International organists to headline five-day festival at St John’s College
St John’s College organ (c)Nordin Ćatić
St John’s College, Cambridge, launches new organ with a five-day festival, 6-10 May 2026
Major inaugural organ recital to be given by Olivier Latry, Titular Organist at Notre-Dame de Paris
Acclaimed organists Wayne Marshall OBE and David Hill MBE also perform
Evensong on 6 May to be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, with other concerts and recitals to be recorded for future broadcast
A five-day festival of concerts, recitals and services will take place at St John’s College, Cambridge, from 6 to 10 May 2026 to celebrate the installation of its new Harrison & Harrison organ, incorporating historic ‘Father’ Willis pipework from 1889.
Leading international performers, including Olivier Latry of Notre-Dame de Paris, will appear alongside Wayne Marshall, David Hill, Organ Scholars Tingshuo Yang and Pascal Bachmann, and the Choir of St John’s College, with several events recorded for broadcast by the BBC.
At the heart of the Festival is the inaugural recital given by Olivier Latry, Titular Organist at Notre-Dame de Paris, on Friday 8 May at 8pm. A leading ambassador for the organ, Latry has appeared at the world’s most prestigious venues, worked with top orchestras and conductors, recorded with major labels, and premiered numerous new works. He performs a programme of French repertoire including Franck’s Troisième Choral, Alain’s Litanies, and Vierne’s Carillon de Westminster, in a recital that will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, is joined by acclaimed British organist, pianist, and conductor Wayne Marshall and baritone Tom Butler for a concert at 7.30pm on 9 May, which will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3. The programme will include Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, and works by Holst, Marsh, and Daley, as well as the premiere of a new organ work, Swift Messengers, by Tim Watts.
Former Director of Music at St John’s College, David Hill, returns to perform a recital immediately before Evensong on Sunday 10 May; the service includes the dedication and blessing of the new organ.
The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, sings Evensong at 3pm on Wednesday 6 May, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. The service will include the premiere of The St John’s Service by Cecilia McDowall. A specially-devised service at 6.30pm on Thursday 7 May will be recorded for broadcast three days later as part of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship series.
Christopher Gray, Director of Music at St John’s, said: “Our Organ Festival celebrates the completion of a project that has taken several years and involved significant creative vision, planning, craftsmanship, and technical skill. It has been a pleasure to work with the organ building firm Harrison & Harrison Ltd to bring the historically important pipework of ‘Father’ Willis to St John’s, expanding the original specification in a sympathetic way to create an instrument of exceptional quality and musical integrity, perfect for our needs. I’m delighted to be welcoming some of the organ world’s most renowned stars in the coming months, beginning with Olivier Latry on Friday 8 May. Along with our own remarkably gifted undergraduate Organ Scholars, they will showcase the new instrument which is a significant addition to the national organ landscape, as well as to the provision here in Cambridge.”
Organ music has a rich history at St John’s – an organ has been owned by the College since it was founded in 1511, and the College Choir has been accompanied by the instrument throughout its 350-year history.
‘Father’ Henry Willis was a pioneering Victorian organ builder, and an instrument he constructed in 1889 has been relocated to St John’s College Chapel to replace the Mander instrument which was installed in the early 1990s. The organ project is the largest to take place at St John’s in a generation and the highly specialised work restoring, enhancing, and installing the historic Willis pipework, and the provision of new chests, winding, and actions has been carried out by Durham firm Harrison & Harrison Ltd. The historic casing, designed by John Oldrid Scott, remains unchanged, and two iconic stops have been retained from the old instrument: the Cymbelstern and the famous Trompeta Real. The Mander organ will have a new home at the Church of St John the Divine in Kennington.
‘Father’ Willis was famous for numerous instruments, including those at Salisbury Cathedral and Truro Cathedral, the latter being the sister to the instrument now installed at St John’s. The instrument was initially housed in Hampstead Conservatoire, before being moved to St Peter’s Church, Brighton in 1910.
More information and tickets for the Organ Festival are available on the Choir’s website.