Katherine Dienes-Williams to conduct Epworth Choir in Cathedral

Epworth Carol concert at Guildford Cathedral on 19 December 2009.. to book see left panel and click on link

Katherine Dienes, MA, BMus, FRCO, Hon ARSCM, Hon GCM was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral in January 2008 following six years as Director of Music at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick. She was the first-ever female member to be elected to the Cathedral Organists' Association, and on her appointment to Guildford, became the first ever woman to hold such a post in the Church of England.

Katherine was born and educated in Wellington, New Zealand and studied for a BA in Modern Languages and a BMus at Victoria University, Wellington. Katherine was Organ Scholar at Wellington Cathedral from 1988 to 1991 when she was appointed Assistant Organist there.

She is active as a composer, and one of her compositions was performed in the presence of the Queen in Auckland, New Zealand in 1990. Treble Clef Music Press publishes much of her treble voice repertoire in the United States. Other choral compositions, such as her setting of ‘Jesu dulcis memoria', have been performed widely both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Katherine has studied choral training with David Hill, Chorusmaster to the Bach Choir in London and Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, and Patrick Russill at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she took part in the Church Music Studies Course. She holds a Master of Arts in Music and Liturgy from Leeds University.

Other interests include languages (her BA is in French and German), travel, reading and swimming. She is a Knight of the Grand Order of Vitéz and a Knight of the Order of St. Ladislau (Hungary).

Katherine is married to Patrick Williams, Librarian to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Katherine and Patrick have a daughter, Hannah.

We are delighted to announce that our accompanist, Alexlander Chaplin will be Acting Music Director from 1st May to 31st December 2009. 

 Educated as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, he held the organ scholarships at Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln College, Oxford, where he read Music, before studying conducting and organ at the Royal College of Music under Neil Thomson, Edwin Roxburgh and Nicholas Danby; he participated in masterclasses with George Hurst, Paul Goodwin and Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies. He graduated from the RCM with distinction and as a major prize-winner. In February 2008 Alexander was invited to participate in a competitive masterclass in St Petersburg with Alexander Polishchuk, from which he emerged as one of the prizewinning conductors. Alexander has been appointed Music Director of East London Chorus from April 2009.

Alexander is also Musical Director of Wokingham Choral Society and of Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals Music Society, a lecturer at Morley College, London and accompanist for Concordia Voices.  In the summer of 2008 Alexander was Musical Director for Figaro Opera's production of Madame Butterfly at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and he is also in demand as an animateur and workshop leader, recently working with the Can’t Sing choirs at Morley College, and leading a choral workshop in Tynset, Norway.