About David Hicken
David Hicken is an English composer, organist and pianist whose original symphonic music is composed and performed from the organ. Rooted in the classical tradition yet unmistakably contemporary, his works combine memorable melodies, rich harmonic language, virtuoso performance and a vivid sense of musical storytelling.
At the heart of David’s work is a distinctive approach to composition and performance. Rather than treating the organ simply as a traditional solo instrument, he uses it as the foundation of a much larger musical sound world, encompassing the colour, scale and expressive range of the symphony orchestra. The result is contemporary classical music of cinematic breadth, shaped with the spontaneity, expression and energy of live performance.
Raised in a musical family, David began piano lessons at the age of three with his mother, a piano teacher, before later studying organ and clarinet. By the age of sixteen he had achieved Grade 8 with distinction in piano, organ, clarinet and music theory through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, later earning the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music.
A three-time prize winner at the Oundle International Organ Festival and a laureate of the Huddersfield Organ Festival, David received a major music scholarship to Stowe School before continuing his studies with Nicholas Danby in London and later at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in the United States.
His performing career has included appearances at St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and the cathedrals of Chester and Newcastle. He has appeared as concerto soloist with the Oxford Symphony Orchestra in England and the Westchester Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles. A featured symphonic performance in the United States led to a two-album recording contract, introducing his artistry to an international audience.
David later served as Director of Music at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. During a decade in Hawaii, he conducted major choral-orchestral works, including Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bach’s Magnificat, broadening the musical experience that would later influence the large-scale character of his own compositions.
Alongside his performing career, David has developed an extensive catalogue of original music. His published choral work Adoramus te has received international performances, including in Vatican City, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Carnegie Hall and Canterbury Cathedral. His piano and organ works are performed by musicians around the world who seek contemporary repertoire that is both emotionally engaging and rewarding to play.
Today, David’s principal creative focus is original symphonic music composed and performed from the organ. Drawing upon a lifetime as an organist, pianist, composer and conductor, he explores the organ not as the boundary of his musical world, but as the point from which that world begins. His music moves freely beyond conventional definitions of organ, orchestral or keyboard music, combining the architectural power of the organ with the colour, intimacy and expressive breadth of a much larger musical palette.
Working from his studio in northern Thailand, David creates, performs, records and films his own work. His YouTube channel has attracted more than 62 million views, introducing audiences around the world to a distinctive voice in contemporary classical music. Through his recordings, publications and performances, his compositions continue to reach musicians and listeners seeking music that is both artistically satisfying and deeply communicative.
David’s music is driven by a simple philosophy: contemporary classical music should move the heart as much as it impresses the ear. By placing the organ at the centre of an expansive symphonic language, he continues to explore new possibilities for the instrument while creating music that is enduring, expressive and unmistakably his own.