PROGRAMME:
Prelude in G minor (Op.29,no.1) Gabriel Pierné
Méditation Maurice Duruflé
Fanfare (Four Extemporizations for organ) Percy Whitlock
Psalm Prelude (Op.32 no.1) Herbert Howells
Salut d’Amour Edward Elgar
Voices of the World Iain Farrington
Paul Leddington Wright has been conducting orchestras and choirs since he was 15, at which age he held his first position as Organist and Choirmaster of the Maidenhead Methodist Church, and conductor of the Maidenhead Schools’ Orchestra.
His first organ recital tour abroad took place at the age of 17 when he played in New York, Boston, Hartford, USA, as well as Montreal, Canada, and Jamaica. He was organ scholar at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge where he studied music with David Willcocks, Peter Hurford and Peter Le Huray.
In 1984, he was appointed Organist and Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral, a
post he held until 1995. He was Artistic Director of the International Church Music
Festival from 1988 to 2010, a highlight being conducting Puccini’s Missa di Gloria in
the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Rome, in 2009. In order to pursue a busy free-lance career, working for the BBC and abroad, between 1995 and 2019 Paul held the part-time position of Associate Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral.
Paul has worked for BBC television and radio since 1986 as a conductor and arranger. He conducted the BBC Songs of Praise ‘Big Sing’ at London’s Royal Albert Hall every September since the 40th anniversary programme in 2001. In September 2016 he was honoured during the recording for 30 years work on Songs of Praise. He conducted the first post-Covid Songs of Praise recording in the Coventry Cathedral in September 2021 for a special City of Culture programme.
He was Musical Director of the Coventry Cathedral Chorus (formerly Saint Michael’s Singers) for 37 years, retiring from the Chorus at the end of 2021.
He now lives with his wife, Sheila, in Maidenhead, where he conducts a chamber choir, The Renaissance Voices, specializing in music of that period. He is one of the Music Leaders at St. Mary’s Church and maintains a busy schedule playing in Windsor and Maidenhead area.
He was recently honoured with the award of the MVO by Prince William in an investiture at Windsor Castle following 16 years of service to The Monarch as Secretary of the Royal Almonry.
