I seemed to be destined for an illustrious singing career after repeating the opening motif of Beethoven’s Fifth at the age of two. According to my music teacher, I made an unpleasant sound, but this didn’t stop me from singing in church choirs and teaching myself to read music the wrong way up. My father had a large collection of LPs, and I listened avidly to a broad spectrum of music from behind the sofa – Dittersdorf’s Mandolin Concerto, J.S. Bach’s Mattheuspassion and Britten’s Missa Brevis along with medieval music, folk music and The Beatles. I remember being transfixed by a performance of Messiaen’s Dieu parmi nous in Wells Cathedral, and this inspired me to start learning the organ.
I read music at Bath University and the Royal College of Music in London, and was taught by Dudley Holroyd, David Ponsford, George Odam, Richard Popplewell and Nicolas Kynaston. Further inspiration came from participating in masterclasses and international competitions, and since then I have followed a career path as a church musician. Time spent living and working in rural surroundings in Norway, Denmark and Great Britain have inspired many of my own compositions, for example Watersmeet, Hymne til Ærø, Kontaktion for Bornholm and The Rock of Strivelyn.
I have performed widely, in venues ranging from large cathedrals and concerts halls to small village churches, always building a programme to suit the instrument and audience. During the last few years, I have given organ recitals in Scotland, Denmark, Italy, Australasia and the USA. For many years I worked on the Danish island of Bornholm, where I recorded Notes from a Small Island on the Frobenius/Christensen organ in Rønne, and was the driving force behind the Skt. Nicolai International Music Summer.
Since 2015, I have been Director of Music of Dunblane Cathedral in Scotland.
