John Wearmouth was Organist and Director of Music at All Saints’ Parish Church, Leighton Buzzard from 2003 until 2013, having previously been Assistant Director of Music from 2000. During that time he also held the post of Head of Music at Cedars Upper School, Leighton Buzzard. He started learning to play the organ as a 13 year-old at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. While still at school he passed the ARCO examination, was awarded an Organ Scholarship at Hertford College, Oxford, and gave his first public organ recital at St.Thomas’ Church, Newcastle. He has studied at various times with David Lumsden, Nicholas Danby, Conrad Eden and Francis Jackson. Recital engagements have included venues ranging from New College Oxford to Bulawayo Cathedral in Zimbabwe. His teaching career has taken him from Wellingborough School in Northamptonshire to Peterhouse, an Anglican boarding school in Zimbabwe, before arriving at Cedars. He had spells as Organist and Choirmaster at All Hallows’ Wellingborough, Musical Director of Uppingham Choral Society, and Director of Music at Kettering Parish Church before coming to Leighton Buzzard. His musical interests are not confined to organ and church music. At Cedars he directed the music for a wide variety of shows, from “Oklahoma” and “Carousel” to “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Les Misérables” and “We Will Rock You”, as well as founding the celebrated Cedars Jazz Band. He also manages to find the time to play keyboards with Retroflections (a rock covers band), accordion with the Ouzel Valley Ranters (a barn dance/ceilidh band) and continuo in the Eisenach Ensemble.
A superb recital.
