{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = James Lancelot | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_place = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1952|12|2}} | origin = | instrument = Organ | genre = Choral music | occupation = Organist, Choral Conductor | years_active = | label = | website = }} '''James Bennett Lancelot''' (born 2 December 1952) was master of the Choristers, and cathedral organist at Durham Cathedral from 1985. He retired in 2017 and was appointed canon organist emeritus by the bishop of Durham.<ref>{{cite web | title = James Lancelot | publisher = | url = http://www.duresme.org.uk/CATH/organist.htm | accessdate = 2009-04-10}}</ref>
Lancelot was educated at St Paul's Cathedral School and Ardingly College. At 16 he was the youngest of his generation to attain the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO). He went up to King's College, Cambridge, where he was organ scholar from 1971 to 1974.<ref name="AC_Gibbs_History">{{cite book | last = Gibbs | first = David | title = A School with a View: A History of Ardingly College 1858-2008 | publisher = James & James Publishers Ltd | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-903942-83-3}}</ref> Lancelot spent the next ten years as sub-organist of Winchester Cathedral prior to his move to Durham.
Lancelot's time at Durham Cathedral was a period of expansion: in 1997 he founded Durham Cathedral Consort of Singers, a cathedral voluntary choir made up of singers from the town and the university. The consort quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading chamber choirs in the region. The cathedral choir itself was expanded with the introduction of girl choristers, in addition to the boys. The girl and boy choristers usually sing separately, but have an equal workload and parity of status.
The commissioning of new music was a feature of James Lancelot's tenure. Notable works include John Tavener's Ikon of St Cuthbert, James MacMillan's Missa Dunelmi and several important pieces by John Casken.
He has been a member of the Royal College of Organists Council since 1988, and most recently of its Executive and Library Committees. He also conducted for the Durham University Choral Society during his tenure at Durham Cathedral.
In 2008 he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rscm.com/info_resources/news/HonAwards08_14122007.php |title=RSCM News: Honorary Awards 2008 |access-date=2011-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715210138/http://www.rscm.com/info_resources/news/HonAwards08_14122007.php |archive-date=2011-07-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2013 he was appointed president of the Incorporated Association of Organists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iao.org.uk/|title=The Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO)|website=Iao.org.uk|accessdate=10 August 2020}}</ref>
He has released several acclaimed recordings, including a DVD of Elgar's Organ Sonata and a CD of J.S. Bach's Orgelbüchlein.
He has acted as interim organist and director of music at Worcester Cathedral, and is currently acting organist at New College, Oxford for the duration of Hilary Term 2020.
In his spare time, James Lancelot is a steam railway enthusiast.
==Honours== In 2014 Lancelot was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Durham.<ref>[https://www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=20843&rehref=%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F&resubj=Headlines 'Durham University to honour leading international figures' ], ''Durham University News'' (16 April 2014), online resource accessed 1 July 2017.</ref>
In 2016, the Archbishop of Canterbury awarded him the Cranmer Award for Worship "for his contribution to cathedral worship through excellence in the practice of music within the liturgy".<ref name="citations 16">{{cite web|title=The Archbishop of Canterbury's Awards: Lambeth Palace|url=http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/data/files/resources/5697/CITATIONS-PDF.pdf|website=Archbishopofcanterbury.org|accessdate=14 July 2017|date=31 March 2016}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{s-start}} {{s-culture}} {{s-bef | before = Richard Lloyd }} {{s-ttl | title = Master of the Choristers and Organist Durham Cathedral | years = 1985–2017 }} {{s-aft | after = Daniel Cook }} {{s-end}}
==References== <references />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancelot, James}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Ardingly College Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Category:English organists Category:British male organists Category:Cathedral organists Category:English choral conductors Category:British male conductors (music) Category:People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School Category:21st-century British conductors (music) Category:21st-century organists Category:21st-century British male musicians Category:Male classical organists Category:People associated with Durham University
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