McVicker

A Selection of Projects

New Organs
  • Odiham Parish Church, Hampshire (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • Organ gifted to HM the Queen; for Mansion House and now Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (3-manual, mechanical organ)
  • Keble College, Oxford (3-manual, mechanical organ)

  • Culham chapel a private estate in Henley-on-Thames (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • St Mary, Merton (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • Tour organ for Diageo PLC for Jonny Walker Blue Label Whisky (2-manual extension organ with automatic performance functions)
  • St George Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • Our Saviour Lagos and Ancopen, Lagos, Nigeria (three-manual, EP action)
  • Practice Organ Westminster Abbey Song School (2-manual, mechanical action)
  • Chelsea Old Church (3-manual mechanical action)
  • The Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks (3-manual, EP action)
  • Brasenose College, Oxford (2-manual, mechanical action)

 

Rebuilds
  • Worcester College, Oxford
  • Westminster Central Hall, London
  • St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol
  • Organ gifted to Queen Elizabeth II; resided in Mansion House and now in Westminster Abbey (2 manual, mechanical action)
  • St Michael's church, Cornhill, London
  • Waltham Abbey
  • Skien City Church Norway (with Schuke of Berlin)
  • St George’s RC Cathedral, Southwark
  • St James, Sussex Gardens
  • Canterbury Cathedral
  • Bradford Cathedral
  • Wimborne Minster
  • Christ’s Hospital, Horsham
  • Bristol Cathedral
  • Leeds Town Hall
  • Wells Cathedral

 

Relocations
  • TC Lewis organ from St Peter's Church, Dulwich to St Augustine's Church, Tooting, London
  • Porritt organ from Leicester Methodist Church to All Saints', Denmead
  • Holdich organ from The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford to Sidlesham Parish Church, Sussex
  • Westminster Abbey’s Vincent Novello chamber organ to Cardinal Vaughan School
  • Willis organ from St Peter’s Brighton to St John’s College, Cambridge

 

Project Development
  • St Paul’s Cathedral, London
  • Blenheim Palace
  • Doncaster Parish Church
  • Derby Cathedral
  • Wakefield Cathedral
  • Sheldonian Theatre Oxford
  • Worcester Cathedral
  • St Mary the Great, Cambridge
  • St Giles, Cripplegate
  • Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
  • St David’s Hall, Cardiff
  • St Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway
  • Guildford Cathedral
  • Brighton College
  • Flagey Radio Hall, Brussels
  • Sacred Heart School, Hammersmith
  • National Concert Hall, Dublin

 

Advice on Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Project applications
  • Union Chapel,Union Chapel, Islington (with Ian Bell)
  • St John Notting Hill (with John Norman)
  • St John Hyde Park (with John Rowntree)
  • St Michael, Cornhill, London
  • St Mary’s church, Wanstead (with Ian Bell)

 

Historic Restoration
  • Royal Festival Hall, London (Harrison & Harrison, 1954)
  • The Moot Hall, Colchester (Norman & Beard, 1901)
  • St Peter’s College, Oxford (Willis, 1860s)
  • Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich (England, 1760)
  • Christ Church, Spitalfields (Bridge, 1735 — with Nicholas Thistlethwaite)
  • Queen Elizabeth Hall, London (Flentrop, 1965)
  • Holy Angels Hoar Cross (Bishop & Son, 1876/2013)
  • Ponsbourne Parish Church (NLHF restoration of 1856 Walker organ)
  • St Margaret Pattens, City of London (‘Griffin’, 1750s; F&A 1886)
  • Wadham College Oxford (Willis, H & H, 2015)
  • Blue Coat School, Liverpool (Willis, 1874)
  • Manchester Town Hall (Cavaillé-Coll, 1877, 1893)
  • St Monica Trust, Westbury-on-Trym (Willis, 1901)

William McVicker
BA PhD LRAM ARCO HonFIMIT HonARAM

William McVicker is Organ Curator at London’s Royal Festival Hall and at Reading Town Hall. A former Director of Music at St Barnabas Church, Dulwich and visiting professor of organology at the Royal Academy of Music, he is an experienced musician with a keen ear for organ tone. He offers advice on matters technical and musical, specialising in acoustics, liturgy, architecture, planning permissions and project management, HLF funding applications and educational outreach work.

William read music as Organ Scholar at the College of St Hild & St Bede, Durham University, subsequently becoming Caedmon Fellow and Director of Music. He won a Bowes Bequest scholarship to study the organ in Paris in 1984 and a British Academy Scholarship to study for a PhD in technical aspects of organ design.

As a performer William has appeared in many countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Solo appearances have included the RPO under Carl Davis, and in the Canary Islands in Janácek's Glagolitic Mass, Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony and Poulenc's Organ Concerto. He has conducted eleven stage productions, has undertaken extensive tours, made numerous recordings, as well as broadcasting for the BBC and others.

William has published on various matters including organ design and performance practice, and four books in the education series Targeting Music for Schott & Co. He is Organs Adviser to the Diocese of Southwark, and currently Chairman of the British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) and Association of Independent Organ Advisers (AIOA). He has served as a member of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE), Church Buildings Organs Committee (CBC) and was a Trustee of the ON Fund. An Honorary Member of the Institute of Musical Instrument Technology, he was elected an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

His book The Tonal Architecture and Music of the English Organ is expected to be published in 2026.

He holds full Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurances and a selection of his project work can be found on the next page.

 

Contact

The organ of St Mary's parish church Merton, London