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PHILIP JOHN MOORE, Organist and Master of the Music
Philip Moore was born in London in 1943 and received his musical education at the Royal College of Music where he studied Organ, Piano, Composition and Conducting. In 1965 he joined the staff of Eton College and in 1968 became Assistant Organist at Canterbury Cathedral. The Organist at the time was Dr Allan Wicks, a former Assistant at York Minster.
In 1974 he succeeded Dr Barry Rose as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral and in 1983 moved to York Minster to succeed Dr Francis Jackson.
He holds a Bachelor in Music degree from Durham University and the diplomas of the Royal College of Organists, for which he received the Turpin, Limpus and Read prizes. He also has a degree and diplomas from the Royal College of Music. In 2005 he was made a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music for his work as a composer. He was also recently awarded honorary fellowships from the Guild of Church Musicians and the Academy of St Cecilia.
Extensive compositions for Church and Organ, numerous orchestral and chamber works and three cantatas for chorus and orchestra have resulted in an international reputation. He has two daughters, one son and three grandchildren, and his hobbies include collecting old fountain pens, cooking, reading, flying kites and collecting Imari porcelain. (photograph: Meg Shorland-Ball)
JOHN SCOTT WHITELEY, Organist and Director of the Girls' Choir
John Scott Whiteley is one of our finest concert organists. He gained an organ scholarship at London University and then studied at the Royal College of Music, winning the Turpin Prize for performance in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists. This led to him being awarded scholarships to study with Flor Peeters in Malines and Fernando Germani in Siena.
In 1976 he won the National Organ Competition of Great Britain and in the same year moved to York Minster where he is now Organist and Director of the Girls’ Choir. He made his debut at the Royal Festival Hall in 1983 and has performed at festivals throughout Europe including the 2005 International Organ Festival in St Albans and the 2006 Musicometa Festival in Rome. Since 1985 he has regularly toured America and has made 23 recordings.
Recently he has become known for his performances on BBC2 and BBC4 of the complete organ music of J S Bach. "21st Century Bach", described by the Daily Telegraph as "a triumph both visually and musically", is planned to run for several years and will cover some 80 programmes. The DVD of the first two series was released in April 2006.
He has published books about Bach and the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen, is a contributor for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and is also an organ tutor, examiner and composer.
Top of PageRICHARD McVEIGH, Organ Scholar
In 2002, Richard became the Organ Scholar of the Edward Boyle Organ Scholarship at the University of Hull. In conjunction with the Edward Boyle Organ Scholarship is an assistantship at Beverley Minster which saw Richard working closely with the Minster Organist and Choirmaster, Dr. Alan Spedding. During his time at Hull, Richard was also the director of the university Chapel Choir. Whilst at the University, Richard took part in Organ Masterclasses taken by James O’Donnell, James Lancelot and Ian Currior.
After graduating from the University of Hull in July 2005 with a Bachelor of Music (hons), Richard spent a year as Organ Scholar at Chester Cathedral, during which time he worked very closely with David Poulter and Philip Rushforth. During this time he played no fewer than 5 organ recitals in the Cathedral. While at Chester, Richard accompanied choirs on tour at Ripon Cathedral and Paris which included Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix, Église de la Madeleine and Notre Dame Cathedral.
In October 2006, Richard became the Organ Scholar at York Minster. Richard has lessons with John Scott Whiteley at York, a teacher he has had for some 4 years. (photograph: Jeremy Howat)
Top of PageRecordings of York Minster Choir and Organ
There are nearly 40 CDs and cassette tape recordings in existence of the Organ and Choir of York Minster.
A complete list of these can be found, to be consulted or printed off, in a PDF document located under Useful Documents at the left side of this page under "Recordings of Organ and Choir".
Many of them are available in the Minster Shop, accessible through this website.
Top of PageYork Minster Organists from 1475 to the present day
John Austan 1474/5-1480/1
John Symson 1484-1491/2
John Usher 1509/10-1523/4
Robert Holmes 1527-1529
Thomas Kirkby 1530-1540
John Thorne 1541-1573
Henry Thorne 1573-1597
Cuthbert Byas 1598-1604
Henry Farrande 1605-1607
(?William Browne) 1607-1616
Thomas Kingston 1616-1633
John Hutchinson 1633/4-1645
Thomas Mudd c.1663-1666
Thomas Preston 1666-1691
Thomas Wanless 1691-1711/2
Charles Murgatroyd 1712-1721
William Davies 1721-1722
Charles Quarles 1722-1727
Edward Salisbury 1727/8-1735
James Nares 1735-1756
John Camidge I 1756-1799
Matthew Camidge 1799-1842
John Camidge II 1842-1858
Edwin George Monk 1859-1883
John Naylor 1883-1897
Thomas Tertius Noble 1897-1913
Edward C. Bairstow 1913-1946
Francis Alan Jackson 1946-1982
Philip John Moore 1983-
From 2001, the person traditionally referred to as 'the Organist' is now called 'the Master of the Music'.
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