Energy, Excellence and Eccentricity: A History of Music at Truro Cathedral

Join Truro Cathedral’s director of music, James Anderson-Besant as he brings to life some of the tales and myths of the choir of Truro Cathedral over the years.

James Anderson-Besant

Born in 1998, James Anderson-Besant grew up in Oxfordshire. He started learning the keyboard at primary school with Judith Ward, who ran the choir at St Helen’s Church, Benson; James joined the choir and later became its organist. He learned to play the organ with James Brown at Abingdon School, where he held academic and music scholarships.

After taking a gap year as the organ scholar of Gloucester Cathedral, which included teaching the first girl choristers in the cathedral’s history, James then spent four years as organ scholar, then assistant organist, of St John’s College Cambridge. With the college choir, he accompanied services, broadcasts, recordings and tours under the direction of Andrew Nethsingha, and helped train the choristers. He has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and his playing for St John’s appears on many acclaimed CD releases, including Advent Live II, Ash Wednesday, and The Psalms. An organ student of Stephen Farr, James won second prize at the 2019 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition. He graduated in 2020 with a double starred first degree in music, and during the following year supervised Cambridge music students in harmony and keyboard skills.

From 2021-2023, James was assistant director of music at Exeter Cathedral, where he played the organ for the cathedral’s services, and assisted Timothy Noon in the training of the choristers and in the choir’s musical rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. He also directed the St Peter’s Singers, the cathedral’s auditioned voluntary choir.

In 2023, at the age of twenty-four, James was appointed director of music and organist of Truro Cathedral, becoming the youngest cathedral organist in the country. At Truro, James directs the cathedral choir in its daily rehearsals and services, and is responsible for all aspects of the cathedral’s musical output. He also conducts the Three Spires Singers.

In his spare time he enjoys walking, exploring Cornwall, and reading about history and engineering.

Timings

18:45 Arrival
19:15 Guest Speaker
20:00 Q&A
20:15 End

Tickets

Everyone is welcome to attend this talk and will require a ticket. Ticket holders will receive one complimentary drink on arrival. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available.

Tickets are £10.00. 15/05/2026: Energy, Excellence and Eccentricity: a history of music at – Truro Cathedral

All money raised through tickets will go directly to supporting the upkeep and maintenance of Truro Cathedral.