Organist Simon Johnson will present a concert marking the restoration of Rosary Cathedral’s historic E.M. Skinner organ on Sunday, October 19, at 3 p.m.
Johnson is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, successfully combining life as a virtuoso organist with work in choral direction, composition and arrangement.
In September 2021, he became master of music at Westminster Cathedral, responsible for its world-famous choir. For 13 years he was the organist and assistant director of music at St Paul’s Cathedral, and was involved in all the national occasions that took place there, including the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen and Her Majesty’s 90th birthday celebration, for which he also arranged some of the music.
Recitals have taken him all over Europe and the United States, as well as to many of the premier venues in the UK. He made his Royal Festival Hall debut in 2017 and his BBC Proms debut in 2025. He has performed with groups such as the London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras and the choral ensemble The Sixteen. He worked on the Oscar, Bafta and Grammy awardwinning soundtrack for The Grand Budapest Hotel. His compositions have been published by Oxford University Press and Peters Editions.
The E.M. Skinner organ received a comprehensive restoration by the Muller Pipe Organ Company of Croton, Ohio, beginning in 2022 and recently in the summer of 2025.
Bishop Daniel Thomas will offer a blessing of the organ preceding the free concert, which is open to the public.
The cathedral is at 2535 Collingwood Boulevard, Toledo. Secure parking is provided.
The Cathedral Concert Series is supported in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council and the Murray Endowment for Music.
