Jeffrey Makinson – Festival Organist
Jeffrey Makinson is Sub-Organist of Manchester Cathedral, Tutor in Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University and Tutor in Pianoforte at Chetham’s School of Music.
He received his musical training at the Royal Northern College of Music and at Manchester University. He subsequently became Organ Scholar of York Minster from 1992-1994, before spending five years as Assistant Organist at Lincoln Minster. He took up his post in Manchester in 1999 and is busy as a recitalist, accompanist, conductor, teacher and adjudicator in the city and throughout the country.
As part of his duties at Manchester Cathedral, Jeffrey accompanies the critically acclaimed Cathedral Choir for most of the choral services, assists the Organist & Master of the Choristers with the training and direction of the choir and directs the Cathedral Voluntary Choir.
As a recitalist, Jeffrey has performed throughout the country, at many of the major British cathedrals, abbeys, collegiate chapels, churches and concert halls, including numerous recitals at Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral and King’s College, Cambridge. Jeffrey has also performed in numerous foreign countries including France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, and the USA.
Jeffrey has made numerous CD recordings, with the Albany, Delphian, Herald, Lammas, Naxos, Priory and Regent labels. He works extensively for the BBC, as regular musical director and organist for Radio 4 Daily Service. In addition, he has worked on programmes such as Songs of Praise, Chorister of the Year, Choral Evensong, Minstrels in the Gallery, Young Musician of the Year, Sunday Morning Worship and the Radio 4 Pilgrimage to Rome. Since 1998, he has been Organist in Residence at the Exon Singers Festival.
Jeffrey has a keen interest in promoting new music and has given first performances of works by numerous leading composers, including Mark Blatchly, Martin Bussey, Bob Chilcott, Naji Hakim, Grayston Ives, Francis Jackson, George Lloyd, Richard Lloyd, Philip Moore, Andrew Sallis, Howard Skempton and Philip Wilby.