William Whitehead, organist

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

I think influences at school are among the most important. Martin Ellis was a great encouragement to me in my early teens (he was the school organist at Taunton School), but so was my piano teacher (Mike Haynes) and my Director of Music, Mike Brown. All of them, in their way, showed the value and intrinsic interest of music. All the more reason that ALL young people should have exposure to musical experiences at school!

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

If I had to name one, it would be learning how to focus without distraction on learning music thoroughly, over a period of 6 months or a year. Programming this amount of time and attention is the only way to get inside the great works of the repertoire. 

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of? 

I’m very proud of Dances of Life and Death, a disc I recorded for the Chandos label. It contains music by Alain and Duruflé, and the combination of repertoire, instrument (Auxerre Cathedral) and recording team was magical.

Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

I have to say I rejoice in being a generalist! I certainly play more Baroque music than I ever did before, as it’s a gigantic store of treasures. But then I couldn’t do without Duruflé, Mendelssohn and Elgar!

What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?

I walk the dog (called Radish)! I am going through the Hertfordshire Pevsner guide and visiting all the places described with her. It lends a very orderly way to discovering your own county! It turns out Hertfordshire is a very beautiful and inspiring landscape and I am loving getting know the ancient buildings.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

I look at what pieces will tour well (some do, some don’t). I’m still filling in gaps from the bucket list, to be honest. And keeping half an eye on Bach – I would like to play the complete works before my time is up! I probably play two thirds of them now.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

Hull City Hall, Westminster Cathedral, the Albert Hall, Dresden Kathedrale have all been memorable recent venues.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

A confident and continual assertion that classical music is valuable and precious.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

Playing a solo recital in the Proms 5 years ago!

William Whitehead performs at Hertfordshire Festival of Music on Saturday 10 June, with Hertford Chamber Choir, conducted by Manvinder Rattan. Info / tickets here

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William Whitehead has gained a wide reputation for his engaging and inspiring interpretation of the organ repertoire. His concert career was given a boost when he won first prize at the Odense International organ competition in Denmark, 2004. Since then he has travelled widely giving concerts in Europe and the US. Recent venues include The Royal Festival Hall, London (his debut at this venue), Westminster Cathedral, The Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms and Berlin Dom. A recorded artist on dozens of discs, he is most recently to be heard as organ soloist in Handel’s Op 7 No 1 Organ Concerto with the Gabrieli Consort and Players (Winged Lion label). His work as a continuo player brings him together with groups such as the Gabrieli Consort, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Proms 2019). 2015’s Proms saw him appear with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Trained at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, William Whitehead is now a sought after organ teacher, teaching many students at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Previously he has held appointments as Assistant Organist, Rochester Cathedral, and Director of Music at St Mary’s Bourne Street, and is now the Associate Organist of Lincoln’s Inn in London. He has been a professor at both the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music. As curator of the Orgelbüchlein project, William Whitehead is seeing through a large-scale project to ‘complete’ Bach’s unfinished collection. This international project has already garnered much interest and is fast becoming a cross-section of the most interesting composers at work today. More information is available at www.orgelbuechlein.co.uk. The first volume is available with Peters Edition.