Who's Who in the IAO

When reviewing the IAO's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the opportunity was taken to bring the titles of those who hold office in the organisation into line with current company and charity practice. The people concerned are listed below. 

Council 2007-2008 - Directors/Trustees

Please note: The 'Official' titles given below are those registered at Companies House and are the formal titles. However, in normal day-to-day activities the alternative or informal titles given below may be used, as appropriate. The term ‘Hon’. or ‘Honorary’ is not to be used as we are informed that it no longer has any standing.

Advisory Committee  – Elected Advisory Members

John Balding, Glasgow (2010)
Andrew Cesana, Rochester, Kent (2009)
Gary Desmond, Bristol (2008)
Terrence Hancock, Redhill, Surrey (2008)
Malcolm Hawke, Littlehampton, West Sussex (2010)
Melvin Hughes, Reigate, Surrey (2009)
James Little, Holywood, County Down (2009)
Alasdair MacLaughlin, Belfast (2010)
Norman Marr, Aberdeen (2009)
Adrian Moore, Leamington Spa (2009)
Philip Paul, York (2008)
Graham Rock, Stourbridge (2010)
David Sutton, Woodford Green, Essex (2009)
Roy Tripp, Highbridge, Somerset (2009)
Clive Watts, Banbury, Oxfordshire (2008)
John Wellstead, Poole, Dorset (2010)
Michael Whitehall, Wisbech, Cambs (Secretary, IAO Benevolent Fund) (2010)

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Advisory Committee  –  Others who may be invited to attend in an advisory capacity

Editor, Organists' Review:  Sarah Beedle
Advertising Manager, Organists' Review:  Jane Beeson 
Communications Manager, IAO: Peter Yardley-Jones

Our President: David Hill

David Hill, Musical Director of The Bach Choir; Chief Conductor of the Southern Sinfonia, and Music Director of the Leeds Philharmonic Society, was appointed to serve as President of the Incorporated Association of Organists in 2007 for a two-year term.  David succeeded Catherine Ennis in July 2007.

With his knowledge of the organ and the organ world, both as a performer and as an advisor, David brings valuable talents to the IAO.  David also has tremendous experience and skills as a choir trainer and conductor.  For an educational charity such as the IAO, to have David as President will be invaluable and rewarding and all will welcome working with David during his term of office.

David Hill’s love of music began early in life.  The combination of perfect pitch, a supportive family, and an infectious enthusiasm for music making, made him familiar with a variety of keyboard, string, and brass instruments by the time he was nine.  This versatile approach has stayed with David throughout a diverse career that combines the roles of an internationally respected choral trainer, recitalist, and conductor.

David was born in Carlisle in 1957 and educated at Chetham’s School, Manchester, where conducting became a major interest when he was asked to direct the school choir at the age of fourteen.  A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at 17, David’s education continued at Cambridge as Organ Scholar of St John’s College under the direction of the late Dr George Guest.  After Cambridge came the post of Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral, followed by Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral.  In 1987, David moved to Winchester Cathedral, where what he describes as the ‘liturgical symphony’ of daily services continued to provide both a challenge and a focus for his wide-ranging musical interests.  July 2002 saw the completion of his time in Winchester and, after a ‘gap’ year, he returned to St John’s College, Cambridge in September 2003, and this time as Director of Music in succession to Dr Christopher Robinson.  During the last year, St John’s College Choir has toured in Estonia and USA.  The Choir has recorded a disc of choral music by Mendelssohn (released spring 2006) and music for Advent and Christmas (due for release autumn 2006) for Hyperion.

As an organist, David Hill has given recitals in most major venues in the UK and has toured extensively abroad.  In February 2005, he gave one of the last recitals on the organ at the Royal Festival Hall before the Hall closed for refurbishment.  During 2006, he has given recitals for the International Organ Festival in St Alban’s and also at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.  His numerous recordings of organ music have been critically acclaimed; his latest disc was nominated in ‘Gramophone’ as one of the finest discs of 2003.  David acted as advisor for the restoration of the Westminster Cathedral organs in 1984.

Now widely recognised as one of the leading choral directors in the UK, David also appears regularly with major British orchestras.  Future plans, together with the Bach Choir of which he is Musical Director, include concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Florilegium, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded Richard Blackford’s Voices of Exile with the Bach Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra and a disc of Finzi with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.  During the autumn of 2006 he will record Howells Hymnus Paradisi and Sir Patrick Spens with the Bach Choir and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.  He gives choral training workshops and participates in summer schools all over the world; his handbook on the subject, ‘Giving Voice’ was published in 1995.

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Our President Elect: Alan Thurlow

Alan Thurlow grew up in Essex where his lifelong passion for the organ and choirs began at the age of eight when he joined the choir at St Barnabas' Church, Woodford Green, and subsequently by his years at Bancroft's School, Woodford, with its organ and chapel tradition. While still at school he became Organist of St Barnabas' Church and at the same time became a member of the City of London and Eastern Society of Organists. His love of the music of Jean Langlais was first awakened by an article which he read at that time in Quarterly Record (the predecessor of the Organists' Review magazine). Throughout his career he has remained an active member of Organists' Associations and for the last twenty-eight years he has served as President (and ex-officio Chairman) of the West Sussex Organists' Association.

After studying music at Sheffield University and Emanuel College, Cambridge, he was appointed Sub Organist of Durham Cathedral in 1973, serving first under Dr Conrad Eden and subsequently under Richard Lloyd. In 1980 Alan was appointed to succeed Dr John Birch as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral, where his first task was to form a committee to raise money to restore the cathedral's historic pipe organ to working use (it had been abandoned as unplayable in 1972 and remained silent for fourteen years until the completion of the rebuilding by Manders in 1986).

During his time at Chichester Alan Thurlow has served as a past President of the Cathedral Organists' Association and also for twelve years as Chairman of the Friends of Cathedral Music. He is an Organ Adviser for the Diocese of Chichester and spent over twenty years as a member of the Organs Advisory Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches (ten of these years as Chairman). He has recently been appointed a member of the Church of England's new Church Buildings Council. He is Chairman of the Trustees of the ON Organ Fund, the only fund of its kind, which exists specifically to give financial assistance to places of worship (in the British Isles) for work on pipe organs, with no heritage or other similar qualifications required in respect of the instrument. He is also a Trustee of the Organists' Benevolent League and a member of the Executive Council of the Church Music Society.
In 2005 Alan Thurlow was awarded a Lambeth Doctorate in Music by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He retired from his post at Chichester Cathedral on Easter Day this year. He continues to be active in his other musical interests and is now also working as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Chichester.

IAO Presidents

We felt that there would be interest in having a complete list of Presidents of the IAO.  Honorary Vice-Presidents are noted with their names in purple.  Honorary Vice-Presidents who have also served as President have their name in italics.  Those who are deceased are included but are marked with †.

This list is believed to be accurate, but the Web Editor would welcome a note of any errors or omissions.

Sir Edward Bairstow†

Sir Ernest Bullock CVO†

Stephen Cleobury

G D Cunningham†

Lionel Dakers CBE†

Nicholas Danby†

Christopher Dearnley LVO†

Sir John Dykes Bower CVO†

Catherine Ennis

Professor Johannes Geffert

Professor Willis Grant†

Harvey Grace†

W Greenhouse Allt CBE†

George Guest CBE†

Sir William Harris KCVO†

Sir Hamilton Harty†

Sir Edward Heath KG, MBE†

David Hill
Peter le Huray†

Peter Hurford OBE

Francis Jackson CBE

John Jordan

Nicolas Kynaston

Henry Ley†

Simon Lindley

H Lowery†

Sir David Lumsden

Sir Stanley Marchant CVO†

Roy Massey MBE

Sir William McKie MVO†

Sir Sydney Nicholson MVO†

Margaret Phillips

S W Pilling†

William Prendergast†

Dr Arthur Pritchard†
Harold Rhodes†

John Scott LVO

Richard Seal

Gordon Stewart

Sir George Thalben-Ball CBE†

Professor Ian Tracey

Dame Gillian Weir DBE

Allan Wicks CBE