Stephen Farr
Stephen Farr is highly regarded among his generation of organists, performing a vast repertoire with considerable focus on contemporary works. He has performed at many of the major English cathedrals, in concertos with leading orchestras, and is the music director at St. Paul's Knightsbridge. Farr also performs on the harpsichord as a continuo player in chamber music settings.
Farr was born in London in 1967. He began his organ studies with Robert Munns and David Sanger before earning a scholarship to study with Piet Kee in the Netherlands and Hans Fagius in Denmark. Farr became an organ scholar at Clare College in Cambridge, earning degrees in music and musicology. In 1988, he was named the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year and followed that up with several international competition prizes. Farr held sub-organist posts at Christ Church Oxford and Winchester Cathedral before being appointed the organist at Guildford Cathedral in 1999; he held this position until 2007. He went on to serve at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge and Worcester College in Oxford. In 2014, Farr earned his PhD at the University of Surrey on Judith Bingham's organ and harpsichord compositions.
Farr has worked primarily as a freelance musician since obtaining his doctorate, with a diverse repertoire spanning from the Renaissance to the 21st century. He has dedicated much of his programming to new music, premiering works by Poul Ruders, Thomas Hyde, and Francis Pott, among others. Farr commissioned David Briggs to write an organ symphony based on Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, debuting the work in 2004. In 2011, Farr premiered The Everlasting Crown, written for him by Bingham, in his solo BBC Proms debut. He has performed across Great Britain and beyond at illustrious venues such as Winchester Abbey and Cathedral and Notre Dame in Paris. As a concerto soloist, Farr has performed with many leading orchestras, including the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Farr has recorded for the Resonus, Hyperion, and Nimbus labels, among others, and his recordings are equally as varied as his performing career. In the late 1990s, Farr accompanied the Winchester Cathedral Choir in a cycle of Charles Villiers Stanford's Sacred Choral Music. He has issued several recordings of Bach's organ music as well as recordings of organ works by Kenneth Leighton (2016), Judith Bingham (2017), and James MacMillan (2020). Farr is the music director at St. Paul's Knightsbridge and chief examiner for the Royal College of Organists.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
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Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Byrd: Keyboard Works
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 6/10/2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hieronymus Praetorius: Motets in 8, 10, 12, 16 & 20 Parts
Classical - Released by Inventa Records on 31/05/2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 3/04/2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Philip Moore: Organ Works
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 17/09/2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
STAINER: Crucifixion (The)
James Gilchrist, Simon Bailey, Stephen Farr, The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Tim Brown
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1/05/2005
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Magnificat (Settings of the Magnificat Plainsong for Solo Organ)
Classical - Released by Meridian Records on 8/12/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenneth Leighton: Complete Organ Works
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 11/11/2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Matthew Martin : Jubilate Deo
Stephen Farr, Daniel Hyde, Choir of Magdalen College at Oxford
Classical - Released by Opus Arte on 31/03/2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Rejoice in the Lord Alway
The Choirs of Guildford Cathedral, Stephen Farr, Louise Reid
Classical - Released by Herald on 19/01/2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stanley, Bach, Hayes & Hook : Organ Concertos
Stephen Farr, London Bach Consort
Keyboard Concertos - Released by Meridian Records on 14/12/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
O quam gloriosum est regnum: II. Secunda pars
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 22/09/2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Great European Organs, Vol. 43: Odense Cathedral, Denmark
Classical - Released by Priory Records on 27/09/1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Celebration for All Saints: III. Gaudeamus omnes – Let Us All rejoice!
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 9/02/2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Music from Renaissance Portugal II
Cambridge Tavener Choir, Owen Rees, Stephen Farr
Classical - Released by Herald on 7/10/2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
O Come Let Us Adore Him: Christmas Carols from Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral Choir, Stephen Farr, David Hill
Christmas Music - Released by Herald on 29/09/2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Saw Three Ships: Christmas Carols from Guildford Cathedral
The Choirs of Guildford Cathedral, Stephen Farr, Dave Davies
Christmas Music - Released by Herald on 13/10/2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Walther: Organ Music
Classical - Released by Meridian Records on 22/09/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alain: Organ Works
Classical - Released by Meridian Records on 17/09/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sinfonietta: III. Adagio, e espressivo, con rubato
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 6/08/2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo