One of Britain’s finest organists, David Goodenough will be playing for the 10am Choral Eucharist service at Waiapu Cathedral, Napier on Sunday 7 December. 

David was the first Blackburn Cathedral Organ Scholar in the late 1980s and later was appointed Assistant, which is where he worked with Waiapu Cathedral’s Director of Music Anthony Tattersall who also trained and served at Blackburn. 

He is in New Zealand examining for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in Auckland. 

“While here, David is also connecting with his friends in Napier so this will be a rare opportunity for an organist of his calibre to accompany our fine cathedral choir for the morning service.  It should be a special service,” says Anthony Tattersall, Director of Music. 

Until December 2024, David Goodenough was Organist and Director of Music at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Edinburgh, ending nearly four decades of uninterrupted service as a parish church or cathedral organist.  He now has a freelance career as an organist, educator, and examiner.

He also served as Director of Music and Boarding Housemaster at Fettes College in Edinburgh for nearly 25 years. During this time the Chapel Choir achieved international acclaim as one of Europe’s leading school choirs, with regular tours, recordings, and broadcasts.

As a recitalist, David has performed in concerts at prestigious venues such as Hong Kong’s Cultural Centre, the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. He has also given recitals at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and at Notre-Dame in Paris.

In August this year, he played the complete Organ Trio Sonatas of J.S. Bach – renowned for their complexity and difficulty – across two concerts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Canongate Kirk.

In addition to his recital work, David is a sought-after accompanist on both organ and piano.  He has played for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family on several occasions, and his many hundreds of wedding services in parishes and cathedrals also include the Royal Wedding held in Edinburgh in 2011.