Musical Director

Benjamin Morris

Benjamin Morris is Assistant Director of Music at York Minster.  In this role he plays for services and accompanies the choir in the Minster’s daily cycle of music, in concerts, recordings, tours and broadcasts, and assists in the training of the boy and girl choristers. Ben regularly conducts the Minster choir in services.

Prior to this, Benjamin was Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist at Jesus College Cambridge, graduating with a double First in Music. He appeared in services and concerts around the world with the Choirs of Jesus College, performing on national radio and on many CD recordings. Before university, Ben spent a year as Organ Scholar at Gloucester Cathedral.

An experienced conductor and choir trainer, Ben has been Musical Director of the York-based Chapter House Choir since 2017. Whilst in Cambridge, Ben spent a term running and directing Jesus College’s two choirs, and conducted orchestral works including Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and sell-out performances of Milhaud’s chamber opera, Le Pauvre Matelot.  

With recent venues including Westminster Abbey, Leeds Town Hall and Kristiansand Cathedral (Norway), Ben is regularly engaged as a soloist for recitals and other performances. He has performed as organ soloist under Sir Roger Norrington, Howard Shelley and Stephen Cleobury, and has played organ and harpsichord continuo alongside His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Saraband Consort and Britten Sinfonia. He has studied organ with Gordon Stewart, David Briggs, Colin Walsh and Richard Pinel, and harpsichord at the Royal Academy of Music with Terence Charlston. Ben is a prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.