Former Organist and Master of the Choristers to give organ recital in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh
Canon Martin White will make a welcome return to the Cathedral organ to give the third recital in this year’s series on Sunday 23 November 2014 at 4.30 pm in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh.
Martin was born and educated in London, where he studied at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), and the London University Institute of Education. During his studies at RAM, he was awarded the Stewart MacPherson Prize for Improvisation and Keyboard Harmony. His Bachelor of Music degree is from Trinity College, Dublin.
He held several organist posts in England before moving to Armagh in 1968, to become the Organist and Master of the Choristers of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, a post which he held for thirty–four years. During that same time he was appointed to the Southern Education and Library Board’s Music Service as Head of Performance, which involved him in the musical education of thousands of young people for almost thirty years.
As a composer, Martin has written much church music, as well as music for piano and orchestral compositions. While Cathedral Organist in Armagh, he recorded many organ performances for BBC Radio 3 and RTÉ, and gave recitals abroad, notably in Germany and Belgium.
Currently Martin is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and in that capacity continues to undertake international examining tours especially in Hong Kong and the Far East.
For this recital, which will start at the later time of 4.30 pm, Martin will play works by Hendrik Andriessen, Louis–Nicolas Clerambault, J S Bach, Josef Rheinberger, Percy Whitlock and Jehan Alain.
The Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Gregory Dunstan, said, “It was in recognition of his outstanding service as Organist and Master of the Choristers that, on his retirement, Martin White was appointed a Lay Canon of the Cathedral by Archbishop Eames. Since then his playing has hardly been heard in Armagh. It will be a great pleasure to welcome him back to the organ that owes so much to his dedication and genius.”