David Titterington
David Titterington is Head of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music and a Professor of the University of London and Artistic Director of St Albans International Organ Festival. He was an Organ Scholar at the University of Oxford before continuing his organ studies in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain and Susan Landale at the Conservatoire de Reuil-Malmaison where he won a Premier Prix a l’unanimité avec les félicitations du Jury and later with the distinguished Czech composer, Petr Eben.
He appears in recitals and concertos at major festivals worldwide and include the bicentennial Festival of Sydney, and the international festivals of Hong Kong, New Zealand, Adelaide, Tokyo, Guelph, Schleswig Holstein, Israel, Istanbul, City of London, Belfast, Brighton, Cheltenham, Harrogate. For eighteen years, he gave masterclasses and recitals at the Dartington International Summer School.
He made his debut at the BBC Proms in 1990 with a solo recital that featured a Proms commission from Diana Burrell, Arched forms with bells. At the BBC Proms 2000, he played in the UK premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s 9th Symphony with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and gave his second Proms solo recital in 2009, performing works by Elgar and Peter Dickinson. Royal Festival Hall performances include his debut in 1986 followed by a recital in the 50th anniversary recital series at which he premiered Stephen Montague’s Toccare Incandescent. A recital in February 2016, included the world premiere of a Southbank-commissioned work by Sally Beamish. In 1998, he gave the New Zealand premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s Livre du Saint Sacrement – “a performance of spellbinding authority…Titterington giving us a performance of staggering intensity and brilliance” (The Dominion, Wellington)
Throughout his career, Titterington has worked closely with many composers across a wide range of styles including commissioned works, first performances and in recital with works by Mauricio Kagel, Diana Burrell, Lyell Cresswell, Peter Dickinson, Jonathan Dove, Paul Patterson, Giles Swayne, Per Nørgård. In performance, he has worked with such distinguished soloists, orchestras as Hakan Hardenberger, Christian Lindberg, John Wallace, Thomas Sanderling, Ingo Metzmacher, City of London Sinfonia, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, La Camerata of Athens, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
He has been awarded numerous honours and awards including Fellowship (honoris causa)of the Royal College of Organists, a Doctorate (honoris causa) and Honorary Professorship by the Liszt Ferenc State University, Budapest. Honorary doctorates have also been conferred by the Universities of Huddersfield and Bolton. David Titterington is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music and, in 2016, was elected Fellow Commoner of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Recent engagements include recitals at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, the Dresden Musikfestspiele, Sogakudo Hall, Tokyo and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National University of the Arts, Tokyo, Yonsei University, Seoul, and the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory.
Plans include recitals at the MUZA Kawasaki Concert Hall in Japan, the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, and the Grand Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.
