Tell us about the process of developing the programme for your new album Heroic Spirit

As well as being a selection of pieces that are important to me, the programme is designed to reflect something of the coming together of divine inspiration (pieces based on Pentecostal themes) and human endeavour towards making that a reality (thinking of the heroic struggles represented in Franck’s Fantaisie en La and the Dupré Evocation Final).

The whole creative process for this recording arguably started 20 years ago when I was swept off my feet by the astonishing sound of the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ at Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen. I immediately fell in love with the sound world of the French symphonic organist-composers of the late 19th/early 20th century and vowed to start learning the organ. It is worth noting that I only had this experience because Sheffield Cathedral had a girls’ choir, of which I was a member when they went on tour to Normandy that year.

I am indebted to the Nicholas Danby trust for affording me this opportunity through their generous sponsorship, Susan Landale for persuading me to step outside my comfort zone and of course Michel Bouvard and all my teachers and colleagues in Toulouse Conservatoire who helped me navigate the potentially awkward early stages of transition with dignity and safety.

Why did you choose to open the album with the most modern work by Rachel Laurin?

To that end, it makes sense to open the album with the clear, incisive and affirmative energy of Laurin’s Etude Heroïque. It is another piece like Widor’s sixth which made me fall in love with the organ all over again. This programme choice reverses the usual format of pieces arranged chronologically, but reflects my personal preference for treating a programme more like a series of dishes at a Michelin star restaurant. Though a strong flavour, the Etude is straightforward in concept and perfectly warms up the auditory palette for what is to follow through its satisfyingly idiomatic writing and near complete tour of the sounds the Selby Abbey Hill organ can make.

How does the Hill organ at Selby Abbey compare to the Harrison & Harrison you play on at Margaret Street? How was adjusting to the Selby organ?

The Harrison at All Saints has an older Hill instrument at its core, so they are less dissimilar than they might seem on paper. The Margaret Street organ is a constant source of inspiration to me, both in repertoire and improvisation, but the Selby Abbey organ also has no shortage of delicate and enchanting colours alongside the solid principal choruses and batteries of reeds. Listeners who know the Selby instrument well will notice that I make great use of the various mutation stops to add the auditory equivalent of garlic to the reeds. It is well stocked with such piquant sounds, and with a lot of flexibility due to the effectiveness of the enclosed divisions. The moveable console, previously in Manchester Cathedral, could be placed so as to give a pretty accurate impression of how everything would balance on the recording so all in all it was a satisfying experience.

Much of your work currently involves music education, including at St Paul’s Cathedral. Tell us about the highs and lows of teaching the organ

The only real low with teaching is when students struggle to access practice instruments and the resulting frustration when they are so keen and inspired after a lesson to put the work in but cannot. Thankfully there are increasing resources for putting digital organs in schools and doing long-term loans to individuals and I put a fair amount of energy into advocating for and allocating such instruments. Teaching highly gifted young professionals and total beginners (both children and adults) teaches me so much, and in turn my performing work (often attended by students) inspires me to always try to be the best I can be. It’s definitely a strong positive feedback loop when I get the balance right and allow myself enough time for rest and reflection.

Do you have a recent organ recording obsession or an album you would like to recommend?

I’m going to cheat a little here by suggesting an album for choir and organ, but it wouldn’t be an honest answer if I didn’t mention the recent Gonville and Caius Chapel Choir recording of works by Matthew Martin conducted by the composer. All the things I love about the French composers I mentioned earlier are here – the scintillating layers of rhythmic and harmonic elements which bear the hallmarks of 20th-century French influences but presented in a way that sounds totally fresh. This is of course only enhanced by the thrillingly clear choral sound and playing.