Christ Church Visiting Artist-in-Residence Prof. James O’Donnell, will be performing an organ recital on Saturday, May 13, 2023, 5:00 pm during which he’ll discuss and perform works by composers associated with Westminster Abbey.
Mr. O’Donnell recently retired as the Director of Music and organist at Westminster Abbey after 23 years of overseeing the music for royal ceremonies including the recent Funeral for the Queen of England, wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the funeral of the Queen Mother, and the 2021 service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Phillip, the Queen’s husband.
As organ recitalist, O’Donnell has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls, cathedrals, and churches in the world, including Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), the Meyerson Center (Dallas), Davies Hall (San Francisco), the Royal Festival Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall (for the BBC Proms), and has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Mr. O’Donnell will be playing the new 4-manual Harrison & Harrison organ recently installed at Christ Church Greenwich. This landmark instrument is the culmination of a nine-year process of discernment, design, production, and installation. Containing a total of 4,639 pipes, it was built in Durham, England, and represents the largest organ made by Harrison & Harrison in the USA. The range of sound available to the player is vast, affording the possibility of sensitive accompaniment of choirs and congregations, as well as a dynamic variety that makes repertoire from across the ages come to life. The organ is unique in that it contains orchestral colors, such as a tuba, French horn, clarinet, orchestral oboe, cor anglais, and orchestral strings, as well as a percussion section that features a harp, chimes, and two sets of bells, one cast by the Whitechapel Foundry in London, England.
