This is Priory’s first recording of the Chester organ for 15 years. Philip Rushforth concentrates on two early twentieth century composers. The Whitlock Sonata and the Hymn Preludes and this couples well with five short pieces of Hylton Stewart who is chiefly remembered for his settings of the canticles and psalm chants. A full length CD of over 79 minutes.

The disc is available directly from Philip Rushforth priced at £10.

Other recordings of Philip Rushforth playing the Grand Organ of Chester Cathedral are also available on Priory Records including “The Grand Organ of Chester Cathedral” and “The Organs of Southwell Minster and Chester Cathedral”. Please contact Philip directly if you would like to obtain a copy of one of these discs, also priced at £10.

Available for direct download through Amazon are some of Philip Rushforth’s recordings on “The Organs of Cambridge“

Benjamin Chewter is the Assistant Director of Music at Chester Cathedral, where he is responsible for the accompaniment of the statutory services and the direction of the Cathedral’s Nave Choir. Educated at Christ’s Hospital School, he held the Organ Scholarship at Canterbury Cathedral before going up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge as Organ Scholar (where he read Music and was Organist of King’s Voices, the mixed-voice choir of King’s College Chapel). He subsequently held the Organ Scholarship at Westminster Abbey and was Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral for three years before taking up his current post in September 2011.

As an organist and conductor he has performed extensively throughout the UK (at venues including Westminster Abbey, Chichester, Lincoln, Canterbury, St Albans and Westminster Cathedrals, and St John’s Smith Square in London) and abroad (Sweden, Mexico, Belgium, Poland and Germany); forthcoming recital venues for the remainder of 2011 include Gloucester and Chester Cathedrals. Benjamin continues his studies in organ repertoire and improvisation with David Briggs and Stephen Farr. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and also holds the College’s Choral Conducting Diploma.

“Music Director’s Report

The start of the New Year was busy. Ian (our Assistant Director of Music) and Kate Roberts left us for St John’s Church,Ranmoor in Sheffield and preparations had to be made for Ian’s replacement and the need for us to organise the daily worship of the cathedral between Laurence (our Organ Scholar) and me once Ian had left… ”

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David Hardwick began his musical career as a chorister at Worcester Cathedral. As a tenor he has held choral scholarships at Truro Cathedral, St Phillip’s Cathedral in Birmingham, and Gloucester Cathedral, and since 2008 he has been as a Lay Clerk at Gloucester.

David graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2009 with a 2:1 BMus(hons) degree, throughout which he maintained a keen interest in historical musicology, focussing especially on Tippett, Monteverdi and the Gloucestershire-based Poet and Composer Ivor Gurney. In addition to his academic studies, David studied singing at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Gordon Sandison and Andrew King. This culminated in a final recital at the Barber Institute of Fine Art where David performed music by Handel, Monteverdi and Gurney.

During his time at University David conducted the University Chamber Choir in two concerts, covering a broad repertoire of music. He also participated in several projects arranged by the University’s Centre for Early Music Performance and Research, including an eight voice performance of Handel’s ‘Dixit Dominus’ under the tutelage of the tenor Mark Tucker.

After his graduation, David moved to Gloucester to study for a PGCE in Secondary Music, which he completed in June 2010. As well as his commitments as a Lay Clerk, David sang with the Glevum Consort and was a member of The Songmen, a professional male voice a cappella group.

David is also developing as a soloist. In 2008 he completed his first professional Messiah with Stone Choral Society and has recently taken engagements from Newant Choral Society, Fairford Choral Society and the Cheltenham Bach choir.

David is very excited to be moving to Chester, where he hopes to establish himself as a music teacher while continuing his personal musical development as a member of Chester Cathedral Choir.

Ten months ago, we featured two members of the choir who had excelled in their singing exams and were moving on to pastures new. Since leaving the choir, they have both been very busy. Ed went out to New Zealand as a choral scholar at Christchurch, survived one earthquake and then managed to avoid getting squashed by a second when the cathedral collapsed there recently.

Besides singing in the choir, Ed worked in the Art Gallery and Cathedral Gift shop as well as becoming actively involved in sports. He coached cricket and swimming at the cathedral grammar school as well as playing and coaching water polo at Christ’s College High School.

Emily has been coaching the choristers in their singing as well as teaching singing and working locally. She went out to New Zealand for five weeks to visit Ed and are pictured outside a famous landmark enjoying a week in Sydney. Emily will be studying music at Durham University from September.

On Sunday 27th February, 2011, Ian Roberts officially left his position as Assistant Director of Music at Chester Cathedral, a role which he has held since 2008. We wish him well as he takes up his new post as Director of Music at St. John’s, Ranmoor, Sheffield. There were a number of presentations throughout the day culminating in a leaving party at Duttons, organised by the Nave Choir.

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A special psalm was composed in his honour and performed at the leaving party.

“Music Director’s Report

Events supported by the Friends

Last May I heard the cathedral organ in avery different light. David Briggs, therenowned organist, came to the cathedral to improvise a sound track to the silent film “Phantom of the Opera”… ”

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Toccata and Fugue (The Dorian)   -   J S Bach
Variations on Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein End   -   Jan Peterszoon Sweelinck
Organ Sonata No 2 in C minor   -   Felix Mendelssohn
Incantation Pour Un Jour Saint   -   Jean Langlais

He is a recent graduate of Pembroke College, Oxford, where he read mathematics and was Organ Scholar for four years. He started in cathedral music as a chorister at St. Albans Cathedral and began learning the organ there after leaving the choir. Laurence appeared with the choir in the film Johnny English, and also took park in tours to the USA, Sweden and Holland.

Whilst Organ Scholar at Pembroke, Laurence conducted the chapel choir on tours to Tallinn, Milan and Barcelona and at two evensongs at Westminster Abbey in London. He also organised and conducted a CD recording by the choir in 2008 called Locus Iste. He has played organ recitals at Pembroke, St. John’s, Harris Manchester and Exeter Colleges in Oxford, and at St. Albans Cathedral. Laurence was the conductor of the Arcadian Singers of Oxford in 2010, and conducted a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 in Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre.

Laurence is available to provide lessons in piano and trombone as well as mathematics tutoring. Please visit his website for further information.

“Brian was born in Rugeley, Staffordshire and joined the church choir when he was seven years old. When his father returned from working in Ceylon the family moved to Northwich and Brian attended the Verdin Grammar School where he began to study Piano and Violin.

His working life began at Barclays Bank in Northwich, and he studied for his banking diploma in Manchester. He later went to London as an Inspector for the Bank, and it was there that he became interested in chamber choirs, auditioning for the Louis Halsey Singers.

Brian went on to work in the Education Advisory Service and retired as principal officer. After retirement he worked part time for Hacker Young Chartered Accountants.

As a singer, Brian studied first with Owen Wynne and later with Professor Ellis Keeler. He obtained his ARCM performer’s diploma in London; he sang in oratorio all over the country as a tenor soloist; and he sang with the BBC Northern singers for 21 years.

As a conductor he directed:

The Mobray Singers Chamber Choir (in Wilmslow);

The Training Orchestra (in Kelsall);

The Oriel Singers (Liverpool);

The Border Singers (Whitchurch);

Winsford Choral Society;

Chester Operatic Society.

Brian founded the Vale Royal Singers in 1978 and was with them for 25 years. Under his direction this choir gained a reputation for the precision of their performances, and became firmly established as one of the leading chamber choirs in the north of England.

The director of The Chester St Cecilia Singers, Ronald Smith, invited Brian to be his deputy in 1982; and in 1985 Brian took over as Director. He conducted between 12 and 16 concerts a year, taking the choir on many tours abroad and to most of the major cathedrals in England – only last October they sang all the weekend services at Canterbury Cathedral. Brian’s last concert was on 28 April this year – he had been the Director for 25 years and had been with the choir for 28 years. The Singers held Brian in very high esteem, particularly for his “brilliant direction and his masterly choice of music.” Last year, the St Cecilia Singers were generously sponsored by Mr Stewart Mercer to produce a CD in memory of his wife, Julia, and sales have so far generated almost £10,000 for Cancer Charities.

It is so fitting that we meet here today to give thanks for Brian’s life, in the Cathedral that he loved dearly; surrounded by the walls that have echoed with the sound of his beautiful, youthful-sounding tenor voice for so many years.

It was in 1979 that Brian auditioned for Roger Fisher to join the Chester Cathedral Choir. After a period, he became Senior Lay Clerk. Later, Dean Stephen Smalley appointed Brian as the first Lay Succentor.

Brian was a gentleman – in every sense of the word…..

Unfailingly kind, supportive, courteous, honourable;

a real team player;

He looked distinguished, sounded distinguished, and everything he did was distinguished…

He paid great attention to detail……

His scores were meticulously prepared.

His choirs were drilled to perfection…… in rehearsal he would say:

“That was very good.    BUT………!!”

He loved the Psalms, and was always so poetic in the way he interpreted the words.

He sang many inspiring solos but never wanted to steal the limelight – he always wanted to encourage others.

He always saw the best in people; the other lay clerks looked up to him; some thought of him as a role model.

I always thought of him as the father of the choir – he cared deeply for the choir, its members, and the worship of the cathedral.

Anything that disrupted the atmosphere of a service would irritate Brian, including any kind of clerical incompetence!

As Lay Succentor, his intoning of the versicles & responses and collects was always prayerful and musical.

As a conductor he made you feel you wanted to give your best. It was always a most enjoyable experience.

As I’ve said, it was obvious that Brian loved this cathedral – his spiritual home. He retired from the choir having served 21 years when his illness was diagnosed. But he was always keen to deputise, and enjoyed singing 11 services for Philp Rushforth in March this year.

But it was also obvious that Brian completely and utterly adored Marion.

Marion – a superb musician in her own right – who shared all the music in Brian’s life through singing in the Vale Royals and St Cs.

Thank you, Marion, for sharing Brian with us all. In expressing our deepest sympathy, our hearts go out to you and the family at this time.”

DAVID POULTER