Kit Downes
The musician proves that the organ has its place in both the experimental and jazz scenes.
A BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated solo recording artist for ECM Records. He has toured the world playing piano, church organ and harmonium with his own bands (ENEMY, Troyka, Elt) as well as with artists such as Squarepusher, Bill Frisell, Sofia Jernberg, Mica Levi and Sam Amidon to name a few. An organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich whilst growing up, now living in Berlin. He is also currently working with violinist Aidan O’Rourke, drummer Seb Rochford, composer Max de Wardener and in the organ trio Deadeye with Reinier Baas and Jonas Burgwinkel. He has written commissions for example for Cheltenham Music Festival, London Contemporary Orchestra, Biel Organ Festival, Cologne Philharmonie. He also performed as part of the National Theatre production of Network (2017-2018). He has performed solo organ concerts at the Elb Philharmonie in Hamburg, Lausanne Cathedral, Flagey in Brussels, the Royal Albert Hall in London as well as the Southbank Royal Festival Hall, Rochester Jazz Festival, St Olafs Minneapolis and Darmstadt Organ Festival amongst many others. He holds a Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he had studied and now teaches. He has twice been awarded 1st place in Downbeat’s Critics Poll Rising Star for Organ and Keyboard categories respectively, and his ECM records (Obsidian, Dreamlife of Debris and Vermillion) have been released to much critical acclaim.
