James Anderson-Besant is currently the Assistant Organist at St John’s, having completed three years as Organ Scholar while studying for a degree in Music. In his role he accompanies the world-famous Choir in its daily round of services under the direction of Andrew Nethsingha, and also assists in the training of the Choristers. James has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and his playing for the Choir appears on the recent discs Pious Anthems & Voluntaries and Ash Wednesday, as well as upcoming CDs of canticles and psalms.

James also enjoys conducting, having organised and directed performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in 2019 and St John Passion in 2020. He has also directed the St John’s Sinfonia in a Bach Cantata evensong. James recently gave organ recitals at King’s, Queens’ and St John’s Colleges as well as Truro and St Albans Cathedrals, and looks forward to upcoming engagements at Stockholm Cathedral and Trinity College, Cambridge. He won second prize at the 2019 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, and was also Organ Scholar for the Charles Wood Summer School and Festival in Armagh, giving him the opportunity to work under David Hill and Philip Scriven.

James was a music and academic scholar at Abingdon School, and in his final year was Organ Scholar of the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford. He spent his gap year as Organ Scholar at Gloucester Cathedral, which was especially exciting due to the addition of the first ever girl choristers in the cathedral’s history.

For seven years James learned the organ with James Brown, and he now studies with Stephen Farr. He would love to pursue a career in cathedral music.