Organ scholar

File:Cambridge King's College Chapel organ.jpg

Organ scholars often gain experience on a cathedral or collegiate chapel organ, such as this one at King's College Chapel, Cambridge

An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience. It is an important part of music-making in Christian worship and is strongly associated with, but is not limited to, Anglican church music in the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA.

Organ scholars may sometimes be found at a cathedral or a collegiate church. Many colleges at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin, as well as other universities, offer organ scholarships to undergraduates. At some institutions (for example, Christ Church, Oxford, New College, Oxford, Trinity College Dublin or King's College, Cambridge), the organ scholar(s) work under the direction of a full-time professional director of music. At other institutions, the organ scholar is in charge of running the choir.

One of the first organ scholarships in the University of Cambridge was set up by Queens' College, Cambridge. An early scholar there was the composer Charles Villiers Stanford, who took up his position there in 1870.

Many organ scholars have gone on to notable careers in music and in other fields. Two notable ex-organ scholars who went on to achieve fame in other fields are Edward Heath, who read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford and later served as British Prime Minister 1970–1974; and Dudley Moore, who read music at Magdalen College, Oxford and went on to a career in acting.

Notable organ scholars at universities and colleges

Name	Institution	Dates	Later appointments	Ref
		1892–1895	Organist of St Asaph Cathedral, Ely Cathedral and New College, Oxford; professor of music at the University of Oxford and director of the Royal College of Music
		2016−2020	Organist of Truro Cathedral, 2023−present
		1972–1975	Organist of Bristol Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral; director of chapel music and organist of Winchester College
		1961	Music Director of Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera
		1919-1921	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1985–1988	Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral
		1993-1996	Assistant Director of Music Winchester Cathedral, organist of Chichester Cathedral, director of music at Winchester College
		1961–1964	Organist of Lagos Cathedral
		1972–1975
		1997–2000
		1949–1952	Organist of Southwell Minster
	and Lincoln College, Oxford	1955–1958 (Corpus Christi)  ? (Lincoln)	Organist of Blackburn Cathedral
		1980–1983	Director of The English Concert
		1963–1967	Organist of Wakefield Cathedral
		1883-1886	Organist of Worcester Cathedral
		1978–1981	Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral
		1982–1985	Organist of St Davids Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral
		1922	Organist of Truro Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral
		1955–1960	Organist of Southwark Cathedral and director of the Royal School of Church Music
		1883–1885	Composer, organist of Bristol Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral
		1981–1984	Organist of Truro Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral
		1983–1986	Organist of Sheffield Cathedral, director of music at All Saints, Margaret Street.
		1910–1912	Composer and music critic
		1979–1982	Gardiner Professor of Music, Glasgow University
		1982–1985	Sub-organist of Winchester Cathedral, organist of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, St George's Chapel, Windsor. Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, and now at All Saints, Margaret Street
		1987–1991	Director of Music at Saint Paul's Cathedral, Wellington and organist and master of choristers at Croydon Minster
		1968–1971	Assistant Organist of Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1967–1971	Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, director of music at King's College, Cambridge
		1907–1909	Organist of Manchester Cathedral
			Organist of Southwark Cathedral
			Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral (London, Ontario)
		1938–40, 1946–1947	Broadcaster and musicologist
		1967–1970	Organist of Norwich Cathedral
		1931–1934
		1990–1993	Assistant director of music at Blackburn Cathedral, director of music at Rugby School Thailand
		1971–1974	Organist of St Albans Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1963–1966	Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra
		1948–1952	Organist of Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral
		1925–1928	Professor of organ at the Royal College of Music, organist of the London Oratory and designer and curator of the organ of the Royal Festival Hall
		1996–1999	Sub-Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1982–1985	Music Director of Academy of Ancient Music
		1983–1986	Music Director of Opera North
		1984	Sub-organist Christ Church, Oxford, Sub-organist Winchester Cathedral, organist of Guildford Cathedral
		1996–1999
		1905
	and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge	1982–1985	Organist of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, artist-in-residence at Washington National Cathedral
		1959–1962	Organist of Chester Cathedral
		1926	BBC Controller of Music
		1991–1994	Organist of Eton College
Christopher Gower	Magdalen College, Oxford	1958 - 1961	Assistant Exeter Cathedral, Organist and Master of the Choristers Portsmouth Cathedral Master of Music at Peterborough Cathedral
		1998-2001	Organist & Director of Music at St Marylebone Parish Church, assistant organist of New College, Oxford
			Organist and Master of the Choristers, Truro Cathedral (2008−2022); Director of Music, St John's College, Cambridge (2023−)
		1973–1976	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
			Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, 2024−present
		1935–1939	Organist of Westminster Abbey
		1947–1951	Director of Music of St John's College, Cambridge
		1971–1974	Rector Chori of Southwell Minster
		1992–1995	Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral
		1935–1939	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
		1954-1957	Founding Professor of Music at the Open University
		1959–1962	Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey
		1967–1970	Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
		1966–1970	Director of Music at New College, Oxford
		1976–1979	Master of Music of Westminster Cathedral and at Winchester Cathedral, director of music at St John's College, Cambridge, director of the BBC Singers
		1949-1952
		1949–1953	Organist of St Albans Cathedral
		1972-1974	Organist of St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham
		2000–2003	Organist and Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church, New York (2016−2019); Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge (2019−present)
		1978–1981	Director of Music of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace
		1989-1992	Organist of Coventry Cathedral, organist and director of music at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
		1981-1984	Director of Music at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis
			Organist of Harvard University
		1996–1998	Assistant Organist of Saint Paul's Cathedral, Wellington
		1978-1981	Organist of St. Mary's Church, Nottingham
		1893	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
		1971–1974	Sub-organist of Winchester Cathedral, organist of Durham Cathedral
Anna Lapwood	Magdalen College, Oxford		Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge and Associate Artist at Royal Albert Hall
		1985–1988	Director of Music, Trinity College, Cambridge
		1906–1909	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1952–1955	Organist of Hereford Cathedral and Durham Cathedral
			Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral
		1980–1983	Organist of Portsmouth Cathedral and Worcester Cathedral
		1981–1984	Organist of Lichfield Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral
	and St John's College, Cambridge	1948–1951 (Selwyn) 1951–1953 (St John's)	Organist of New College, Oxford and principal of the Royal Academy of Music
		1992–1995	Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and of Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir
		1958–1962	Organist of Trinity College, Cambridge
		1992-1995	Organist of St Davids Cathedral
		1921	Organist of Westminster Abbey
		1951–1955	Dean, Faculty of Music, University of Western Ontario
		1971–1974	Organist of Guildford Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral
		1955–1958	Comedian
		1928–1931	BBC Controller of Music
		1958–1963	Organist of Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey
		1987–1990	Organist of Truro Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral, director of music at St John's College, Cambridge
		1957–1960	Organist of Norwich Cathedral
		1979–1982	Master of Music of Westminster Cathedral, organist of Westminster Abbey
		1989–1992	Composer, former organist of St George's Cathedral, Southwark, composer in residence for the Parliament Choir.
		1920	Organist of King's College, Cambridge
		1929–1932	Organist of St John's College, Cambridge
		1951–1954	Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral
		1972–1975	Assistant Organist of St Albans Cathedral
		1978–1981	Director of Music, Gloucester Cathedral
		1949–1954	Organist of Ripon Cathedral
		1955–1956	Organist of the Chapel Royal
		1926-1928	Organist of Wells Cathedral
		1958–1961	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Westminster Abbey
		1969–1972	Organist of Lichfield Cathedral and St George's Chapel, Windsor
		1955-1958	Organist of Worcester Cathedral and St George's Chapel, Windsor, director of music of St John's College, Cambridge
		1935–1939	Informator Choristarum of Magdalen College, Oxford
		1939	Organist of Derby Cathedral
		1960–1963	Organist of Norwich Cathedral
		1952–1956	Organist of Gloucester Cathedral
		1974–1978	Organist of St Paul's Cathedral, director of music at St Thomas Church, New York
			Organist of Salisbury Cathedral
		1898–1901
		1984–1987
	and Lincoln College, Oxford	1961	Anglican Bishop of Salisbury
		1870	Organist and director of music, Trinity College, Cambridge; professor of music, University of Cambridge
		1903	Organist of Rochester Cathedral
		1986-1989
		1989–1992	Organist of Blackburn Cathedral
			Organist of Chichester Cathedral
		1972–1975	Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral and Ely Cathedral
		1976–1979	Birmingham City Organist
		2000–2003	Assistant organist of Wells Cathedral; associate director of music at Christ Church, Greenwich, USA
		1993–1997	Director of Music at St George's Chapel, Windsor
		1900–1903	Organist of Carlisle Cathedral
		1974–1978	Organist of St Albans Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral
			Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral
		1922–1925	Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
		1977–1980	Director of Music of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
		1956–1960	Organist of Leicester Cathedral
		1990–1993	Sub-Organist of Rochester Cathedral
		1941–1946	Organist of Canterbury Cathedral
		1939–1940, 1945–1947	Organist of Salisbury Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and King's College, Cambridge, director of the Royal College of Music
		1997-2000	Assistant Organist of St Paul's Cathedral, Director of Music, Jesus College, Cambridge, Informator Choristarum, Magdalen College, Oxford
		1968-1971	Organist Emeritus, York Minster
	and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge	1888–1889 (Selwyn) 1889–1894 (Gonville and Caius)	Professor of Music, University of Cambridge
		1973–1976	Organist of Southwark Cathedral