Thomas Trotter
Biography Thomas Trotter
Thomas Trotter
is one of Britain's most widely admired musicians, reflected in Her Majesty The Queen awarding him The Queen's Medal for Music on St Cecilia's Day 2020. He has had a special relationship with the City of Birmingham in England since he was appointed City Organist in 1983 after Sir George Thalben-Ball based at the city's renovated historic Town Hall where he is also Resident Organist of the magnificent Klais organ in Symphony Hall. He is also Organist at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, in London. Earlier in his career he was organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and he later continued his studies with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris where he took the Prix de Virtuosité in her class.
Thomas Trotter has been awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Instrumentalist Award in recognition of his particular achievements as “one of the foremost exponents of the organist’s art”, International Performer of the Year Award for 2012 by the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and, in 2016, the Royal College of Organists Medal. The excellence of his musicianship has also long been recognised internationally in his musical partnerships. He has performed as soloist with conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, Sir Charles Mackerras and, amongst many others, succeeding generation’s Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Sakari Oramo, Edward Gardner, Francois-Xavier Roth, Petri Sakari, Andris Nelsons and Thomas Sondergaard. He performs recitals in Berlin’s “Philharmonie” and “Konzerthaus”, the “Gewandhaus” in Leipzig, both the “Musikverein” and the “Konzerthaus” in Vienna alongside London’s Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, at the major new venues of Moscow’s “International Performing Arts Centre” and Budapest’s “Palace of Arts”. He was consultant for the Marcussen organ in Manchester’s newly-built Bridgewater Hall as well as for the new Klais organ in Birmingham at Symphony Hall and he has given the opening recital on new or restored organs in places such as Cleveland’s “Severance Hall” (Ohio), Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the “Concertgebouw” in Amsterdam, London’s Royal Festival Hall and at St David’s Hall in Cardiff alongside being regularly asked to perform on major historic instruments such as those at St. Ouen in Rouen, St. Bavo’s in Haarlem (Netherlands), Weingarten Abbey in Germany and Woolsey Hall at Yale University. He appears at the festivals of Salzburg, Berlin, Vienna, Edinburgh and London’s BBC Proms. He performs with leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. Alongside his regular recitals in Birmingham, Thomas Trotter performs throughout the USA and Europe. Other engagements include Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London, the UK premiere of Paul Ruders’ Organ Concerto, Christus Kirche Dresden, St Olav Festival in Norway, Lapua Organ Festival and Turku in Finland, St Petersburg and Mannheim, the Västerås Organ Festival in Sweden, for the American Guild of Organists in Nashville and at the UK’s Three Choirs Festival.
Thomas Trotter made his first US appearance when he debuted with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1987. Amongst many other highlights since then have been many recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival and as soloist at an opening concert there in Janacek’s “Glagolitic Mass” conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, performing at the 50th Anniversary Concert of the Organ at the Royal Festival Hall, the re-inauguration of the Organ at the Royal Albert Hall, the re-inauguration of the Royal Festival Hall’s organ in 2014, playing the solo organ part of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto for the Royal Ballet in “Voluntaries” at Covent Garden and in recital for the South Bank Centre's Messiaen Festival playing From the Canyons to the Stars at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He became an extensive recording artist for Decca in 1989. His seven most recent recordings - Elgar at Salisbury Cathedral, organ transcriptions from the newly restored Birmingham Town Hall, a collection ranging from Handel through to Litaize on the new Mander organ at St Giles Cripplegate (Critic's Choice in Gramophone magazine Dec 2009), the organ works of CPE Bach from Eton College, Robert Schumann from the organ of Merseburg Cathedral Germany (Editor's Choice in Gramophone, Jan 2011), Grand Organ Prom on the renovated organ at the Royal Albert Hall and The Town Hall Tradition from Birmingham Town Hall all appear on the Regent label. Of his many other CDs he received a Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of music by Liszt.
