David Bednall

David Bednall is at Christ Church on Saturday 31 October, playing to a screening of the 1925 silent horror Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney. It's part of the Swindon Recital Series's 2026/27 season, which artistic director Paul Turner describes as moving between drama, comedy and romance, from silent cinema to Bollywood. The Phantom night sits on the drama end of that spectrum, with Bednall providing the live organ score for the film as it plays on screen.

Bednall is one of the leading choral composers of his generation. He studied for a PhD in Composition at the University of Bristol and is widely published; he's currently Choral Director at Clifton Cathedral and Organist of St John The Evangelist, Bath, and directs the Bristol Bach Choir, the Bristol Chamber Choir and the Chew Valley Choral Society. His freelance career is just as full: he was Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral and Sub Organist at Bristol Cathedral, and an organ scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford and at Gloucester Cathedral, where he also served as Director of Music and Assistant Organist and worked closely with the Three Choirs Festival. He won prizes in Improvisation and Performance at the Fellow of The Royal College of Organists examination and has played at La Trinité and Notre-Dame de Paris.

The recital starts at 7:30 pm at Christ Church, 26 Cricklade Street. Tickets are £18 standard, £15 for senior citizens, and £3.50 for students aged 15-18, with accompanied children aged 14 and under free. They're only available on the door, and cash, card and cheques are all accepted.