James McVinnie is a British organist with a boundless passion for music which has led him to collaborations with the world’s best composers and musicians. Many contemporary composers have written music especially for him, including Nico Muhly, Martin Creed, Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, Shara Nova, David Lang and Bryce Dessner. Between 2008 and 2011 McVinnie was Assistant Organist at Westminster Abbey, where he also directed the choir. He has played on many state occasions which were broadcast live on television, including the 2011 Royal Wedding. Prior to his appointment at Westminster Abbey, he held similar positions at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, St. Alban’s Cathedral and Clare College, Cambridge. In 2014 McVinnie made his debut at the Royal Festival Hall, London with one of the six re-opening recitals on the recently restored 1954 Harrison & Harrison organ. In the summer of 2009 McVinnie made his solo debut at the Salzburg Festival performing with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under Ivor Bolton. McVinnie records with the Icelandic label Bedroom Community. His debut release for this label was Cycles, written for him by Nico Muhly. This appeared in 2013. He was a guest performer at the Holland Festival in 2014, playing works by Nico Muhly in two different concerts. In 2017 he performed again at the Holland Festival, in the Festival Proms, in collaboration with Tom Jenkinson aka Squarepusher. In the same year he also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Reykjavik Festival, in the Barbican Centre, London and at the Philharmonie de Paris. In 2018 he will return to Glyndebourne in Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Saul.