Dame Gillian Constance Weir (born 17 January 1941) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-British organist.

Biography

Weir was born in

Martinborough Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of The town ...

, New Zealand, on 17 January 1941. Her parents were Clarice Mildred Foy ( Bignell) and Cecil Alexander Weir. She received her schooling at Queen's Park School, Wanganui Intermediate, and Wanganui Girls' College. When she was 19, she was a co-winner of the Auckland Star Piano Competition, playing

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

. A year later she won a scholarship of the

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...

in London. There, she studied with the concert pianist

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...

and the renowned organist

Ralph Downes Ralph William Downes CBE KSG (16 August 1904 – 24 December 1993) was an English organist, organ designer, teacher and music director and was Professor of Organ in the Royal College of Music. Biography Downes was born in Derby and studied ...

, and in her second year (1964) won the prestigious St. Albans International Organ Competition. Weir made her début at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

while still a student, as soloist in the

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

Organ Concerto, on the opening night of the 1965 season of the

Promenade Concerts The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

, and in the same year at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

in recital, then the youngest organist to have performed there publicly. She returned to the Albert Hall to make the first recording on the great organ after the 2004 rebuild. In 1967, she married Clive Rowland Webster. The marriage was dissolved in 1972. In 1972, she married Lawrence Irving Phelps, an American organ builder.

Messiaen

Her performance in 1964 of a work by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

occurred at a time when his music was little-known outside France and she became particularly associated with this composer; she has several times performed his complete works in series. Her recording for Collins Classics (new re-release for

Priory Records Priory Records is a record company in the UK founded in 1980, and devoted mostly to church music and organ music. Important projects have included the complete Psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant, all of the Magnificat and Nunc di ...

on 2002) was hailed as "one of the major recording triumphs of the century" in ''In Tune Magazine''. Her distinguished position as a Messiaen interpreter has been reinforced by her CD release of his complete organ works to great acclaim as well as by her contribution to Faber's ''The Messiaen Companion'' and other publications. At Messiaen's request, she gave the first UK performance in January 1973 of the '' Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité'' at the

from a

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...

of the composer's manuscript, given to her after he gave the world premiere in Washington D.C. Her series of six weekly recitals in

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

of Messiaen's organ works in 1998, the 90th anniversary of his birth, brought huge audiences, and for her performances she was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, the first organist to have been so honoured.

Recordings

Weir's artistry was marked in 1999 by the re-issue on CD of her series of Argo recordings, and her nomination by ''Classic CD'' magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Players of the Century, and by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' as one of the 1000 Music Makers of the Millennium. In December 2000, ITV's ''

South Bank Show ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...

'' chronicled her worldwide activities as performer, teacher and recording artist.

Television

Weir performed in her own six-part television series ''King of Instruments'' for the BBC in 1989; it drew large audiences in Great Britain.

Honours and awards

* 1975: Elected Honorary Fellow of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

, London (Hon. FRCO) * 1977: First woman elected to the Council of the Royal College of Organists * 1981: International Performer of the Year, elected by the American Guild of Organists, New York City * 1981–83: First woman President of the Incorporated Association of Organists * 1982: Elected Musician of the Year by the International Music Guide * 1982: Elected Honorary Member of the International Music Sorority

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

* 1983: Elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (Hon FRCCO) * 1983: Awarded honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Victoria,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand (Hon D.Mus.) * 1985: First musician to receive the Turnovsky Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts * 1989: Appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to music * 1989: Elected Honorary Member of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, London (Hon. RAM) * 1992–93: President of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, England * 1993: Trustee of the Eric Thompson Charitable Trust for Organists and Organ Music * 1994–96: First woman president of the Royal College of Organists, England * 1996: Promoted

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE) in the 1996 New Year Honours, for services to music * 1997–98: Visiting professor of the Royal Academy of Music, London * 1997: Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of Huddersfield , mottoeng = Thus not for you alone , established = 1825 – Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute1992 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £2.47 million (2015) , chancellor = George W. Buckley , vice_chancel ...

(Hon D.Litt.) * 1998: Awarded Silver Medal by the

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

Association (Sweden) * 1998–present: President of the Soloist's Ensemble * 1998: Patron of the

Oundle International Festival Oundle International Festival (OIF) is an annual community arts festival and organ school (ages 14 to 24) held in Oundle, England. The festival was founded in 1985 with the training of young organists as its core component and has a festival pro ...

* 1999: Appointed the Prince Consort Professor in Organ,

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

, London * 1999: March 1999 – Winner of the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Solo Performance in 1998 * 1999: July 1999 – Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

(Hon D.Mus.) * 1999: Patron of Friends of Young Artists' Platform * 1999–present: Patron of the

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Early Music Festival * 2000: November 2000 – Elected Fellow of the Royal College of Music, London (FRCM) * 2000: December 2000 – Subject of television documentary profile by the

(

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

) * 2001: February 2001 – Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

(Hon D.Mus.) * 2001: Awarded honorary doctorate by

Birmingham City University Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 and gai ...

(Hon Doctor of the university) * 2003: Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

(Hon D.Mus.) * 2004: Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

(Hon D.Mus.) * 2006: Elected Member of the Senior Common Room at the

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

and

St Chad's College , motto_English = Not what you have, but who you are , scarf = , established = 1904 , principal = Margaret Masson , senior_tutor = Eleanor Spencer-Regan , undergraduates = 409 , postgraduates = 150 , website = , coordinates = , location_map ...

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

* 2009: Elected Member of the Senior Common Room at the

College of St Hild and St Bede A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

* 2009: Awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

(Hon D.Mus.) * 2011: Awarded Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award

References

External links

Gillian Weir's website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Gillian 1941 births Living people English classical organists Women organists Musicians awarded knighthoods New Zealand classical organists People from Auckland Alumni of the Royal College of Music Academics of the Royal College of Music Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Fellows of the Royal College of Organists New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire People from Martinborough People educated at Whanganui Girls' College Women music educators 21st-century organists 21st-century English women musicians Presidents of the Independent Society of Musicians