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The English organist, harpsichordis and composer, Nicholas Fane St George (Bart) Jackson, studied at Radley College, Wadham College in Oxford, and the Royal Academy of Muic, with C.H. Trevor, George Malcolm, and Gustav Leonhardt.
Nicholas Jackson was Organist of two of London's most famous churches - St James's Piccadilly from 1971 to 1974, and and St Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall from 1974 to 1977. He was Organist & Master of the Choristers at St Davids Cathedral from 1977 to 1984.
Nicholas Jackson made his debut as a harpsichordist in 1964 at the Wigmore Hall playing 4 Harpsichord Concertos by Bach with his own Chamber Orchestra The Concertante of London, which made 2-LP records for RCA. and often performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as well as making annual concert tours of Spain. He is known internationally as an organ recitalist, harpsichordist and composer, making frequent concert tours of Europe and the USA. He has given recitals in London at the Royal Festival Hall (1984), the South Bank, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and a 'Celebrity Recital' at St Paul's Cathedral. Abroad he has played at Notre Dame, Paris, Chartres, at the Teatro Real in Madrid, at the Granada Festival, and in New York.. He has recently returned from giving a series of concerts in Italy and Croatia. In 1989 he also gave master-classes at Segovia, Spain.
In 1987 Nicholas Jackson became Director of a Bach Festival at the Monastry of Santes Creus in Catalunia (Spain). In addition to playing at this 3-day Festival annually, he toured extensively all over Spain with the Concertante of London. Its soloists included Maurice Murphy (London Symphony Orchestra principal trumpet) Anthony Camden (principal oboe London Symphony Orchestra). Concertante of London is now reformed as a Baroque ensemble (Flute, Violin, Cello, Harpsichord) specialising in performances of Nicholas Jackson's new realisation of J.S. Bach's Musical Offering (BWV 1079), which they have already performed for the London Chamber Music Society at Conway Hall, Bangor University, Holywell Music Room, Oxford. In 2004 they performed at The Whitehall Banqueting House.
As a composer, Nicholas Jackson had an initial success with his still popular Mass for a Saint's Day (originally published by Boosey & Hawkes and recorded by Winchester Cathedral for Decca). His music is written in a modern-romantic idiom unashamedly admitting to the influences of Langlais, Maurice Duruflé and Messiaen. In recent years Nicholas Jackson has turned increasingly to composition and has recorded 2 CDs of his own Organ Music (at Chartres for Naxos & in Paris for Herald). His output also includes much Church Music and an Opera 'The Reluctant Highwayman' which was produced at Broomhill 1995. |
