Herald AV Publications

HAVPCD357 – 40 Years at Wakefield

	Disk Title	40 Years at Wakefield
		Music by Jonathan Bielby, Kenneth Leighton, Philip Moore, Andrew Carter & Sean Farrell
	Choir	Wakefield Cathedral Choir
	Conductor	Jonathan Bielby & Thomas Moore
	Location	Wakefield Cathedral
	Date Recorded	30th April & 10th May 2009
	Audio Tracks	25

The Wakefield Cathedral Choir consists of up to twenty boys, twenty girls and ten lay clerks, and undertakes a full programme of services, concerts, recordings, radio and TV appearances. There are six choral services each week – Parish Eucharist, Cathedral Eucharist and Evensong on Sunday and Evensong on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Yorkshire Three Choirs Festival (boys and men) and the Yorkshire Cathedral Choirs Festival (girls and men) take place in October and March respectively. The Cathedral has had only four Organists: Joseph Naylor (1888-1930), Newell Wallbank (1930-1946), Percy Saunders (1946-1970) and Jonathan Bielby (1970-2010). The formidable past record of Assistant Organists includes John Scott (organist of St Thomas’ Church, Fifth Avenue, New York), Peter Gould (organist of Derby Cathedral), Keith Wright ( assistant organist of Durham Cathedral), and Louise Marsh (director of the Girls’ Choir at Ely Cathedral).

Famous previous members of the Choir include the composer, Kenneth Leighton, and the former Archbishop of York, David Hope. The Cathedral Choir has done a tremendous job in promoting the city and diocese of Wakefield and the cause of English cathedral music. Besides appearing at many UK venues, the boys and men have visited Germany three times, the United States twice, France, Austria, Italy and Holland; the girls and men have sung in Sweden, the Rhineland and New York; and the men have made an enjoyable trip to Dublin.

Jonathan Bielby was born in Oxford, and appointed Organ Scholar of St John’s College, Cambridge. He became Assistant Organist of Manchester Cathedral before his appointment as Organist of Wakefield Cathedral in 1970. Without substantial funding or endowment, Jonathan has built up the fine reputation of the Cathedral Choir, which regularly broadcasts on national radio and television. He is a sensitive composer who has written extensively for his choir and the organ. He has nurtured the careers of many choristers and organists; among his former choristers are David Hill, Roger Wright and John Scott.

Jonathan has also worked in Huddersfield at the Town Hall as Kirklees Borough Organist; and for 25 years in Leeds at the College of Music as a full-time lecturer. He master-minded the highly successful rebuilds of the Father Willis organ at Huddersfield and the five manual Compton at Wakefield. He has performed in many cathedrals, town halls and universities, both in Britain and abroad.

He has recorded CDs for Priory at Huddersfield Town Hall (Romantic Organ Music of Yesteryear), Rochdale Town Hall (Complete Organ Music of John Ireland) and Huddersfield University. Jonathan is Secretary of the oldest organists’ association in the world, Wakefield & District Organists’ Association (founded in 1890), and serves on the Kenneth Leighton Trust. He has been awarded honorary fellowships by the Guild of Church Musicians and the Royal School of Church Music, and he is England’s longest-serving cathedral organist.

Thomas Moore was born in Leicester and started his musical career early, beginning to play the piano at the age of four. He was a treble in Leicester Cathedral Choir, and was inspired to start organ lessons with the Cathedral Assistant Organist, Geoffrey Carter. After Tom had completed his schooling in Leicester, he moved to Huddersfield to take a Bachelor of Music degree at the University. He majored in organ studies, studying under Keith Jarvis, and taking part in master classes given by Dame Gillian Weir, David Titterington and Peter Hurford. During his time as a student he broadcast on radio and television, and was successively Organ Scholar at Huddersfield Parish Church and Bradford Cathedral.

Following graduation in September 1998 Tom was appointed Assistant Organist at Peterborough Cathedral and, concurrent with this appointment, studied for his Master of Arts in Music at Huddersfield, graduating in September 1999.

In September 2002 Tom assumed his present appointment as Assistant Director of Music at Wakefield Cathedral, and Director of the girl choristers of the Cathedral Choir. He is one of only a handful of Cathedral musicians to have played at two Royal Maundy services – at Wakefield in 2005, and Bradford in 1997. Tom is regularly in demand as a freelance recitalist, and is the accompanist for the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir. He also directs the St. Peter’s Consort – a Wakefield based chamber choir. Tom is on the teaching staff at Huddersfield University and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield.