Simon Irving has been an organist since age 13. From 1984 he was organist at Carlisle United Church, and in 1992 took early retirement from his IBM management position to become Director of Music at Church of Our Lady in Guelph. He served as National President of the RCCO from 1998 to 2000, having earned his FRCCO diploma in 1994.
Irving is the Founding Director of the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, which he led for 10 years, retiring in 2011 and is now Conductor Emeritus of the GSO. He was Music Director of the Canadian Orpheus Male Choir and was also Director of Music at St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Hamilton.
Janice Beninger received her MMus from the University of Western Ontario where she studied piano with Ronald Turini and composition with Alan Heard. A frequent collaborator with singers and instrumentalists, Janice served as pianist/keyboard player for Symphony Hamilton and worked as Music Co-ordinator (organist and choir director) for Knox Preston and Knox Waterdown Presbyterian Churches. She has directed numerous choirs, including the McMaster University Vocal Ensemble, Kaleidoscope Singers, and Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts Children’s Choir.
She is currently Music Director of the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus and the Burlington Welsh Ladies Chorus, and she maintains an active piano/theory teaching studio in Dundas, Ontario.
Simon Irving and Janice Beninger began their husband/wife organ and piano collaboration as Four Hands Two Feet in 2012. They perform in a variety of venues in and around their home region of Hamilton, Ontario.
In 2015 they produced their first CD together, titled Poem ($10 Cdn). It contains pieces written specially for organ and piano by four contemporary Canadian and American composers.
``I am enjoying your CD very much, the playing, the repertoire, everything. I love this combination of instruments.`` KA, Ottawa ON
Their second CD, titled Just Baroque ($15 Cdn) was released in 2017. It features their adaptations for organ and piano from transcriptions and arrangements of Baroque organ works, orchestral works and keyboard compositions by J. S. Bach, Purcell, Scarlatti, Froberger and Telemann.
Please contact us if you wish to purchase our CDs.