Symphonie improvisée

Richard McGovern was born in 1975 in Blackburn, Lancashire. He began playing the organ when he was 14 years old after receiving a scholarship to play for David Cooper in Blackburn Cathedral. Richard then trained at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he received a Bachelor of Music with Honours. He moved to Sweden in 2002 and studied at the Royal College of Music to obtain a Swedish organist degree. Among other things, he studied improvisation with Stefan Thyrstam. Richard has been active as an organist in several parishes in Mälardalen since he moved to Sweden. Since January 2026, he has been the cathedral organist at St. Erik's Catholic Cathedral in Stockholm. Richard has given organ concerts around Sweden and the UK, including in Liverpool, Birmingham, Truro and of course in his hometown, Blackburn.