Obituary of Graham Morrison; organist, choirmaster, teacher and composer;
born 21 May, 1949, in Edinburgh; died 29 January, 2007, in Edinburgh, aged
57. Morrison studied the organ with Dr Denis Townhill, of St Mary’s
Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, and composition with the renowned Welsh
composer William Mathias.

His grounding was in the playing of the
organ for church services where he quickly gained renown not only for his
skill at the organ, but also for his sympathetic interpretation of the
words of the hymns. Aged 15, he was given his first appointment as an
organist at the Leith Methodist Church and, while still in his teens, he
won a William Baird Ross Trust organ competition. The trust is dedicated
to encourage the work of Scottish church organists.

Outside his
working life, he served as the musical director at the Methodist Central
Hall, in Edinburgh’s Tollcross, for 37 years. Although being brought up in
the Church of Scotland, he embraced Methodism with enthusiasm and took a
full part in the life of the church. He also served as the organ advisor
to the Methodist Church in Scotland.

Full story at The Scotsman.

• Filed under Church of Scotland, Edinburgh + East, Methodist Church, Music, Obituaries, Scottish Christian News Monitor.