St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow

Frikki Walker is versatile musician, professionally active as an organist, conductor, singer, composer, and teacher.

Frikki began his professional career as a Tenor in the choir of Wells Cathedral, where he also founded the Cathedral Voluntary Choir and sang with the vocal group Opus Four, with ex-King’s Singer, Nigel Perrin.

Following four years as Organist of Horsham Parish Church and conductor of various choirs in Sussex, he went back to Glasgow, where he had studied at the RSAMD and was appointed Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, in 1996.

Frikki’s organ teachers at various stages, have been David Williams, Ian Tracey, George McPhee, Bernard Porter, Malcolm Archer and Anne Marsden Thomas.

He holds a degree in Music Performance, in Organ and Voice from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, diplomas from the Royal College of Organists, and a teaching diploma from the University of Strathclyde. In 2008, the Royal School of Church Music bestowed upon Frikki the award of Associate of the Royal School of Church Music for his “important work at St Mary’s Cathedral”.

Frikki has played for services, courses and recitals in churches and cathedrals all over Britain, in his home country of Iceland, and various venues in Europe. He released his first CD of solo organ music, Notes Tremendous in 2006, and is currently a regular recitalist in the daily lunch-time recital series at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow.

At St Mary’s, Frikki oversees an adult choir who sing to a professional standard, and sing two services every Sunday as well as fulfilling a busy schedule of extra services, concerts, broadcasts and recordings. In October 2007, Frikki formed a treble line of boys and girls aged 8 – 15 to complement the adult choir.

A prolific broadcaster, Frikki has many times featured on BBC broadcasts, as an organist, as a singer, and as conductor. Programmes he regularly contributes to include, Sunday Half-Hour on Radio 2, Daily Service & Morning Worship on Radio 4 and BBC TVs Songs of Praise. He has also sung on Choral Evensong on Radio 3 and has made special programmes for Radio 2, Radio Scotland, and the BBC World Service. Frikki has also appeared on The Organist Entertains on Radio 2.

In addition to his duties with the Cathedral Choir, he has worked, and continues to work with choirs of all ages and abilities, and has worked with all the major choirs in Scotland, including the RSNO Choruses, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the Glasgow Chamber Choir, the RSAMD Chamber Choir, and many more besides.

He is currently Conductor of the Bearsden Choir, the Chamber Choir of the Junior RSAMD, the Changing Voices (boys section) of the RSNO Junior Chorus, the Chamber Choir of the High School of Glasgow, the Choir of Bearsden Academy and the RSCM Scottish Voices. He is also the tenor in, and director of, the Marian Consort.

A keen educator, Frikki is on the staff of the Junior Academy of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the High School of Glasgow, and Bearsden Academy. As well as teaching (classroom and composition) and accompanying, Frikki is heavily involved with choirs in all these establishments. He has also lectured at Glasgow University, gives pre-concert talks for the RSNO, and works with the RSNO education department giving choral workshops.

As a composer and arranger, Frikki has fulfilled commissions from Schools, Churches and Cathedrals all over Britain, and has had several arrangements broadcast on Radio 2, Radio 4, BBC World Service and Radio Scotland.

When not involved in music, Frikki loves to read and travel, is fascinated by ecclesiastical architecture, is a dab hand in the kitchen, has a huge collection of bookmarks, and is an avid fan of all things Star Trek and Dr Who.

He is married with three children.