About William Saunders

William Saunders is an accomplished musician with a growing reputation as an organist and conductor. He is currently Assistant Director of Music at Ipswich School, one of his responsibilities being Director of the annual Festival of Music. He is engaged in an extensive organ recital programme which has recently taken him to Westminster Abbey, Wells Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral. He annual tours Northern Germany, and in 2011 he gave recitals in Hamburg and Cologne Cathedral’s. He conducts the Prometheus Singers and is performing with them in Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Snape Maltings in November.

At school in Suffolk, he won the Chamber Music Ensemble Class in the National Festival of Music for Youth. While being taught organ by James Parsons, he took up organ scholarships at Sheffield Cathedral and Sheffield University where he read music and graduated with first class honours in 2003. During his time at Sheffield, he conducted the University Choral Society. On his return to Suffolk, he was appointed Organist of St Mary-le-Tower Ipswich and Deputy Organist at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Recitals at the Cambridge Summer Music Festival and Oundle International Festival were followed by his first performances in Germany. This exposure led to recordings on the Regent Records label: Dignity and Impudence (St Mary’s Redcliffe), Tower Power (St Mary-le-Tower), and Animal Parade (Brentwood Cathedral).

The Organists Review made Dignity and Impudence Editor’s Choice in May 2008 – “William’s playing is quite astounding: musicality, flawless technique and mind-boggling organ management.” The Gramophone Magazine wrote that William’s latest CD had “rhythmically vital and athletically inclined playing…exudes bright cheer and happiness; and you can’t say that about every organ recording”.

He is regularly organ tutor at Oundle for Organists and for the Royal College of Organists and in July 2011 established the Keys, Hands, Feet and Pipes Education Organ Project which played to 1300 primary school children in one day.