Wednesday 26 February 2025 at 1PM
Organ Recital performed by Simon Passmore
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in Eb (St Anne) BWV 552
Joseph-Ermend Bonnal (1880-1944)
La Vallée de Béhorléguy, au matin (No 1 from Paysage Euskariens)
Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
Grand Jeux (from Suite Breve)
Meditation (from Suite Medievale)
Theme et Variations (from Hommage a Frescobaldi)
Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Scherzo op. 2
Chant Donné (en homage à Jean Gallon)
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Prelude & Fugue in G mi op 7
Simon Passmore is from Hexham, Northumberland. He was a chorister at Hexham Abbey where he received piano lessons from the Directors of Music, John Green and Michael Haynes, and later with Newcastle University’s Head of Keyboard, David Murray. He completed a BMus at the RNCM, studying with Murray McLachlan, and went on to do a Postgraduate Diploma in Repetiteur Studies, supported by a full scholarship. As a student, Simon was the recipient of a number of piano prizes, including 1st prize in the Watford International Piano Competition, 1st prize in both the EPTA UK and EPTA Europe competitions, and at the RNCM he was awarded the Alfred Clay prize for the highest final recital mark along with numerous prizes for accompaniment. Simon was Pilling Trust Organ Scholar under Ronald Frost at St Ann’s Manchester, later becoming Director of Music from 2015-2022. In the time spent at St Ann’s, Simon gave over 150 free lunchtime organ recitals, encompassing a wide range of repertoire across many different genres.
Away from the piano, Simon is a specialist in MIDI programming, and works on-call for several composers here in the UK and in Los Angeles, providing orchestral mock-ups to help secure funding for live scoring sessions. He regularly collaborates with sample library companies to assist them in developing their virtual instruments, and in doing so hopes to introduce classical music to those that it might not normally reach. Simon currently lives in Altrincham with his wife, Sarah, and their two sons, and works full-time at Chetham’s School of Music.
