INTERNATIONAL ORGAN FESTIVAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Competitions Secretary
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Artistic and Executive Director
- Head of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music
David Titterington is Head of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music, Artistic Director of St Albans International Organ Festival and a Professor of the University of London.
He was an Organ Scholar at the University of Oxford before continuing his organ studies in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain and Susan Landale at the Conservatoire de Reuil-Malmaison where he won a ‘Premier Prix a l'unanimité avec les félicitations du Jury' and later with the distinguished Czech composer, Petr Eben.
Titterington appears in recitals and concertos at major festivals worldwide and include the bi-centennial Festival of Sydney, and the international festivals of Hong Kong, New Zealand, Adelaide, Tokyo, Guelph, Schleswig Holstein, Israel, Istanbul, City of London, Belfast, Brighton, Cheltenham, Harrogate. For eighteen years, he gave annual masterclasses and recitals at the Dartington International Summer School.
He made his debut at the BBC Proms in 1990 with a solo recital which included a Proms commission from Diana Burrell, Arched forms with bells. At the BBC Proms 2000, he played in the UK premiere of Hans Werner Henze's Ninth Symphony with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in the BBC Proms 2009, he gave his second solo recital of works by Elgar and Peter Dickinson. Royal Festival Hall recitals include his debut in 1986 followed by a recital in the 50th anniversary recital series which included the premiere of Stephen Montague's Toccare Incandescent commissioned by the Southbank Centre. In February 2016, his recital included the world premiere of a Southbank commissioned work by Sally Beamish, Chaconne.
Throughout his career, David Titterington has worked closely with many composers across a wide range of styles including commissioned works, first performances and in recital with works by Mauricio Kagel, Diana Burrell, Lyell Cresswell, Peter Dickinson, Jonathan Dove, Paul Patterson, Giles Swayne, Per Nørgård. In 1998, he gave the New Zealand premiere of Olivier Messiaen's Livre du Saint Sacrement - ‘a performance of spellbinding authority… Titterington giving us a performance of staggering intensity and brilliance' (The Dominion, Wellington).
In performance, he has worked with many distinguished soloists, orchestras and including Hakan Hardenberger, Christian Lindberg, John Wallace, Thomas Sanderling, Ingo Metzmacher, City of London Sinfonia, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, La Camerata of Athens, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
David Titterington has been awarded numerous honours and awards which include Fellowship (honoris causa) of the Royal College of Organists, a Doctorate (honoris causa) and Honorary Professorship by the Liszt Ferenc State University of Budapest. Honorary doctorates have also been conferred by the Universities of Huddersfield and Bolton. David Titterington is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music and in 2016, was elected Fellow Commoner of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. In 2018, he was conferred an Honorary Fellow, King's College London.
Job Titles:
- Trust / Eric Thompson Charitable Trust for Organists / Foyle Foundation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman 1997 - 2005, 2007 - 2011, 2017 - 2024
Lesley spent her career with the Post Office Group, latterly as senior manager with responsibility for negotiations with government over legislation affecting the future status of the organisation.
In the voluntary sector, she was a Governor, and sometime Chair, of St Luke's Special School, Redbourn from 1999 to 2016, Director of St Albans Credit Union from 2004 to 2010 and Deputy Chair of Rennie Grove Hospice Care from 2011 to 2018.
She was Chairman of the International Organ Festival Society Ltd 1997-2005 and 2007-2011, and again resumed the Chairmanship of the Society in 2017. After this extraordinary number of years of dedicated service, she handed over the role to Christopher Wood in April 2024.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman from April 2024 )
- Chairman of the Campaign Committee at the Guildhall School of Music
- Professor
Professor Christopher Wood was born in Wales and graduated in Medicine from the Welsh National School of Medicine. He trained as a surgeon, becoming a consultant surgeon at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital, London and an honorary Professor at Imperial College, London. He holds a postgraduate M.D. from the University of Wales School of Medicine and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He was made a Fellow of the University of Wales Trinity St David and a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales for his contribution to medicine. In 2020 he was given the Freedom of the City of London for his achievements in medicine and the Arts. In 2021 he was given a lifetime Achievement Award by the Scottish Life Sciences Association for his accomplishments in the field of medicine. He has gained an international reputation for his ability to identify, develop and commercialise innovative medicines.
Christopher Wood is also known for his contribution to music and the arts. He has composed several major choral works, including Requiem, Easter Oratorio (Holy Week) and Warrior Trilogy. His orchestral works commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan disaster and the D-Day landings have been performed at the Last Night of the Welsh Proms.
Recently, he composed an anthem in celebration of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. The King graciously requested that the anthem be sent to the parish churches in the UK, to be sung on the weekend of the coronation.
He was appointed a Trustee of the Royal College of Organists and served as chair of the council for 3 years. In recognition of his services to the RCO he was granted an honorary lifetime membership of the College. He now serves as chair of the RCO Foundation and has made substantial donations to the Foundation to fund the ambitious project of placing organs in 700 state schools in the UK.
Chris is also chair of the Campaign Committee at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The aim of the committee is to establish a legacy fund to give financial support to talented individuals who are unable to meet the tuition costs. Chris has fronted this programme by providing the funds for a Scholarship for gifted students from deprived backgrounds. Roderick Williams, a rising star in the operatic world, who studied at the Guildhall School and who sang at the coronation, kindly agreed to add his name to the grant, thereby giving extra kudos for the recipients of the award. The Scholarship will provide funding for a student a year for the next 10 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors