DARIUS BATTIWALLA
Playing
Darius took up the post of Leeds City Organist in 2017, programming the very successful Town Hall recital series and giving regular solo concerts. He is currently overseeing the renewal of the Leeds Town Hall organ. Recent performances include the recitals at the Cathedrals of Coventry, Lincoln, Ripon, and St Albans, and this year sees appearances with Collegium Vocale Gent in Ghent and Amsterdam, and the annual recital for the Royal College of Organists conferment of diplomas. In August he will be part of the premiere of a new work for four organs by James Wood commemorating the Great Storm of 1674, to be performed simultaneously by organists across Europe. He has recently released a CD, recorded by audiophile label Base2 Music, including the Whitlock Sonata and works by Fela Sowande and Percy Grainger.
He has appeared as soloist with the Halle - most recently in a live broadcast of Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with Sir Mark Elder - and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and is a regular orchestral organist and pianist for the BBC Philharmonic and Halle orchestras. As a pianist, he gives regular chamber concerts with members of the Manchester orchestras, and on the harpsichord he has played continuo with many UK orchestras, and performed and broadcast harpsichord concertos: most recently soloist in Frank Martin’s Harpsichord Concerto for the Northern Ballet Theatre.
Darius teaches improvisation at the Royal Academy of Music, and is teaching on this year’s Royal College of Organists summer course.