Dr Simon Lindley

Simon Lindley is Organist of Leeds Parish Church and of Leeds Town Hall.

At the City's historic and famous Parish Church his duties include the direction of its world-renowned Choir. He is also Music Director of St Peter's Singers, one of the North of England's leading Chamber Choirs. Other current conductorships include Halifax-based Overgate Hospice Choir and Leeds College of Music Choral Society. He enjoys close links with two Anglican primary schools – as piano accompanist at St Peter's [Leeds Parish Church] and Vice-Chairman of the Governors of Whinmoor St Paul's in the Parish of Seacroft.

Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Polytechnic from 1976 to 1987, Simon was in 1988 appointed to the new post of Senior Assistant Music Officer for Leeds City Council's Learning and Leisure Department, working on a kaleidoscopic diversity of productions in the office of the award-winning Leeds International Concert Season – notably weekly Lunchtime Recitals at The Venue (Leeds College of Music), programmes for the Saturday symphony and choral concerts and as Artistic Advisor to the Leeds Summer Heritage Festivals from 1989.

In the 70s and 80s, he worked as Chorus Master to two of the West Riding's most famous adult choruses – Halifax Choral Society under Dr Donald Hunt and Leeds Philharmonic Society with Meredith Davies – and is a Life Vice-President of both choirs. He still conducts Leeds Philharmonic on a regular basis for the annual Lord Mayor's Carol Concerts at Leeds Town Hall.

President of the Royal College of Organists from 2000 to 2003 and of the Incorporated Association of Organists from 2003 to 2005, Simon is Secretary of the Church Music Society – a position he has held since 1991.

Before moving to Yorkshire thirty-three years ago, Simon was organist to several famous London Churches [notably St Anne & St Agnes and St Olave, Hart Street, in the City], Organ Tutor at the Royal School of Church Music's College of St Nicolas – then at Addington Palace, Croydon – and held posts at Westminster and St Albans Cathedrals and as Director of Music to St Albans School. At St Albans, he was Peter Hurford's first full-time assistant.

A notable 1969 début recital at Westminster Cathedral, and his acclaimed live broadcast from the 1975 Proms of the Elgar Sonata at the Royal Albert Hall established his reputation as a player of distinctive style - a reputation enhanced by an extensive discography including two best-selling Naxos CDs [French Organ Music from Leeds Parish Church and Handel Concertos with Northern Sinfonia] and an award-winning performance of the fiendish solo part in Khachaturian's Organ Symphony with the BBC Philharmonic on Chandos conducted by Feyodor Gluschenko and recorded live at a concert in Leeds Town Hall. Also for Chandos he has made a number of critically praised CDs as accompanist to cornet virtuoso Phillip McCann in the series The World's Most Beautiful Melodies.

Simon's playing is also to be heard on many recordings by the Orchestra of Opera North - most recently with Paul Daniel in a Walton CD including Belshazzar's Feast and the 1937 and 1953 Coronation Marches, and in Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle under Richard Farnes.

As an orchestral organist, he has worked – and continues to work – with all the leading British orchestras , and regularly as organist for concerts, broadcasts and recordings by The Huddersfield Choral Society. He remains one of very few players regularly playing full oratorio organ accompaniments without orchestra. Recent solo work has included the Poulenc concerto with the Orchestra of Opera North and, in 2006, performances of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony with Maestro Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic. He undertook a similar tour in 2007 with Maestro Paul Freeman and the Czech Philharmonic.

As a choral conductor, his work is to be heard on many recordings and broadcasts with the famous Choir of Leeds Parish Church whose director he has been since early 1975. Two trail-blazing Amphion CD's of the two monodramas by doyen of British composers and former Minster Organist at York, Dr Francis Jackson OBE - Daniel in Babylon and A Time of Fire [Scenes from Tyndale's Dream] - have attracted widespread critical acclaim; these historic performances, recorded in Leeds Parish Church, feature the composer at the organ, actor-dramatist John Stuart Anderson and St Peter's Singers under Simon Lindley's direction.

In Summer 2005 he received the Freedom of the City of London, where he began his career as an organist nigh on forty years ago and in the Spring of 2006 he was the recipient of the coveted Spirit of Leeds award.

www.simonlindley.org.uk