Lunchtime Organ Recital: Jonathan Lilley

for 30 mins
The Temple Church, London
The Temple Church, Temple, London EC4Y 7BB, EC4Y 1BB, United Kingdom

Jonathan Lilley
Waltham Abbey

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), arr. Jörg Abbing (b. 1969)

Le Tombeau de Couperin

(i) Prélude
(ii) Fugue
(iii) Forlane
(iv) Rigaudon
(v) Menuet
(vi) Toccata

Jonathan Lilley grew up in Salisbury where he was a cathedral chorister, and in Oxford as a music scholar at St Edward’s School. He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music, holding the Organ Scholarship at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and gaining Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists while still a first year. After graduating he became Sub-Organist of what is now Leeds Minster, with its cathedral-style musical tradition going back to S.S. Wesley’s time as organist, before advancing to the equivalent role at Ely Cathedral. Since 2013 he has been Director of Music at Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Jonathan’s career highlights so far include Poulenc’s organ concerto on a live broadcast from Ely on BBC Radio, and a number of improvised silent film accompaniments, as well as accompanying his churches’ respective choirs on numerous recordings, broadcasts, tours and great occasions. He also maintains a freelance career as organ and piano accompanist, having been a go-to person for tricky piano accompaniments since his teens; he is the resident accompanist to English Arts Chorale, the Waltham Singers (Chelmsford), and Royston Choral Society. He holds diplomas in piano and singing as well as organ and choral conducting, and performs solo piano repertoire for pleasure. His playing of the organ at Waltham Abbey, recently rebuilt under his influence, can be sampled via his YouTube channel, and he is the proud owner of a practice organ by Guido Schumacher of Eupen, Belgium.

The Temple Church organ
The organ in the Temple church was built in 1924 for the Castle of Glen Tanar, Aberdeenshire, and installed in 1954 in the rebuilt church (following war damage), the gift of Lord Glentanar. The organ case was designed by W. E. Godfrey and installed in 1966 and is modelled on drawings of the Temple’s Father Smith organ of 1688, showing the crests of Inner and Middle Temple. The organ was rebuilt in 2013 by Harrison and Harrison of Durham and has 66 stops over four manuals.

For more information about the Temple Church's organ recital series, organ and musicians
Free admission with retiring collection

More info Join online

The Temple Church, London

Welcome to the prayerful and beautiful Temple Church, steeped in the history of Christendom, this country and the whole Common Law World. 1162: the Round Church was built to be London’s Jerusalem. 1214–19: Magna Carta was negotiated in the Temple, and its greatest hero was buried in the Church. 1584, 1776, 1787: from Raleigh’s expeditions through the colonial constitutions to the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Temple was the birthplace of American Law. And to this day the Church serves the legal colleges Inner and Middle Temple, London’s residents, visiting jurists and travellers from all over the world with some of the most uplifting services, music and discussions in London.

How can so ancient a building be equipped to serve the modern age in prayer and praise and engagement with the socio-legal challenges facing Britain and the wider world? Through Restoration & Renewal: Equipping the Temple Church for the next 100 Years, a major programme of refurbishment and repair, energised and supported by The Friends of the Temple Church.

Robin Griffith-Jones Master of the Temple
Mark Hatcher Reader of the Temple

gallery image gallery image

Get in touch

What's on

Lunchtime Organ Recital: Jonathan Lilley

for 30 mins
The Temple Church, London
The Temple Church, Temple, London EC4Y 7BB, EC4Y 1BB, United Kingdom

Jonathan Lilley
Waltham Abbey

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), arr. Jörg Abbing (b. 1969)

Le Tombeau de Couperin

(i) Prélude
(ii) Fugue
(iii) Forlane
(iv) Rigaudon
(v) Menuet
(vi) Toccata

Jonathan Lilley grew up in Salisbury where he was a cathedral chorister, and in Oxford as a music scholar at St Edward’s School. He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music, holding the Organ Scholarship at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and gaining Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists while still a first year. After graduating he became Sub-Organist of what is now Leeds Minster, with its cathedral-style musical tradition going back to S.S. Wesley’s time as organist, before advancing to the equivalent role at Ely Cathedral. Since 2013 he has been Director of Music at Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Jonathan’s career highlights so far include Poulenc’s organ concerto on a live broadcast from Ely on BBC Radio, and a number of improvised silent film accompaniments, as well as accompanying his churches’ respective choirs on numerous recordings, broadcasts, tours and great occasions. He also maintains a freelance career as organ and piano accompanist, having been a go-to person for tricky piano accompaniments since his teens; he is the resident accompanist to English Arts Chorale, the Waltham Singers (Chelmsford), and Royston Choral Society. He holds diplomas in piano and singing as well as organ and choral conducting, and performs solo piano repertoire for pleasure. His playing of the organ at Waltham Abbey, recently rebuilt under his influence, can be sampled via his YouTube channel, and he is the proud owner of a practice organ by Guido Schumacher of Eupen, Belgium.

The Temple Church organ
The organ in the Temple church was built in 1924 for the Castle of Glen Tanar, Aberdeenshire, and installed in 1954 in the rebuilt church (following war damage), the gift of Lord Glentanar. The organ case was designed by W. E. Godfrey and installed in 1966 and is modelled on drawings of the Temple’s Father Smith organ of 1688, showing the crests of Inner and Middle Temple. The organ was rebuilt in 2013 by Harrison and Harrison of Durham and has 66 stops over four manuals.

For more information about the Temple Church's organ recital series, organ and musicians
Free admission with retiring collection

More info Join online

Safeguarding

The care and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in Church activities is the responsibility of the whole Church. Everyone who participates in the life of the Church has a role to play in promoting a Safer Church for all.This Safeguarding Policy is based on the Safeguarding Policy Statement of the Church of England that was agreed and published by the House of Bishops in 2017. It sets out the Safeguarding Policy of the Diocese of London and in particular a summary of the roles and responsibilities of all church bodies and office holders as we work together to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in church activities.

This policy makes six overarching policy commitments:

To promote a safer environment and culture
To enable and ensure safe recruitment practice and to support all those within the Church with any responsibility related to children, young people, and vulnerable adults
To respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
To offer pastoral care to victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
To offer pastoral care to those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons
To respond to those who may pose a present risk to others.

https://www.templechurch.com/application/files/7216/2074/0149/Temple_Church_Safeguarding_Policy_revi

The Temple Church, London Charity No. 1205712