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Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

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Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, has announced the appointment of a new Director of Music to succeed Ian Keatley. Tom Little is the Sub–Organist at Croydon Minster where he accompanies the Minster Choirs. He has also held positions at Southwark cathedral, Ealing Abbey and King’s College, London.

He began his early musical training as a chorister at York Minster under the direction of Phillip Moore and subsequently moved to moved to Ampleforth College as a music scholar where he took up the organ, studying with Simon Wright. Leaving school in 2003 he spent a year at the Conservatoire Nationale d’Angers in France before moving to Truro. As a choral scholar in the cathedral, he sang six services a week, participated in live broadcasts and several recordings. The following year took up the organ scholarship and in 2006, Tom was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music, where his principal professor was Margaret Phillips. 

Since graduating, Tom has combined his duties at Croydon with a variety of freelance work. Recent highlights have included recitals at London cathedrals and a concert for the John Armitage Memorial, performing with Onyx Brass and Nicholas Cleobury. Tom also teaches at the London Oratory School, Whitgift School and sings regularly with choirs in London.

Jack Oades, the current Organ Scholar in Christ Church, has been appointed as Assistant Director of Music in succession to Dr David Bremner.  Originally from Exeter, he is a prize–winning composer and a former Organ Scholar in St Patrick’s cathedral. He will be in charge of the Music Department until Tom Little’s arrival next January.

Ian Sexton has been appointed as Director of Music in Cloyne, which as well as St Colman’s cathedral, includes the parish churches of Midleton, East Ferry and Corkbeg. He will also head up organising the rota for the Youghal union of parishes. A former Organ Scholar at Rochester cathedral, he studied at Trinity College of Music in London and on graduation in 1996 he took up the positions of Guinness Organ Scholar in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, and Choirmaster in Wesley College. He is a former Assistant Organist of St Fin Barre’s cathedral, Cork, and currently holds the position of Master of the Clerks Choral in St Mary’s Collegiate church, Youghal.

The Donabate Garden Fete will take place today (Saturday) at 2pm in the Church Field with lots of stalls and attractions with live music from St George’s Brass Band, free admission and free parking.

This evening (Saturday) the Choir of St Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Oak Ridge, USA, will sing Evensong at 5pm in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, where tomorrow (Sunday) they will sing at the 11am Sung Eucharist and the 3.30pm Evensong. In St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin,  the 11.15 am Choral Eucharist and the 3.15pm Evensong will be sung by the Choir of St David’s church, Wayne, Pennsylvania, while in St Patrick’s cathedral, Armagh, on Thursday, Evensong will be sung by the Choir of St Paul’s cathedral, Buffalo.

On Monday, the Holy Trinity Church Dromore Mission Team will travel to Uganda with Fields of Life and remain there until 31 July. The Fields of Life project, which is supported by the Diocese of Clogher, works with communities and churches in East Africa, to create positive change through quality education, child sponsorship and clean water.

‘Summer Music in Sandford’ continues next Friday at 1.10pm in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, where the guitar duet Gerard Boyle and Luke Tobin will give the lunchtime recital.

 

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