Thomas Trotter
Encyclopedia
Thomas Trotter is a British
concert organist
. He is Birmingham City Organist
and organist of St. Margaret's, Westminster
(along with the St Margarets choir) and visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music
, London.
He was organ scholar
of, and studied music at, King's College, Cambridge
. He also studied under Marie-Claire Alain
, winning the Prix de Virtuosité in her class. He won first prize in the interpretation competition at the St Albans International Organ Festival
in 1979 and made his debut in London’s Royal Festival Hall
the following year. He was appointed Birmingham City Organist in 1983, succeeding Sir George Thalben-Ball
.
In May 2001 he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society
award for Best Instrumentalist, the first organist to win this award. In July 2003 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Central England.
, usually including contemporary compositions in his recitals. He is also noted for playing transcriptions of orchestral music, something which is a tradition at St Margaret's, Westminster
, where he is organist.
He has performed and been recorded around the world, and is much sought-after as a soloist in orchestral partnerships. He has performed with conductors Sir Simon Rattle
, Bernard Haitink
, Riccardo Chailly
and Sir Charles Mackerras
, as joint soloist with performers including Evelyn Glennie
, and has given recitals in the Berlin Philharmonie, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Musikverein, Vienna
and Konzerthaus, Vienna
and London’s Royal Festival Hall
.
He has given the commissioning recital on new or restored organs in places such as Cleveland’s Severance Hall (Ohio), Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, St David's Hall
, Cardiff, and most recently, the Royal Albert Hall
in London, following the extensive refurbishment of the organ by Mander Organs
completed in 2005.
Trotter has also been invited to perform on major historic instruments such as those at St. Ouen in Rouen, St. Bavo’s in Haarlem
(Netherlands
), Weingarten Abbey
in Germany
and Woolsey Hall
at Yale University
and he appears at the festivals of Salzburg
, Berlin
, Vienna
, Edinburgh
and London
’s BBC Proms.
Trotter's recordings of Messiaen and Mozart have been named "Critics Choice" by The Gramophone
magazine, and he received a Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of music by Franz Liszt
in 1995. He was consultant for the new Marcussen organ in Manchester
’s Bridgewater Hall
and also for the organ in Birmingham
's Symphony Hall
.
He has released seven recordings on the Regent Records label: the complete organ works of Elgar from Salisbury Cathedral (REGCD256), released for the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth (2007); Restored to Glory (REGCD265), released to commemorate the re-opening of the Town Hall and re-inauguration of its organ in October 2007; Sounds of St Giles (REGCD302), on the new Mander East organ of St Giles Cripplegate in 2008 (Gramophone Critics' Choice); CPE Bach Organ Works (REGCD314) released in December 2009; Schumann: Complete Works for Organ (REGCD347 - Editor's Choice, Gramophone Magazine, January 2011), recorded on the historic Ladegast organ of Merseburg Cathedral, Germany, and Grand Organ Prom (REGCD322 - Editor's Choice, Organists' Review, August 2011), transcriptions and original works from the Victorian concert hall tradition, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London. All have received outstanding critical response.
His latest recording on Regent (September 2011) and first DVD is The Town Hall Tradition (REGDVD001 - DVD Video and CD), recorded on the organ of Town Hall, Birmingham.
Trotter also performed at the last service in St Mary's church Quarry Hill in Leeds.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
concert organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
. He is Birmingham City Organist
Birmingham City Organist
Birmingham City Organist is an appointment made by the City of Birmingham. The purpose of the appointment is to have an organist for civic occasions and who will provide a series of free public organ recitals....
and organist of St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
(along with the St Margarets choir) and visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, London.
He was organ scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
of, and studied music at, King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. He also studied under Marie-Claire Alain
Marie-Claire Alain
Marie-Claire Alain is a French organist and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career. She is particularly known for her ability to perform substantial works entirely from memory.-Background and education:...
, winning the Prix de Virtuosité in her class. He won first prize in the interpretation competition at the St Albans International Organ Festival
St Albans International Organ Festival
The International Organ Festival is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme...
in 1979 and made his debut in London’s Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
the following year. He was appointed Birmingham City Organist in 1983, succeeding Sir George Thalben-Ball
George Thalben-Ball
Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball CBE was an organist and composer who, though originally from Australia, spent most of his life in Britain....
.
In May 2001 he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
award for Best Instrumentalist, the first organist to win this award. In July 2003 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Central England.
Performance
In Birmingham he plays regularly in the city's Symphony HallSymphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
, usually including contemporary compositions in his recitals. He is also noted for playing transcriptions of orchestral music, something which is a tradition at St Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
, where he is organist.
He has performed and been recorded around the world, and is much sought-after as a soloist in orchestral partnerships. He has performed with conductors Sir Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
, Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
, Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
and Sir Charles Mackerras
Charles Mackerras
Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan...
, as joint soloist with performers including Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire...
, and has given recitals in the Berlin Philharmonie, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Musikverein, Vienna
Musikverein, Vienna
Wiener Musikverein, , commonly shortened to The Musikverein, has a twofold meaning: it is the name of a famous Vienna concert hall, as well as the short name for the music society, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde [Society of Music Friends], that owns the building.This building is located on...
and Konzerthaus, Vienna
Konzerthaus, Vienna
The Konzerthaus in Vienna was opened 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both tradition and innovative musical styles.In 1890 the first ideas for a Haus für Musikfeste came about...
and London’s Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
.
He has given the commissioning recital on new or restored organs in places such as Cleveland’s Severance Hall (Ohio), Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, St David's Hall
St David's Hall
St David's Hall is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff city centre, the capital of Wales...
, Cardiff, and most recently, the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall Organ
The Grand Organ situated in the Royal Albert Hall in London, is the second largest pipe organ in the United Kingdom. It was originally built by Henry "Father" Willis and most recently rebuilt by Mander Organs, having 147 stops and 9,997 speaking pipes....
in London, following the extensive refurbishment of the organ by Mander Organs
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
completed in 2005.
Trotter has also been invited to perform on major historic instruments such as those at St. Ouen in Rouen, St. Bavo’s in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
(Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), Weingarten Abbey
Weingarten Abbey
Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Martinsberg in Weingarten near Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg .-First foundation:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Woolsey Hall
Woolsey Hall
Woolsey Hall is the primary auditorium at Yale University. Woolsey Hall, which seats 2,695 people, was built as part of the Yale bicentennial celebration in 1901. The architects were Carrère and Hastings, designers of the New York Public Library....
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and he appears at the festivals of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
’s BBC Proms.
Trotter's recordings of Messiaen and Mozart have been named "Critics Choice" by The Gramophone
The Gramophone
Gramophone is a magazine published monthly in London by Haymarket devoted to classical music and jazz, particularly recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie...
magazine, and he received a Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of music by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
in 1995. He was consultant for the new Marcussen organ in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
’s Bridgewater Hall
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....
and also for the organ in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
.
He has released seven recordings on the Regent Records label: the complete organ works of Elgar from Salisbury Cathedral (REGCD256), released for the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth (2007); Restored to Glory (REGCD265), released to commemorate the re-opening of the Town Hall and re-inauguration of its organ in October 2007; Sounds of St Giles (REGCD302), on the new Mander East organ of St Giles Cripplegate in 2008 (Gramophone Critics' Choice); CPE Bach Organ Works (REGCD314) released in December 2009; Schumann: Complete Works for Organ (REGCD347 - Editor's Choice, Gramophone Magazine, January 2011), recorded on the historic Ladegast organ of Merseburg Cathedral, Germany, and Grand Organ Prom (REGCD322 - Editor's Choice, Organists' Review, August 2011), transcriptions and original works from the Victorian concert hall tradition, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London. All have received outstanding critical response.
His latest recording on Regent (September 2011) and first DVD is The Town Hall Tradition (REGDVD001 - DVD Video and CD), recorded on the organ of Town Hall, Birmingham.
Trotter also performed at the last service in St Mary's church Quarry Hill in Leeds.