John Hosking's profile picture
Organist

John Hosking

Watch
Booking protection
Secure online payments
Free 48hr cancellations
Support available Mon-Sun
Like John?
Watch & Listen
Watch
Listen

About John

Concert Organist. Please note that I am only available for solo concerts and will not play for weddings.
Organist
Saint Asaph
Public liability insurance of £10 million
Verified profile

John Hosking is Organist in Residence of Blackburn Cathedral following fourteen years as Assistant Director of Music at St. Asaph Cathedral. A student at the Royal College of Music, John became Organ Scholar of Westminster Abbey in 1996 and is the only person to ever hold this post for a period of three years. During this time, John played the organ for many Royal and State occasions, broadcast for the BBC and played 20 solo recitals in the Abbey. In much demand as a recitalist and accompanist, John appears on several commercial CDs; his latest, "Variation", is recorded at St. Asaph Cathedral for the Regent Label. He made his recital debut at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris in 2015. Increasingly active as a composer, John has completed works for Bangor, Chester, Ely and Peel Cathedrals, Martin Baker (organist), St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Conwy Festival. John's new setting of the Requiem, "Missa pro defunctis" was premiered on opening night of the 2016 North Wales International Music Festival to a capacity audience. He has recently completed works to mark the Silver Jubilee of the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales and the 20th Anniversary of the Chester and North East Wales Organists' and Choirmasters' Association (CNEWOCA). The latter is published by Banks of York. The Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge together with the Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir have released a complete disc of his choral works for Regent Records to critical acclaim. John's "14 Stations of the Cross" written as part of Sebastian Thomson's "Angels of Creation" series is recorded on the Convivium label and was labelled "Editor's Choice" in the Organists' Review magazine. Most of his compositions are published by the Chichester Music Press. John is a frequent broadcaster for the BBC and was Organist for BBC Radio 4's 'Daily Service' until Lockdown. Most recently, he has played for two live broadcasts on BBC1.

Encore badges
5th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 5 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Christmas, Traditional church music, Classical, Baroque, Fanfare, Early music, Renaissance, Contemporary classical
See all genres
Instruments:
See all instruments
Event types:
Concert, Wedding, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Private event, Recording session
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Composer, Orchestrator, Producer, Transcription, Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, Perfect pitch, Instrumental teaching
See all skills

John's Song list

Prelude and Fugue in C BWV 547 - J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in D BWV 532 - J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in B minor BWV 544 - J.S. Bach
Passacaglia BWV 582 - J.S. Bach
Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain - Maurice Duruflé
Fantasia and Fugue on BACH - Max Reger
Sonata Eroica - Joseph Jongen
Symphonie II - Louis Vierne
Toccata (Symphonie II) - Marcel Dupré
Introduction and Passacaglia in A minor - C.S. Lang
Sonata no. 2 - Felix Mendelssohn
Prelude and Fugue in C minor - Felix Mendelssohn
Passacaglia and Fugue on BACH - Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Sonata (i) - Edward Elgar
Fanfare - Percy Whitlock
Fantasia and Fugue on Ad nos - Franz Liszt
Nun ruhen alle Walder - Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Magnificat primi toni - Dietrich Buxtehude
Praeludium in G - N. Bruhns
Variations de concert - Joseph Bonnet
Hommage à Paris - John Hosking
Variations on Greensleeves - David Briggs
Prelude and Fugue in B - Marcel Dupré
Plymouth Suite - Percy Whitlock
Symphony no. 1 - Guy Weitz
Trois Chorals - César Franck
Final - César Franck

John's Reviews

From customers:

TG
The G
8 years ago

John Hosking has spent his life in the organ loft (St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster Abbey and the cathedrals of Lincoln, Truro and, currently, St Asaph). All that practical experience has given him a deep knowledge both of what works in a liturgical setting and of the choral tradition’s rich repertoire. The ghost of Duruflé is evident in his beautiful Chester Service (with a cheeky reference to Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur along the way); Herbert Howells hovers over his Bangor Service, while A Royal Blessing could be by John Rutter. Yet for all these influences Hosking maintains his own distinctive voice, particularly in his impressive Requiem.

OR
Organists' R
20 years ago

I was rivoted from first to last by the outstanding playing of John Hosking. Taking technical accomplishment as read, the depth and interpretational insight within this programme is profound. The Weitz Symphony is lifted to a truly exalted plane, Howells sounds as fresh and innovative as it must have appeared when first heard, and his Vierne is thoroughly a la mode. The Franck B minor is played with particular beauty and emotional power, each phrase being beautifully-shaped, yet the whole never sounding fragmented into its many sections: quite an achievement. This 24 year-old is clearly destined for Great Things."

Read all 3 reviews