James Lancelot, with his wife Sylvia, arrived in Durham when he was appointed Master of the Choristers and Cathedral Organist in 1985. Prior to this he was successively a chorister of St.Paul's Cathedral, Organ Scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and ten years Sub-Organist of Winchester Cathedral. He studied with Ralph Downes, Gillian Weir and Nicholas Danby, taking ARCO aged 16 in 1968, FRCO in 1969 and CHM in 1971. 

At Durham he takes responsibility for the cathedral's musical ministry, the centuries-old tradition of music at the centre of cathedral worship, which naturally takes most of his working time and energy. At its heart are the services sung daily  in term-time by the cathedral choir. James is responsible for the choir's  training, as well as that of the Consort of Singers, established in 1997. He has taken the cathedral choir on tour to Holland, Scandinavia, Germany, Brazil, the USA and France, and with them worked with the Northern Sinfonia, the London Festival Orchestra, the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists, the BT Scottish Ensemble, the BBC Philharmonic, and Stan Tracey and his orchestra.  In 2005, together with the cathedral choirs of St. Albans and Winchester, the choir took part in the St. Albans International Organ Festival, . The choir has also recorded  for Priory and made numerous broadcasts. James is also conductor of Durham University Choral Society. 

In addition, James is much in demand as a recitalist in Britain and abroad. Recent years have seen visits to Holland, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Denmark, the USA, France, Russia, Norway and Sweden, as well as many British venues.  There are several recordings available. As well as those previously on sale, including Vierne and Alain works, his recording of the complete organ works of Hubert Parry on the Durham Cathedral organ was a Gramophone Critics' Choice in 2000. His most recent recording is a DVD of Elgar’s Organ Sonata made in conjunction with the Durham Media Academy. 

James Lancelot is a Past-president of the Cathedral Organists Association, and in 2002 became a Lay Canon of Durham Cathedral, also receiving an Honorary Fellowship of the Guild of Church Musicians.  He received Honorary Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music in 2008.

He can be contacted e-mail: organist@durhamcathedral.co.uk, by fax 0191-386-4267, or by traditional post at: 6 The College, Durham DH1 3EQ.

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Forthcoming appearances:

As an organist he has played throughout Europe and in the USA, Canada and Brazil; he has also broadcast regularly and made many commercial recordings.  In Durham he directs a chamber choir, Palatinate Voices,
and a period-instrument orchestra, Durham Baroque, with whom he has performed the major Bach works including the B-minor Mass, the Magnificat and the two Passions.  He is in demand throughout the region as a performer, and has played from time to time with Northern Sinfonia, both as a harmoniumist and as an organist, under conductors including Heinrich Schiff, Roger Norrington and Andrew Parrott.  He is a part-time member of staff in the Music Department at Durham University, teaching Performance, Conducting and Techniques of Composition.  He also has a particular interest in Tudor church music, and in the performance of the repertoire of this period; he has prepared a number of editions for use with the Early English Organ Project instruments, and spends as much time as he can researching amongst the 17th-century manuscripts in the Durham Chapter Library and elsewhere.

When not involved with musical activities, he enjoys a busy family life with wife Kate and three musical and sporting sons. 

Keith can be contacted via e-mail: Sub.Organist@durhamcathedral.co.uk 
or by post at:  8 The College, Durham DH1 3EQ.

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