James Watson’s dream of becoming a cathedral organist is fast becoming a reality after the Dean and Chapter of St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire recently announced his appointment as their new organ scholar.
Upper Sixth Former James, who is the senior organ scholar here at Bedford School and organist at St Mary’s Church in Hitchin, will join the team at St Davids in September for one academic year before applying to university to read Music in 2023.
James, who has been playing the piano since he was six years old and the organ since he was 10 years, told us, “A gap year organ scholarship is an incredible opportunity to extend my skills and experience of playing the organ, building on the experience I’ve gained at Bedford School and St Mary’s, Hitchin. As well as playing, I’ll also gain experience in conducting, and leading rehearsals for choristers, another skill which will be really important for my future career.”
St Davids has an excellent reputation for music, and James will be heavily involved, playing in all the services in the cathedral. He will also play a recital in the cathedral’s week-long music festival, as well as be involved in the festival’s organisation. The cathedral also works in its local community, giving local schools in Pembrokeshire the opportunity to get involved with music – something that James is also keen to support.
While his organ scholarship is a full-time position, James hopes to study for and take the Associate of the Royal College of Organists (ACRO) diploma as part of his organ lessons during the year. This involves written papers as well as playing, but James is determined to make the most from this gap year.
Joss Sanders, Director of Music at Bedford commented, “This is fantastic news for James. He has exhibited the deepest kind of endeavour and gone about the whole audition process with a huge amount of resilience and perseverance. All of these characteristics will help James hugely in the future as he navigates the delights and challenges of cathedral-style music.”
James has been a music scholar at Bedford School since 2017, has a distinction at Grade 8 in piano, double bass and singing, and has distinction in the Associate of the Royal School of Music (ARSM) diploma in organ. He was a member of the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain from 2016-2018, playing double bass, and a member of the National Youth Boys’ Choir of Great Britain from 2015-2019. In 2019 he received a scholarship from the Royal School of Church Music to attend their summer school in Bath.