Martin Baker

Martin Baker held the post of Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral between 2000 and 2019, establishing himself as a leading presence in British organ performance and choral direction. He travels regularly for solo recitals and choral workshops both within the United Kingdom and internationally, and he appears frequently on Hyperion recordings of standard British choral repertoire, whether at the console or on the podium.

Born in Manchester on 26 July 1967, Baker had already completed periods of study at the Royal Northern College of Music Junior School, Chetham’s School of Music and St. Ambrose College before taking up an Organ Scholarship at Downing College, Cambridge in 1985. After receiving his degree in 1988 he returned to Westminster Cathedral as Organ Scholar, then moved in 1990 to become assistant organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Subsequent appointments at Westminster Abbey included sub-organist and, later, acting organist. Recognised as a skilled improviser, he secured first prize in that discipline at the St. Albans International Organ Festival in 1997 and was appointed Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in 2000. In that role he oversaw the daily choral schedule, performed organ recitals and accompanied the cathedral choir in concerts and recordings.

During his tenure the Westminster Cathedral Choir gave first performances of works by James MacMillan, Peter Maxwell Davies, Judith Bingham and John Tavener, and undertook tours across the United States and Europe, visiting Hungary, Germany and Belgium among other destinations. In 2005 Baker addressed the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican on the subject of the Liturgical Role of the Choir; the following year he established the Conference of Catholic Directors of Music. His Hyperion discography includes the 2017 recording Media Vita, devoted to music by John Sheppard, which he conducted. Also in 2017 he was elected president of the Royal College of Organists. He continued to give recitals, including several appearances in the United States in mid-2018. Baker relinquished the post at Westminster Cathedral in 2019; Simon Johnson succeeded him. He remains active as a recording artist, most recently contributing organ accompaniment to the Choir of Royal Holloway, University of London, on a 2022 account of Dan Lacklair’s Requiem.