathedrals. He is also a seasoned adjudicator and enjoys promoting educational activities with his local organists’ association.

Marc is a doctoral research student at the University of York and continues having consultation organ lessons.

Matthew Owens MA (Oxon), MusM, FRCO, PPRNCM, HonFGCM, FRSA
atthew Owens has nearly thirty years of organ teaching experience from beginners through to postgraduate at conservatoire level. Having been Organ Scholar at The Queen’s College, Oxford, and then a postgraduate at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Amsterdam Conservatorium, he then taught the organ at the RNCM and at three of the five UK specialist music schools. He has also taught on the RCO The Organ Student Experience (TOSE) Week and given masterclasses for the Edinburgh Organ Academy and the Pipeworks Festival (Dublin), among others.
s an organist Matthew has performed throughout the British Isles and across Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. He is currently recording the complete organ works of Pachelbel for Resonus Classics and recently premiered and recorded Howard Skempton’s 50 Preludes and Fugues for Organ.
is teaching takes place on a fine two manual mechanical action organ by the renowned Dutch firm, Klop, as well as larger instruments. Distance learning is also possible.

Martin G Penny MA(Oxon) FRCO MICM MISM

Martin has been a full-time freelance organist, choir director, teacher, examiner and lecturer since leaving the IT industry in 2002, holding posts in London and Hertfordshire. As well as his work at All Saints, he is Organist to the University of the Arts and has a long established teaching practice ‘HenPen Music’, run with his wife Mary in Letchworth since 1982.

He has taught professionals up to FRCO, ‘empty nesters’ reviving rusty skills as well as youthful starters. He teaches academic work either face-to-face or by distance learning.

Martin started organ lessons in his youth studying with Ronald Watson, Conrad Eden (Durham Cathedral) and John Webster and Walter Hillsman whilst at Exeter College, Oxford where he read Mathematics and acted as locum Organ Scholar. More recently Martin studied with Anne Marsden Thomas, Gerard Brooks and Kevin Bowyer at the then St Giles International Organ School (now RCO Academy) and at the Gothenburg International Organ Academy, winning Dixon and Richardson prizes at FRCO.

David Pipe MA (Cantab), MMus, FRCO, FRSA, ARAM, LRAM

David is Director of the Keyboard Studies Programme and Cathedral Organist in the Diocese of Leeds, having been Assistant Director of Music at York Minster. He read Music at Cambridge University as Organ Scholar of Downing College, later studying organ at the Royal Academy of Music. David enjoys teaching all ages and abilities, and examines regularly for the RCO: former pupils have been awarded Oxbridge organ scholarships and prizes in the RCO diplomas.


David performs frequently as an organ recitalist and accompanist in the UK and abroad, and has worked on television, radio and in recordings; his solo recordings have attracted critical acclaim. He is Curator of Huddersfield Town Hall’s organ recital series, and Head of Organ Studies at the University of Huddersfield. Also an experienced conductor, David is Musical Director of York Musical Society, one of the region's oldest and largest choral societies.

Jeremiah Stephenson MA (Cantab) MMus FRCO

Jeremiah Stephenson is rapidly establishing himself as an organ recitalist and teacher on the international scene, with performances across Europe, North America and Sweden and TV and radio broadcasts in the UK, France and the Czech Republic.

A prize winning graduate of the University of Cambridge and Royal Academy of Music, Jeremiah continued his studies at Toulouse Conservatoire supported by the Nicholas Danby Trust. His teachers have included Gillian Weir, Susan Landale, Michel Bouvard and Philippe Lefebvre. He recently graduated from the Certificate Programme in Injury Preventative Keyboard Technique at Salem College.

Jeremiah combines his recital work with the post of Associate Director of Music at All Saints Margaret Street, and various educational projects. An award-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Jeremiah’s particular passion is introducing children to the organ and building with them an appreciation of the instrument’s diverse repertoire.

Frederick Stocken MA (Cantab), PhD, FRCO.

Frederick teaches both organ and the written requirements of RCO diplomas. He teaches at the Junior Academy of the Royal Academy of Music but has a wealth of experience as a teacher at all ages and stages, including several years in the senior RAM. His recital venues include King’s College Cambridge and St John’s Smith Square, and he was Organist of St George’s Cathedral, London for a decade.

He is co-author of The New Oxford Organ Method and Graded Keyboard Musicianship (2 vols. OUP), and also wrote Scale Shapes (Chester). He examines for the RCO and was an examiner for the ABRSM for twenty years.

Frederick was Organ Scholar of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, won 3 prizes at FRCO, and his doctorate on 19th-century harmonic theory is from the University of Manchester.

Besides teaching, Frederick now works mainly as a composer, and his commissions range from choir and organ works to a symphony for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

For more details: www.frederickstocken.com

David Thomas MA (RAM) FRCO LRAM LTCL DipABRSM


David is known for his calm and methodical teaching approach. Alongside private tuition for piano, music theory and organ, he is a visiting teacher of piano and organ at Woldingham School. He is also the Director of Music at St. John's Church in Shirley and works as a freelance organist around South London. David graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with an MA in Organ Performance and was also awarded the Stephen Bicknell Organ Prize. Whilst at the RAM, he studied organ with David Titterington and Anne Marsden Thomas. In 2016, he became the first recipient of the Dame Gillian Weir Organ Scholarship at the Royal Festival Hall. He has also held the Organ Scholarship at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square. David became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists in May 2021. He also holds the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in Organ Teaching, the Licentiate of Trinity College London in Organ Performance and the Diploma of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in Piano Performance. www.davidthomasorganist.co.uk

Gerdi Troskie BMus, MMus

Gerdi Troskie completed her BMus and MMus degrees at the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and continued with post-graduate organ studies at the Amsterdam Conservatorium with Jacques van Oortmerssen. She was awarded the Conservatoriums Soloist's Diploma (organ) in 1996.


In 1996 Gerdi moved to the UK. She taught organ and musicianship at the Royal College of Music Junior Department from 1998-2005. Gerdi was Organist and Director of Music at St Anselm and St Cecilia Roman Catholic Church, Holborn, London from 1996-2002 and joined the Organ School team of professional teachers in 2000. Gerdi has taught on many courses, including the RCO Summer Course, and has directed courses for young organists at Oundle.


She has played recitals in the UK, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and South Africa. She has written articles for Organists Review magazine and adjudicated organ classes at Arts Festivals.

Robin Walker DipRAM, PPDip(Dist.), BMus(Perf.), LRAM.

Robin Walker is Director of Music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London, graduating in 2000. Before taking up his post in Cambridge Robin was Assistant Organist and Director of Music at St Georges Hanover Square, London. For two years he was Organist of Florence Abbey, where he led the restoration of the 1558 Zefferini organ. He was also instrumental in the restoration of the St Giles-in-the-Fields organ by William Drake.

Robin has made particular study of the early English and Italian repertoires, but performs and teaches the full range of the organ repertoire, with an emphasis on technique and interpretation. Robins passion for new music for the organ has led to giving many premiere performances and recording three CDs of new music. He has travelled Europe and the USA as recitalist, recording artist and teacher, giving master-classes on the early English and general repertoire in New Mexico, Norway and the UK. www.theorganist.co.uk

Simon Williams BA (Dunelm), FRCO, LRAM, PGCE

Simon studied at Durham University, where he was organ scholar of St Chad's College, and at the Royal College of Music. He has many years' experience in organ teaching from beginner to post-graduate levels and has twice acted as a consultant for the ABRSM's organ exam syllabus. From 2000 to 2022 he was Organist & Director of Music at St George's Hanover Square, London. He is now Organist and organ teacher at Cheltenham Ladies' College.

Simon has given organ recitals across the UK and in Europe and has given first performances of several pieces dedicated to him. As Music Director of Harrow Choral Society from 1990 to 2022 he has conducted many of the major choral works. He has had articles published in Choir & Organ Magazine, Organists' Review, and The American Organist; has recorded a number of CDs; and took part in the commissioning of new works for Faber Music's Unbeaten Tracks album for organ.