John Challenger's Final Organ Recital

While the Choir is out in Japan, we thought we would take a moment to mention our two Organ Scholars, Freddie James and John Challenger, and thank them for all the work they do for the Choir. Not only do they play for all of the services in Chapel (which require far more preparation than for the Choral Scholars) but they can also be found teaching the Choristers and Probationers most mornings at St John's College School, as well as accompanying the Choir on foreign tours, concerts, recordings and broadcasts, and studying (usually very successfully) for their Cambridge degrees.

A huge number of St John's Organ Scholars go on to leading positions in the professional music world, both in the realms of 'Cathedral' music and as conductors, recitalists and choir-trainers more broadly. Some can be seen on our Alumni page. Last year, the College's Quincentenary, we invited back 21 former Organ Scholars to play in our Quincentenary Sunday evening recital series in Chapel.

There have been recitals every Sunday in term time every year for the last half a century or so. John Challenger, who has been at St John's as Organ Scholar and then for a fourth year, as Assistant Organist, gave his final recital right before the final service of the academic year, on 8 July. He leaves St John's to take up the post of Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral in September.

His Final Recital programme was:

J.S. Bach: Pièce d'Orgue (BWV 572)
Louis Vierne: Clair de lune (op. 53)
Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March no 4 in G

and can be listened to below