New director for Royal School of Church Music

|PIC1|The next Director of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is to be Lindsay Gray. Mr Gray, 54, currently Headmaster of The Cathedral School, Llandaff, Wales, will take over leadership of the RSCM from Professor John Harper during spring 2008.

Lindsay Gray has wide experience in education, in church music, and in inspiring young people. He has sung in some of the great choirs of Britain, and directed choirs in parish, school and cathedral settings. Brought up in Nottinghamshire, he gained the ARCO (Associate of the Royal College of Organists) organ-playing diploma before he left school, subsequently winning a choral scholarship to King's College Chapel, Cambridge, under the direction of Sir David Willcocks and Sir Philip Ledger.

Mark Williams, Chairman of the RSCM Council, said, "The Council is enormously pleased to be able to appoint a person of such wide experience and high achievement.

"Lindsay Gray impressed the selection panel with the combination of skills he can bring to the role. We have every confidence that he will be able to build on the important work by John Harper over the last decade."

Gray continued his studies at Durham University, where he sang in the cathedral choir and directed a parish church choir. He was Director of Music at Queen's College, Taunton, where he also directed the Somerset Youth Choir, and at Cheltenham College, before moving into educational leadership and management.

"I have a very strong desire to devote my life to securing and nurturing the future of church music and inspiring those involved to achieve excellence," said Lindsay Gray. "I care deeply about the continuing choral tradition and I firmly believe in encouraging different types of music in a variety of different worship settings.

"At the same time I am conscious that the number of young people involved in church music has steadily declined over a number of years and I relish the opportunity to work within the RSCM to assist in reversing that trend."

As Headmaster at Llandaff since 1994, Lindsay has more than doubled student numbers and overseen a substantial building programme. Alongside his busy role as a headmaster, he has continued to be active as a choral conductor and singer.

He founded and directed the girl choristers at Llandaff Cathedral, and was until recently in charge of the music at Peterston-super-Ely Parish Church, where he developed a successful all-age mixed choir.

David Hill, the musical advisor for the appointment, said, "Lindsay Gray is someone I warmed to immediately, and his close involvement with music and education make him an ideal new Director of the RSCM."

The conductor and composer Bob Chilcott, who was a choral scholar at King's at the same time as Lindsay Gray, said, "Lindsay is not only a fine multi-faceted musician but also a man with the vision and energy to move the RSCM ever forward. This is a very exciting appointment."

Professor John Harper, the present Director of the RSCM, expressed his delight at the appointment. "The demands and scope of the post of the Director of the RSCM as both leader and chief executive are very broad. Lindsay Gray brings enormous talent and experience to the task.

"He is engaging, accessible, and a good communicator. I am certain he will inspire confidence and gain the wholehearted support of the RSCM membership and our volunteers throughout the world."