11/02/2026
We are sorry to announce that our beloved Organist, Professor Ian Tracey, will be retiring from Liverpool Cathedral.
Reflecting on Ian’s remarkable legacy and many years of dedicated service to the Cathedral, The Very Revd Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool, said:
“I am sad to say that our much-loved Organist, Professor Ian Tracey, is retiring, bringing to a close an extraordinary career spanning more than four decades. Ian will play his last service on Saturday 17th October, before concluding his tenure by playing the Centenary Organ Recital that same afternoon. Ian became the youngest cathedral organist in the UK when he was appointed to Liverpool Cathedral in 1980, a role in which he has inspired generations through his musicianship and his profound influence on those who have listened to and worked with him.
"Ian’s dedication, talent and generosity as a musician and mentor have left a lasting legacy – he is as much an institution at the Cathedral as the organ over which he has presided for the past 46 years. That said, he has generously agreed to be on the organist deputies list. While Ian’s retirement is a moment of real sadness, it is also an opportunity to thank him and wish him every happiness in the next chapter of his life. No longer sat at the organ, Ian can now sit among the congregation and enjoy the music others have been privileged to enjoy for so many years. May God bless Ian in his retirement, and grant him peace and fulfilment in what lies ahead.”
We are sure you will join us in wishing Ian a long, happy and richly deserved retirement, filled with rest and blessings for the years ahead.
Ian will continue his work as Organist to the City of Liverpool at St. George's Hall, Organist to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and Tonal Director at Church Organ World alongside his freelance work as a recitalist. He's not hanging up his organ shoes just yet!
