Gloucester Cathedral Organ Festival: Organ Masterclass with Wyane Marshall

Step into the creative process with one of the world’s great musicians...

Members of the public are warmly invited to observe a special masterclass led by Wayne Marshall OBE in the Cathedral Quire. In this unique open session, Wayne will work with local organ students, exploring the art of improvisation under his expert guidance.

With Wayne mic’d and the screen in use, you’ll be able to see and hear every detail as he shares insights, techniques and musical inspiration — offering a rare glimpse into the creative process at the console. Whether you are an organist, a music lover, or simply curious, this is a fascinating opportunity to witness world-class teaching in action.

Booking and ticket details coming soon.

About Wayne Marshall OBE

British conductor, organist and pianist, Wayne Marshall, is world-renowned for his mu-sicianship and versatility on the podium and at the keyboard. He has served as Chief Conductor of WDR Funkhausorchester, Cologne (2014-20) and Principal Guest Con-ductor of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (2007-13.)

He is a celebrated interpreter of the music of George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein as well as other 20th-Century American Composers. He has conducted Bernstein’s Candide (Deutsche Staatsoper, Berlin and Lyon Opera), Mass (Orchestre de Paris) and White House Cantata (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra), Harbison’s The Great Gatsby (Semperoper, Dresden), Heggie’s Dead Man Walking (Montreal Opera) and numerous productions of Porgy and Bess (including Opera Comique, Paris, Washington National Opera and Dallas Opera, Vienna Staatsoper.)

Recent conducting highlights include his critically-acclaimed debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2021, and debuts with the Munich Philharmonic, Tonhalle Zurich, Munich Rundfunk Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Chicago Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Sym-phony and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

He has worked regularly with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna, the Czech, Rotter-dam, Oslo and Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestras, RSO Vienna, Orchestre de Paris and the NDR BigBand. He has worked with the BBC Singers on several occasions and appeared as soloist, conductor and TV commentator at the BBC Proms.

In 2021, he made his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein featuring concerts with Danielle de Niese.

During the earlier part of the 2025 season, Wayne Marshall toured extensively in Ger-many and the United Kingdom with the German National Youth Orchestra receving rave reviews. In April 2025, he conducted the full production of Peter Grimes at the Opera de Lyon and in June 2025 he conducted at the Spring Festival with the Czech Radio Orchestra. The Summer of 2025 saw Wayne conducting the MDR Orchestra in Leipzig followed by the Flanders Youth Orchestra and the Brussels Philharmonic.

In March 2025 Wayne conducted the Nagoya and Hiroshima Orchestras in Japan and will be returning for a more extensive tour in 2027.

Wayne Marshall recently made his debut at the Grand Théâtre de Genève conducting the full production of Gershwin’s American in Paris.

The 2026 Season will see Wayne appearing with Basel Symphony Orchestra. In Jan-uary 2026, he appeared with the Munich Philharmonic. Wayne will be on jury panel for the forthcoming female conductors competition La Maestra Competition that will take place in Paris in February 2026. He will be finishing the year 2026 by conducting the New Year’s concert in Zurich with the Tonahlle Orchestra.

The season 2027/2028 sees Wayne conducting the Danish Opera, Tonhalle in Zurich, Bratislava Orchestra, DSO Berlin and Munich Philharmonic.

As an organ recitalist, he has an exceptionally varied repertoire and performs across the globe. In recent years, he has gained a significant following on social media.

During 2024, he performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Essen Philamonie, Brussels Cathedral and at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the Henry Willis organ. He will be performing Organ Recit-als at the Royal Festival Hall and Norwich Cathedral in June 2025.

In September 2025, Wayne performed a series of concerts at Weiwuying Organ Fes-tival and during October 2025 Wayne Marshall performed an organ recital in Dudelange followed immediately by an extensive organ recital tour in China in October 2025. He also performed and conducted at the Lucerne Festival to Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the KKL Organ. In 2028 he will be appearing with the Tonkunstler Orchester to perform at the Musikverein.

His many honours include an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University (2004), a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music (2010) and the Golden Jubilee Award from the Government of Barbados (2016).

In 2021 Wayne was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In March 2024, Wayne was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Coventry University.

Wayne Marshall is proud to be an Ambassador of the London Music Fund, a Charity whose mission it is to support the children of underprivileged communities to have access to high-quality music education