Benjamin Saunders concert organist
Benjamin Saunders was born in Warrington and educated at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh. He received his first organ lessons at the age of sixteen at St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh and two years later won an Organ Scholarship to Downing College, Cambridge, where he studied with Peter Hurford. Upon graduating, he held organist posts at the Cathedrals of St Giles’ Edinburgh, Blackburn, and Chester.
In 2002, Saunders was appointed Director of Music for the Diocese of Leeds, leading the department at Leeds Cathedral. The Cathedral is the centre of England's largest choral programme, comprising of some six boys choirs, four girls choirs, 47 school choirs, a choir school and a professional adult choir. During this time, he has been privileged to act as consultant and advisor to a number of the UK's other musically pre-eminent cathedrals.
As an organist, he aims to present a varied and accessible programme to delight audiences both young and old, be they new to organ music or lifelong devotees of the instrument. His solo repertoire includes classical, popular and jazz works, some familiar and others new or recently rediscovered. He has also transcribed many orchestral works for the organ and these arrangements often form a popular part of his concert programmes.
Saunders has performed to HM the Queen, Princess Anne and US President Carter and worked with conductor Carl Davis and jazz virtuoso Dick Hyman. Solo tours have led him to give organ recitals in Russia, France, Italy, Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and the United States. Major international recitals have included Koenigsberg Cathedral in Kaliningrad (Russia), Cologne Cathedral, Perugia Cathedral, Berlin Cathedral, the Basilica of St Lorenzo in Florence and the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas. He has recorded both as organist and conductor for Herald AV and now under contract to Brilliant Classics for three complete works disks for release in 2013.