Michael Harris received his earliest musical education as a chorister of Gloucester Cathedral. He was Organ Scholar of St Peter’s College, Oxford and continued his studies at the Royal College of Music. He studied organ with Nicholas Danby and has taken part in Masterclasses given by, among others, Nicolas Kynaston, Daniel Roth and Piet Kee.
Michael has been Organist and Master of the Music of St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, since November 1996; he is also a Lecturer at the Ian Tomlin School of Music in Napier University, Edinburgh. Prior to moving to Edinburgh he held posts as Sub-Organist of Leeds Parish Church and Assistant Organist of Canterbury Cathedral.
As Organist of St Giles’ Cathedral he hosts many organ concerts on the famous Rieger organ (built 1992) and his work has involved him in numerous recordings and broadcasts, for both television and radio. A solo recording, The Organ at St Giles’, was released in Summer 2002 and under his direction the Cathedral Choir has recently recorded An Edinburgh Celebration to mark its first tour of the USA in Autumn 2004.
Elsewhere, Michael has given recitals at many venues including Germany, Italy and the USA, as well as in the UK. He has been Musical Director of the Scottish Chamber Choir since 1998. He is also much involved in organ education and is Director of the Edinburgh Organ Academy, an international annual Springtime organ course founded in 1998.