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Music department and 2008 temple festival
Assistant Organist
Ian le Grice
Ian le Grice has had a long association with the Temple Church which began in 1957 when he joined the choir as a treble. He went on to assist Sir George Thalben-Ball unofficially, playing the organ for recordings, broadcasts, concerts and services with the Temple Church choir until 1982 when Dr John Birch succeeded Sir George and Ian le Grice was officially appointed Assistant Organist. He continued in this position after the retirement of Dr Birch and works closely with the present Director of Music, James Vivian, and the Associate Organist, Greg Morris. As a tribute to the late Sir George Thalben-Ball he recorded The Temple Church Legacy (Priory Records PRCD 569) and he is the organist on The Veil of the Temple, a Sony double CD of a shortened version of Sir John Tavener's magnum opus for which he played at the world premiere in 2003 under the direction of Stephen Layton.