Born in Kent in the UK in 1985, Oliver Brett was educated as a music and academic scholar at Tonbridge School and then as organ scholar of King’s College, Cambridge from where he graduated in 2007 with a degree in music. Since then, he has held positions at Westminster Cathedral, Durham Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. He is currently studying for a doctorate in organ performance with David Higgs and a masters in harpsichord performance with William Porter at the Eastman School of Music. He also serves as Director of Music at St Anne’s RC Church and plays the organ for Christ Church’s Schola Cantorum. He is in demand as a choral accompanist and continuo player, regularly collaborating with many of Eastman’s choral ensembles. His former organ and harpsichord teachers include Sarah Baldock, Thomas Trotter, David Sanger, David Briggs, Dame Gillian Weir and Edoardo Bellotti. In October 2017, Oliver was awarded second prize and the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ Prize at the Canadian International Organ Competition.
As a recitalist, Oliver has performed across five continents. Whilst organ scholar of King’s College, Cambridge, he was heard by millions worldwide when he played for the 2006 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. He has performed in venues such as the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; the Royal Albert Hall, London; the Seoul Arts Centre in South Korea; the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore; the Istanbul International Music Festival; concerts in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. As a solo concert artist, he has performed at the Festival of Sacred Music in Ecuador; and venues across the USA, including Washington National Cathedral and St Thomas’, Fifth Avenue, NYC. In the UK, he has given recitals at Westminster Abbey, St Albans Abbey, Lichfield Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, Truro Cathedral, and at Worcester Cathedral as part of the Three Choirs Festival. In Australia he has given recitals in Melbourne, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney, including at Sydney Town Hall, collaborating frequently with David Elton (currently principal trumpeter of the London Symphony Orchestra). He has performed with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, Britten Sinfonia, Florilegium, the Armonico Consort and the Academy of Ancient Music.
PROGRAMME:
Symphony No.5 in F minor (Allegro vivace) - Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
The Hands of Time (Australian Premiere) - Jean-Baptiste Robin (b. 1976)
Praeludium in E minor BuxWV 142 - Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Choral No. 2 in B minor - César Franck (1822-1890)
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue - Healey-Willan (1880-1976)
Admission is free, with a retiring collection.
