David Patrick
David Patrick was a pupil of and Assistant to Dr. Harold Darke at St. Michael’s, Cornhill, London from 1959 to 1966 during which time he gave many recitals and was awarded a Fellowship of Trinity College of Music, London. Since then he has firmly established himself as an organist, accompanist (organ, harpsichord and piano) and conductor in both the United Kingdom and abroad.
David has performed on many occasions in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Holland, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Switzerland (including the International Festivals at Lahti and Sorø). His performances in the United Kingdom have included those at London’s major Concert Halls, many Cathedrals and Leeds Town Hall. He has also broadcast and appeared on television and has made recordings of organ music on important Swedish organs for the Swedish Company Opus 3. In the United Kingdom he has recorded for the Priory label. In recent years he has made organ concert tours of Germany, Italy, Sweden, Holland and the Czech Republic.
David studied the piano in London with Lina Collins, who was a pupil of Paderewski and Mathilde Verne, the latter being a pupil of Clara Schumann.
David is a Theory examiner and moderator for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and has had many carols, organ editions and arrangements, song collections and recorder pieces published over many years. Recently he was commissioned by Oxford University Press to compile a four volume graded Anthology of English 18th. Century Organ music. In 1998 he founded his own publishing company, Fitzjohn Music Publications, which specialises in the publication of the more unusual music for piano solo, piano duet, piano trio (6 hands), piano quartet (8 hands on 2 pianos), organ solo, vocal solo and sacred choral music.
David has become known as a successful choral conductor having conducted small and massed choirs in many places including the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 1973 he conducted the world premiere of John Joubert’s opera “The Prisoner” and has directed Courses and Summer Schools for church musicians in England, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
David is in constant demand as an adjudicator, having judged at numerous Festival Competitions throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, and in Hong Kong. Since 2007 he has been Chairman of the jury for the Norah Sande Award in Eastbourne on nine occasions and has been invited again in a similar capacity for the 2019 competition. He is a Fellow of, and an adjudicator for, the British and International Federation of Festivals and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.