Sarah Baldock
Encyclopedia
Sarah Baldock is an English
organist
and choral conductor, at present the Organist and Master of the Choristers
of Chichester Cathedral
. She is notable as one of two women to be the first appointed to the senior music post at a Church of England
cathedral. She is married to counter-tenor David Hurley. Baldock has become known as a popular soloist in the UK and abroad.
in London and then as organ scholar
of Pembroke College, Cambridge
, winning prizes in the RCO diploma examinations and a bursary for postgraduate study with David Sanger
and Thomas Trotter
. She was a finalist in the 1998 Calgary International, and prizewinner at the 2000 Odense and 2002 Dallas International Organ Competitions.
Baldock has been a faculty member of the Calgary, Edinburgh and Oundle Organ Courses, and involved in education projects at the Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. Sarah has directed choral workshops in the UK, US, Norway and Sweden. Performances have included concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
and the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and solo concerts in the Channel Islands
, Europe, US and Canada.
in Kent and in 1998 she released a solo CD on the Marcussen organ in Tonbridge School Chapel for Herald.
where she founded the Girls’ Choir and in 2002 became Assistant Director of Music, accompanying the Choir in daily services, tours, broadcasts and recordings. During her time in Winchester she was accompanist to the Waynflete Singers and Organ Performance Tutor at the University of Southampton
.
on the retirement of Alan Thurlow
. She took up the post after Easter 2008, becoming, with Katherine Dienes-Williams
of Guildford Cathedral
, the earliest appointments of a woman to the senior music post at a Church of England cathedral.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and choral conductor, at present the Organist and Master of the Choristers
Organist and Master of the Choristers
An Organist and Master of the Choristers is a title given to a Director of Music at a Cathedral, particularly an Anglican Cathedral in England. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. He is both the organist and the choirmaster....
of Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
. She is notable as one of two women to be the first appointed to the senior music post at a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
cathedral. She is married to counter-tenor David Hurley. Baldock has become known as a popular soloist in the UK and abroad.
Education and early career
Baldock was educated as a music scholar at St Paul's Girls' SchoolSt Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School is a senior independent school, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.-History:In 1904 a new day school for girls was established by the trustees of the Dean Colet Foundation , which had run St Paul's School for boys since the sixteenth century...
in London and then as organ scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, winning prizes in the RCO diploma examinations and a bursary for postgraduate study with David Sanger
David Sanger (organist)
David John Sanger was a concert organist, professor and president of the Royal College of Organists.- Biography :Sanger was educated at Eltham College and the Royal Academy of Music...
and Thomas Trotter
Thomas Trotter
Thomas Trotter is a British concert organist. He is Birmingham City Organist and organist of St. Margaret's, Westminster and visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, London....
. She was a finalist in the 1998 Calgary International, and prizewinner at the 2000 Odense and 2002 Dallas International Organ Competitions.
Baldock has been a faculty member of the Calgary, Edinburgh and Oundle Organ Courses, and involved in education projects at the Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. Sarah has directed choral workshops in the UK, US, Norway and Sweden. Performances have included concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
and the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and solo concerts in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
, Europe, US and Canada.
Tonbridge School
Baldock was Organist in Residence at Tonbridge SchoolTonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent school for both boarding and day pupils in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd . It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies...
in Kent and in 1998 she released a solo CD on the Marcussen organ in Tonbridge School Chapel for Herald.
Winchester
In 1998 Sarah moved to Winchester CathedralWinchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
where she founded the Girls’ Choir and in 2002 became Assistant Director of Music, accompanying the Choir in daily services, tours, broadcasts and recordings. During her time in Winchester she was accompanist to the Waynflete Singers and Organ Performance Tutor at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
.
Chichester
In December 2007, Baldock she was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester CathedralChichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
on the retirement of Alan Thurlow
Alan Thurlow
Alan Thurlow is an organist born in Essex, England.Thurlow was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford Green. He read Music at Sheffield University before going on to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, for a period of research into pre-Reformation English Church Music.-Durham Cathedral:In 1973 he was...
. She took up the post after Easter 2008, becoming, with Katherine Dienes-Williams
Katherine Dienes
Katherine Dienes is a New-Zealand-born organist, conductor and composer. She is currently Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedraland is the first woman to hold the most senior musical post in a Church of England cathedral...
of Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
, the earliest appointments of a woman to the senior music post at a Church of England cathedral.
Discography
- 1605 Treason and Dischord: William Byrd and the Gunpowder Plot, with the King's SingersKing's SingersThe King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
and Concordia, for Signum, SIGCD061 - Immortal Fire: Music for Female Saints, with Andrew LumsdenAndrew Lumsden (choral director)Andrew Lumsden, , has been Organist and Director of Music of Winchester Cathedral Choir since 2002. Son of Sir David Lumsden, he trained at Winchester College, RSAMD and St John's College, Cambridge before taking up the position of Assistant Organist at Southwark Cathedral in 1985...
and the Winchester Cathedral Choir - Advent in Winchester, with Andrew Lumsden and the Winchester Cathedral Choir
- Carols from Chichester Cathedral, with Mark WardellMark WardellMark Wardell was Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral from 1997 to 2009, serving for five of those years as Director of Music at the Prebendal School, the Cathedral Choir's School. He had previously held positions at Royal Holloway College, University of London, St...
(organ) and the Choir of Chichester CathedralChoir of Chichester CathedralThe musical foundation of Chichester Cathedral consists of the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Assistant Organist, and the Organ Scholar; together with six singing men , eighteen Choristers, six Probationers - and including a Head Chorister and a Senior Chorister who both wear a notable...
for Herald AV PublicationsHerald AV PublicationsHerald AV Publications is a British record label.Founded in 1984, Herald AV Publications was set up as a specialist Catholic recording company. It serves both to promote established professional artists and to provide an outlet for new artists... - Holst In Chichester, with Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines PortsmouthRoyal Marines Band ServiceThe Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy. It currently consists of five Bands and its headquarters is the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth dockyard.-History:...
(directed by Lt Col Nick Grace RM), Mark WardellMark WardellMark Wardell was Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral from 1997 to 2009, serving for five of those years as Director of Music at the Prebendal School, the Cathedral Choir's School. He had previously held positions at Royal Holloway College, University of London, St...
(organ) and the Choir of Chichester CathedralChoir of Chichester CathedralThe musical foundation of Chichester Cathedral consists of the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Assistant Organist, and the Organ Scholar; together with six singing men , eighteen Choristers, six Probationers - and including a Head Chorister and a Senior Chorister who both wear a notable...
for Herald AV PublicationsHerald AV PublicationsHerald AV Publications is a British record label.Founded in 1984, Herald AV Publications was set up as a specialist Catholic recording company. It serves both to promote established professional artists and to provide an outlet for new artists... - The Organ of Chichester Cathedral: Sarah Baldock