Lunchtime Concert: Brett McKern Organ Recital

Dr Brett McKern PhD DCA BMus BTh BEd FRCO FTCL FRSM FGCM FLCM FNCM FVCM(Hons) FCompASMC LMusA AMusA ACertCM CertRS HonGCM FGMS MMTA presents a lunchtime organ recital at St James’ Church, offering a moment of musical depth, reflection, and excellence in the very heart of Sydney’s CBD.

This recital invites listeners to step out of the working day and into one of Sydney’s most significant sacred spaces. Set within the city’s oldest surviving church, St James’ provides a place of stillness amid the surrounding commercial district, where the organ’s sound fills the space with warmth, grandeur, and intimacy. These lunchtime concerts have become cherished for offering peaceful musical moments in the centre of the city, drawing office workers, students, visitors, and music lovers seeking beauty and calm.

Dr McKern is an internationally recognised organist, composer, choir director, educator, and consultant in music and music education. He has performed and directed choirs in multiple countries, been recorded for CD, DVD, and film, and released a solo CD of organ music and improvisations. His compositions, over one hundred published works, have been performed and broadcast internationally, including in eight countries, with performances at prestigious venues such as Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, London, and Washington National Cathedral. An award‑winning composer, he is frequently commissioned by professional soloists, choirs, and ensembles, including leading liturgical and secular groups.

Holding degrees in music, theology, and education, and two doctorates in musical composition, Dr McKern is a Fellow of numerous international institutions, including the Royal College of Organists and Trinity College of Music. He has lectured at universities and theological colleges, served as an Adjunct Associate Professor, and currently works extensively with the Australian Music Examinations Board as Chief Examiner for Theory and syllabus adviser. He is a Represented Composer of the Australian Music Centre and consults internationally on music pedagogy, with many of his students progressing to professional musical careers.

The programme explores the expressive breadth of the organ, from Renaissance counterpoint to Romantic depth and colour:

• Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor, WoO IV/6 – Max Reger

• A Fancy – William Byrd

• Fantasie en La – César Franck

• Grande Offertoire de St Cecilia No. 2, Op. 8 – Édouard Batiste

Whether encountered briefly or experienced in full, this recital offers an oasis of sound and contemplation, a refined musical encounter at lunchtime, in the heart of Sydney.