Lunchtime Concert: Simon Nieminski, Organ Recital

Join us at St James for a special lunchtime organ recital by Simon Niemiński, one of Britain and Australia’s most distinguished concert organists. An acclaimed performer, recording artist and cathedral musician, Simon has appeared in some of the world’s great musical venues, including York Minster, Durham Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, and concert halls across Australia, Europe, North America and Japan.

Whether you are a devoted organ enthusiast or simply seeking an uplifting musical interlude, this lunchtime concert offers a rare opportunity to hear an internationally acclaimed artist bring a wonderfully diverse repertoire to life on the magnificent St James Dobson Bicentennial organ.

Biography:

Simon Niemiński is a British/Australian concert organist, recording artist and cathedral musician. In concert and broadcasts, organist Simon Niemiński’s work has taken him from BBC Radio’s The Organist Entertains to Choral Evensong, Pipedreams in the USA, and beyond. He has performed some of the most challenging organ repertoire, such as Max Reger’s Symphonic Fantasia & Fugue ‘The Inferno’ and Giles Swayne’s monumental Stations of the Cross, of which Gramophone wrote: “Simon Niemiński champions this vast score with a compelling intensity that captures the visionary scope of Swayne’s writing magnificently.”

His recordings have helped revive the music of unjustly neglected composers; for example, Eugène Reuchsel’s Promenades en Provence was commended by The American Record Guide as “…a splendid release... There is a lot of poetry here” and Organists’ Review: “Simon Niemiński’s playing is utterly convincing and at one stroke establishes him as a recording artist of the first rank.”

Simon’s performances include recitals at York Minster, Durham Cathedral, Notre Dame in Paris, the International Organ Festival in Japan, the Royal Canadian College of Organists national convention, and Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane town halls. He has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and accompanied the BBC Singers. During lockdowns, he transcribed Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony for organ, performing it across Australia.

Born in London, Simon studied at the Royal College of Music, Cambridge University, and as Organ Scholar of York Minster. He is Assistant Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. Before this, he held posts at both of Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Cathedrals: Master of the Music at the Episcopal Cathedral and Organist at the Metropolitan Cathedral, alongside Director of Music at The Robin Chapel of The Thistle Foundation.

Simon’s 13th solo album, Hill Uncorked: An Organist’s Journey in the Barossa, was recorded on the 1877 Hill & Son grand organ in the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda.