Assistant Director of Music | Organ scholarship

Diocese of Hereford Organists’ Training Scheme (DHOTS)

 

Organist and Director of Music

Geraint Bowen became organist and director of music at the cathedral in 2001. Previously he had held posts as organist and master of the choristers at St Davids Cathedral and artistic director of the St Davids Cathedral Festival (1995–2001), assistant organist at Hereford Cathedral (1989–94) and assistant organist at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (1986–89).

He is also conductor of the Hereford Choral Society and artistic director of the Hereford Three Choirs Festival.

He received his early musical education as a chorister at Hampstead Parish Church under Martindale Sidwell and is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was organ scholar from 1982 to 1985, and Trinity College, Dublin. His organ teachers included Christopher Herrick, John Scott and Sir Stephen Cleobury.

His work with the cathedral choir has included CD recordings of works by William Byrd and Herbert Howells, radio and television broadcasts, a tour of South Africa and six tours of the USA, and the introduction of an annual Holy Week performance of one of Bach’s Passions. The choir has also given many performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and recently started a third cycle of liturgical performances of Haydn’s last six masses.

At the Three Choirs Festival, he has been responsible for commissioning works by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Kerensa Briggs, Bob Chilcott, Sir James MacMillan, John McCabe, Anthony Powers and Dobrinka Tabakova, and he has worked with many of the country’s leading orchestras, including the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Florilegium, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has visited the USA several times to direct choral workshops and courses including those of RSCM America.

To contact Geraint, please click here.