Simon Preston

His uncle played the organ at the church that his family attended, and he was inspired to take up the instrument at the age of 5 after hearing a recording of George Thalben-Ball.

[4] He later studied under Caleb Henry Trevor at the Royal Academy of Music before returning to King's College as organ scholar under David Willcocks.

[1] Preston was sub-organist of Westminster Abbey from 1962 to 1967 and, after a brief period covering for Peter Hurford at St Albans Cathedral in 1968, became organist of Christ Church, Oxford, in 1970, where he also lectured.

[1][6] From the 1960s onwards, Preston composed a number of works for the organ, the best-known of which is probably his Alleluyas, written in 1965 in the style of Olivier Messiaen.

He recorded George Frideric Handel's complete organ concertos twice: with Yehudi Menuhin conducting the Bath Festival Orchestra and later on period instruments with Trevor Pinnock directing The English Concert.