Hereford Cathedral will welcome back former chorister John Challenger for a very special Gala Organ Concert this September. John will be opening the Space and Other Worlds season at the cathedral with his transcription of Holst’s The Planets on Tuesday 17 September at 7pm as part of this year’s summer organ recital programme.

 John, who is currently assistant director of music at Salisbury Cathedral, made the decision to transcribe Holst’s famous orchestral work after being inspired by the tonal possibilities of Salisbury’s Father Willis organ. Working alongside local schools who created poetry to perform alongside the music, John’s initial performance of The Planets at Salisbury Cathedral in 2023 sold out and received rave reviews.

John Challenger, said: ‘Holst was dedicated to improving musical education, so it seems fitting that The Planets has become one of the main ‘classical’ works used to introduce young people to music. It’s a great pleasure to be at Hereford Cathedral performing The Planets on the very beautiful Hereford Willis, the sounds of which were so thrilling to me, and which inspired me as a child myself, to become an organist.’

‘The Hereford Willis possesses a refined delicacy and beauty of tone which, set in Hereford’s generous acoustic, makes the playing of romantic or symphonic styles so enjoyable. It’s therefore a great pleasure to re-imagine Holst’s The Planets on this organ. In this building the music just comes alive, and so I cannot wait to share it with an audience this September.’

John received his early musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral from 1996 to 2001 under Dr Roy Massey, Geraint Bowen and Peter Dyke. He began his organ studies with Geraint Bowen, obtaining his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists in 2008. Since 2012, John has held the post of assistant director of music at Salisbury Cathedral. He is also assistant conductor of Salisbury Musical Society and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and a freelance organ recitalist.

John Challenger’s performance of The Planets will take place at Hereford Cathedral on Tuesday 17 September at 7pm. Tickets for this concert cost £12 (students £5) and are available to purchase through the Cathedral Shop and cathedral website: www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/the-planets