Biography

Born in Huddersfield, England, Max Kenworthy has performed recitals all over the world and has undertaken recordings, broadcasts and tours in organ, piano, singing and conducting.

Max is currently based in Cambridge, UK, where he is Director of Music at The Leys School.

Max began his musical career as a chorister under Christopher Dearnley and John Scott at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. He started learning the organ at Bradford Grammar School before a year as Organ Scholar at Rochester Cathedral. Max then won an organ scholarship to Brasenose College, Oxford, reading for a degree in music.

After leaving Oxford Max held posts at Hampstead Parish Church and St. Mary’s Church, Barnes, London. From 2002 to 2007, he was Assistant Director of Music at Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul, New Zealand.

While based in Wellington, Max performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Wellington Sinfonia, The Tudor Consort, Musica Sacra, the Orpheus Choir, Wellington-based chamber choir Cantoris, the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band and contemporary music ensemble, Stroma. He also gave regular solo recitals throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Max has given regular duet recitals with organist Nicholas Grigsby, with whom he has recorded a CD of organ duets from Dunedin Town Hall entitled four hands / four feet. They have toured extensively in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, the USA, France, Germany and the UK. They have also performed at the Bermuda Festival in 2014.

In 2006 Max recorded his first solo organ disc, organum maximum, on the organ of Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul, and is also featured on the CD Favourite Hymns; Cathedral Classics and a CD of Lenten music entitled The Service of Shadows.

As a pianist, Max performed frequently and widely with his New Zealand-based jazz group the jazz-tempered trio. They released their debut CD Bach in Black in December 2007 — jazz interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach.

Whilst in New Zealand Max did some work as a concert reviewer and contributor for Radio New Zealand Concert, including a programme on the organ works of Messiaen. He also reviewed CDs for musicweb-international.com.

From 2009 to 2012, Max was Organist and Director of Music at All Saints Church, Hove, and from 2010 to 2016 was Assistant Director of Music and College Organist at Ardingly College in West Sussex. He also held the position of Organist and Director of Music at St. Wilfrid’s Church, Haywards Heath from 2015 to 2016. Details of the splendid Kenneth Tickell organ can be found here.

Max has taught piano and organ at a number of schools including St. Mark’s Church School and Queen Margaret College in Wellington, and in the UK, the London Oratory School; Latymer Upper School; St. Christopher’s School, Hove and Brighton College. He has worked with numerous ensembles and choral groups in the UK and his organ teachers have included Roger Sayer, David Goode, Jeremy Filsell and Colin Walsh.

Max is married to Laura and has two young children. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.