Christ Church is pulling out all the stops for a triple celebration this spring.

This year Robert Marsh is marking both his 25 years as our resident organist, and his 70th birthday.

2026 also marks the 120th anniversary of the building and installation of Christ Church’s organ by famed organ builders Harrison and Harrison of County Durham.

To mark the occasion Mr Marsh is performing an organ recital on Easter Monday, April 6th at 11am, which will include the first performance of a piece entitled “Meditation” composed by Richard Lambert as a 70th birthday gift to Mr Marsh.

There are three further Bank Holiday organ recitals planned for Christ Church this year; William Campbell of Bradford Cathedral is performing on May 4th; Charles Dobson of Holy Trinity, Skipton, on May 25th, and Philip Rushforth of Chester Cathedral on August 31st.

Mr Marsh is former Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal Northern College of Music, and an organ scholar at Keble College, Oxford, and has built a varied and successful career as a performer, conductor, composer, teacher and examiner.

He was Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral Choir School and Assistant Organist of Ripon Cathedral, and as a concert organist has appeared in venues from Westminster Abbey and York Minster to the Chapel of the West Point Military Academy in New York.

As well as his duties at Christ Church he is Senior Examiner at the London College of Music (University of West London), working in Turkey, Malta, Italy, India, Greece, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Kenya, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as in all parts of the United Kingdom.