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Christopher Herrick Christopher Herrick (born 1942) is an English concert organist renowned for his performances, recordings, and influence on organ repertoire and pedagogy. He has held prominent posts at major British cathedrals and chapels and established an international career through recitals, broadcasts, and a prolific discography that spans baroque to contemporary works.
Herrick was born in England and studied organ and piano during formative years in a milieu that included influences from figures such as Herbert Howells, Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, and institutions like Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, King's College, Cambridge, and St Paul's Cathedral. His teachers and examiners included eminent musicians associated with Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Westminster Abbey, and conservatoires linked to the BBC Proms and English Touring Opera. Early exposure to liturgical and concert traditions connected him with repertoire promoted by ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and choirs like King's College Choir, St John's College Choir, and the Choir of Westminster Abbey.
Herrick's initial posts involved service at parish churches and collegiate chapels associated with figures such as Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, George Gilbert Scott, and historic venues like St Martin-in-the-Fields, Southwark Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, and Exeter Cathedral. He worked alongside organists and choral directors connected to Choir of King's College Cambridge, The Sixteen, Cathedral Music Trust, and the Royal School of Church Music. These early positions led to collaborative projects with conductors from the English National Opera, Royal Opera House, and choral societies including the Bach Choir and London Bach Festival.
Herrick subsequently held senior appointments at major British ecclesiastical foundations, performing within historic institutions such as York Minster, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, and St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. His duties placed him in the liturgical and ceremonial life of events attended by members of the British Royal Family, state visitors linked to the House of Windsor, and officials from institutions like the City of London Corporation and Houses of Parliament. During tenures at these foundations he collaborated with organ builders and restorers associated with firms such as Father Willis (Henry Willis & Sons), Harrison & Harrison, J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, and Mander Organs.
Herrick developed an extensive recital schedule at venues like St Thomas Church, New York, Notre-Dame de Paris, Konzerthaus Berlin, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, Salzburg Festival, BBC Proms, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and the Three Choirs Festival. He made commercial recordings on labels tied to the Decca Records, EMI Classics, Hyperion Records, Argo Records, and Virgin Records catalogues, producing series that explore the organ works of composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, Samuel Scheidt, César Franck, Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne, Olivier Messiaen, Guilmant (Alexandre Guilmant), and Johannes Brahms. Broadcasts of his performances featured on networks including the BBC, Radio France, Deutschlandfunk, and NHK.
Herrick's repertoire spans baroque, romantic, and contemporary composers, embracing works by Bach, Buxtehude, Franck, Widor, Vierne, Messiaen, Stanley, Walford Davies, and modern composers commissioned by ensembles such as the BBC Singers and festivals including the Cheltenham Music Festival. His interpretive style and registration choices reflect traditions associated with organists and pedagogues like Derek Watson, E. Power Biggs, Marie-Claire Alain, Pierre Cochereau, and Flor Peeters, and his approach influenced performers linked to conservatoires such as the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music as well as organists active at venues including St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
Herrick gave masterclasses and lectures at institutions including the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Juilliard School, and universities such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of London, and University of York. He mentored students who subsequently held posts at cathedrals such as Canterbury Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and Oxford and Cambridge colleges; these pupils also performed in festivals like the Three Choirs Festival and on broadcasts for the BBC.
Herrick's career earned recognition from organizations including the Royal College of Organists, Order of the British Empire, Gramophone Awards, Royal Philharmonic Society, British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and civic honors from municipalities such as City of York and universities including University of York and University of Cambridge. His recordings and pedagogical activities contributed to renewed interest in organ repertoire, historic instrument restoration, and the international recital tradition centered on venues like Westminster Abbey, York Minster, and Notre-Dame de Paris.
Category:English organists