Holy smoke: Oxford grabs Westminster Abbey organist
NewsEven with royal highlights, nobody wants to remain on the subs bench.
press release:
Peter Holder, Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey, has been appointed Organist and Official Student (Tutorial Fellow) at Christ Church, Oxford.
In his current role, Peter has been the chief musical assistant to the Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, playing the organ for the Abbey’s daily services and accompanying the Abbey Choir in recordings and concerts. He also serves as deputy director of the Choir and assists in training the choristers.
Peter served as principal organist at the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II and last year’s Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen, for which he was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.
A very well deserved appointment by a superb first class male organist and musician, well done Peter!
Slightly confused by your comment Lapsed Organist, do you think this appointment would have been less worthy of congratulations had Peter Holder been female?
yes.
What does male have to do with it?
Because only males can play the organ correctly and to such a superior highest standard
This would have come as quite a shock to Marie-Claire Alain.
As well as Jeanne Demessieux, Rachel Laurin, and WHOLE BUNCH of other talented women organists who could probably out-play “Lapsed Organist” with one arm tied behind their back.
You may have noticed that organists now come as two varieties: organists, and woman organists. Like conductors and woman conductors. Composers and woman composers. I think it would be better that we just have organists, etc, and gender is immaterial. But we live in an age where discrimination is now a virtue. I hope this phase passes, but it is with us for now.
I am guessing that Lapsed Organist is pointing this out.
Is Lapsed Organist being ironic? I would like to think so, but …
You don’t mean ironic. You mean sarcastic. Please don’t be American and mis use the language.
Grrr…..rant….
Yes, so few women in any organist job on England. All mostly Oxbridge males in cathedrals!
Yes, and it should stay that way.
Playing the organ is a mans domain, not for those silly girlies who try to be butch and play football and rugby these days.
Just wait til their tied back hair whacks another in the eye. Then we’ll see.
How wonderful.and to have such experience. LOVE to see talented and nice young people get on in this very, very hard music profession in Britain.