Biography

I’m a musician and academic, and this page gives a brief outline of my present and past activities. 

I hold the post of Lecturer in Academic Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London where I teach a variety of modules in historical musicology, analysis and aural skills. I sit on the editorial board of Musica Britannica and I’m also an associate member of the Centre for Death and Life Studies at Durham University. I was previously Frank Bridge Research Fellow at the Royal College of Music, OCVE Research Associate at Cambridge University and Teaching Fellow at Birmingham University. 

Having completed my PhD on the music of Herbert Howells, I have continued to focus predominantly on English music (including Elgar, Parry, Britten, Dyson, Rubbra, Arnold and Bridge). I’m currently editing a book of essays on Frank Bridge and writing a biography of Herbert Howells. I’ve recently edited a volume of unpublished piano music by Howells for the pianist Matthew Schellhorn (on Naxos). Details of my recent project completing the Cello Concerto of Herbert Howells can be found here.

I received my early musical education at Bradford Grammar School and Blackburn Cathedral, reading music at Oxford University, where I was Organ Scholar of Keble College and studied with Colm Carey, Nicolas Kynaston, David Sanger and Nigel Allcoat. Upon graduating I took up the position of Assistant Organist at Perth Cathedral, Western Australia, where I also performed in the Perth International Festival and taught students at the University of Western Australia. I returned to England to take up the position of College Organist and Music Teacher at Bradfield College. I continued my performance studies with Dame Gillian Weir at Durham University, graduating with distinction in 2009. Between 2009-2015 I completed my PhD (part-time) in Historical Musicology and Analysis  under the supervision of Professor Jeremy Dibble, whilst also working for the university on the development of its extra-curricular music programme and as organist of Durham School.

I sit on various committees including the British Music Society and Musica Britannica. I’m also a trustee for a number of musical charities including Multitude of Voyces, the Lord Berners Trust and the Sir George Dyson Trust..