About David Hicken

David Hicken is an English composer and organist whose original music is rooted in the classical tradition yet unmistakably contemporary. His compositions combine memorable melodies, rich harmonic language, virtuoso writing and a vivid sense of musical storytelling.

At the heart of David’s work is the pipe organ. Drawing upon a lifetime of experience with the instrument, he creates contemporary organ music that explores its extraordinary range of colour, scale and expression. His works range from intimate and lyrical to dramatic and monumental, combining the architectural grandeur of the organ with the spontaneity 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 also 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 contribute to 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, while his instrumental works are performed by musicians around the world.

Today, David devotes his creative work to composing and performing original music for the organ. Rather than treating the instrument primarily as a vehicle for the established repertoire, he is building a body of new music conceived specifically for its immense tonal and expressive possibilities. His compositions embrace everything from quiet solo colours and contrasting divisions to the full power and grandeur of the instrument.

Working from his studio in northern Thailand, David composes, performs, records and films his own music. His YouTube channel has attracted more than 62 million views, bringing his work to an international audience. His organ music is available as recordings and published scores, and David is available internationally for organ recitals, performing exclusively his own compositions.

David’s music is driven by a simple philosophy: contemporary classical music should move the heart as much as it impresses the ear. Through his original compositions, he seeks to demonstrate that the pipe organ is not simply an instrument of the past, but an extraordinary vehicle for new music — powerful, expressive and capable of speaking directly to audiences today.