The St. Matthew Lutheran Church Concert Series will present Simon Johnson in concert on Sunday, October 27 at 4:00 p.m. Mr. Johnson is the Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England. Free tickets are required for admission and can be ordered by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: October Concert, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 W. Chestnut St., Hanover, PA 17331. A free-will offering will be taken to assist with the concert costs. Please note the number of tickets desired. The doors open at 3:30 p.m. A reception will follow the program.

The program, sponsored by Mary Moore in memory of her daughter, Pamela Moore Closs, will include works by Parry, Bach, Stanford, Brewer, Widor, Durufle, Thalben-Ball and Walton. The program will be played on St. Matthew's 238 rank, 14,470-pipe Austin organ which is one of the ten largest pipe organs in the world. There will be a large screen and cameras to enable the audience to view the organist up close.

Simon Johnson has been the Organist of St Paul's Cathedral in London, England since 2008.  During this time he has played for the daily round of services as well as historical services and events. He has played for events with Her Majesty the Queen, the Dalai Lama, numerous Prime Ministers and Archbishops, and at all the state occasions that have taken place at St Paul's during his tenure.

Recitals have taken him all over the USA and Europe, including a Royal Festival Hall debut in 2017.  Last year, St Paul's was sold out for his performance of Holst's The Planets with link-ups to NASA and the International Space Station. Forthcoming work includes two solo tours of the USA.

As a Director, Simon has played an important role in the Cathedral's ongoing partnerships with leading orchestras in London, conducting many significant works from the repertoire by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Bruckner, Saint-Saëns, Strauss, Gershwin, Poulenc, Duruflé and Messiaen.  Previously he enjoyed a distinguished tenure as Director of St Albans Abbey Girls' Choir, leading them in several highly-acclaimed recordings and tours.

Simon's advice and analysis is sought worldwide: in 2018 he was a keynote speaker at the Pontificium Consilium de Cultura at the Vatican; he is presently Consultant for the new 4-manual Harrison and Harrison organ in St Jude's Cathedral, Lagos; and he is on the Academic Board of The Royal College of Organists, for whom he is also an examiner.

Simon has performed with groups such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Sixteen, recorded for Decca and Hyperion, been published by OUP and Peters, and worked on the Oscar-winning soundtrack for The Grand Budapest Hotel.

www.simonjohnsonmusician.com