Stuart Nicholson

M.Mus hons (RCM) A.R.C.M. hons
Organist and Master of the Chorister

Stuart studied at the Royal College of Music with John Birch, during which time he was awarded various performance prizes as well as scholarships at the Temple Church, St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street and St. Paul's Cathedral; he became an Associate of the Royal College of Music in organ performance with honours and graduated with a first class honours in July 1997.

He then toured the USA and Europe whilst serving as Acting Assistant Organist with the mixed choir of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, and was Organist and Director of Music at Waltham Abbey in Essex, following an illustrious line of musicans dating back to Thomas Tallis.

He was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Birmingham  Cathedral in September 2004 where his duties included accompanying and directing the cathedral choirs for the daily office, concerts, recitals, regular broadcasts as well as directing the Cathedral's two voluntary choirs. He also spent five months as acting director of music and founded the 150 strong Cathedral Chorus.

He left Birmingham early 2010 to take up his current position, that of Organist and Master of the Choristers here at Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

On top of his work at the Cathedral he is also in much demand as a soloist, accompanist and a recording artist including recently appearing as soloist on two CD's of chamber music with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Back in 2002 along with guitarist wife Victoria, Stuart set up the Mandeville Duo combining the electric mix of organ and guitar, performing many of his own arrangements as well as original works to much critical acclaim. Other arrangements include a very popular samba inspired version of Ding dong merrily on high, recently published as part of David Hill's Carol Compilation, Noel 2 for Novello.
 

David Leigh

M.A., F.R.C.O.

David Leigh is the Assistant Organist of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Director of the Cathedral Girls’ Choir and Senior Keyboard Tutor at NUI Maynooth. He combines these roles with a busy freelance career as organist, continuo and orchestral keyboard player, in addition to directing the Gaudete Singers and Res Nova. He appears regularly with the major Irish orchestras and choirs in addition to pursuing an active solo recital career which has seen appearances at the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin and St Michael's Church, Dun Laoghaire in the last few months. In June 2003 he gave the Irish première of Francis Pott’s monumental solo organ symphony Christus, a performance he repeated in October 2004 as part of the reopening series on the newly restored organ of Christ Church Cathedral. Forthcoming appearances in the next few months include work with the Ulster Orchestra, the Culwick, Guinness, Dun Laoghaire and Trinity College Choral Societies and the Göethe Institute Choir.

A music graduate of Oxford University, where he was Organ Scholar of St Peter’s College and Assisting Organist of Magdalen College, David studied the organ with Jonathan Rees-Williams, David Sanger and Nicolas Kynaston. Whilst organ scholar of Lichfield Cathedral, aged nineteen, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, winning the Turpin and Durrant prizes, and held the Oxford University Betts Scholarship in 1995-6. He has visited most European countries as soloist, accompanist or conductor, and features in these roles on a number of recordings, including a solo disc made at Saint Patrick’s in 2000 which drew comments such as “immaculately played transcriptions….an organist of symphonic stature” (Organists’ Review) from the critics. Two further solo discs are awaiting imminent release, and earlier this year David was the accompanist in a recording of the choral music of Herbert Sumsion for Priory Records.