David Hirst is one of the few British organists to have integrated into the French organ world. Based near Paris, he is Organiste Titulaire of the 12th-century Collegiate Church of Mantes-la-Jolie. He presides over the three organs of this magnificent edifice and is Artistic Director of the International Organ Festival.
As a recitalist, David performs regularly in international festivals. Recent appearances include Westminster Abbey, Chartres Cathedral, Antwerp Cathedral, the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam, and other musical centres across Europe.
He toured the USA in early 2024, playing in San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Maine and New Jersey. Major venues included St. Patrick’s Cathedral New York, and the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City where David performed on the largest musical instrument in the world, the 7-manual 337-stop organ by Midmer-Losh.
David holds a master’s degree in music from Cambridge University and a postgraduate diploma with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studied organ performance under Lionel Rogg. He has also studied under Nicolas Kynaston and Thomas Trotter.
Previous organist appointments include Emmanuel College Cambridge, St Germain du Chesnay in Versailles, and St Martin-in-the-Fields, London’s royal parish church. At St Martin’s, he played for celebrity and royal occasions, concerts and recordings, as well as 30 BBC broadcasts in five years.
David’s discography includes the first CDs ever recorded on the 1897 grand organ by Joseph Merklin in Mantes-la-Jolie. His latest disc was issued to critical acclaim by the Priory label in 2022 (‘These stylish performances are quite sublime’…Organists’ Review).
