Jeff Stewart (Musical Director)
Philip Stopford (Musical Director)
Philip Stopford (b.1977) began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey. He later studied music at Keble College, Oxford University where he was Organ Scholar and held the same post at Truro and Canterbury Cathedrals. He was appointed Assistant Organist at Chester Cathedral in 2000 and Director of Music at Belfast Cathedral in 2003. In 2016, Philip was appointed Director of Music at Christ Church, Bronxville, New York and returned full time to the UK in 2021 to pursue his composing, publishing and performing career.
Philip’s music is published by Hal Leonard and MorningStar Music and self-published at philipstopford.com. His music was first recorded by Ecclesium, a choir established and directed by Philip, and more recently by Truro Cathedral Choir (with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales) and the Choir of St Luke’s Chelsea. Anthems and canticles composed by Philip have been sung by the choirs of Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Truro Cathedral and Voces8. Philip has been invited to conduct his mass, Missa Deus Nobiscum in Carnegie Hall in 2027 as part of his 50th Birthday year.
Colin Spinks (Repetiteur - Accompanist)
Colin Spinks was born in Aylesbury and educated at Aylesbury G
rammar School, studying organ with Stephen Armstrong in High Wycombe. He became Organ Scholar of Brasenose College Oxford in 1994, continuing his studies with Stephen Farr and David Goode. In 1998 he was appointed as the first post-Graduate Organ Scholar of Gloucester Cathedral, where he participated fully in the Cathedral’s daily Offices, training choristers and helping to form a new Youth Choir. Since September 2017, Colin has been Director of Music at St Olave’s Hart Street in London and St Katherine Cree, regularly working with both amateur and professional musicians.Prior to this he held a similar position at St Mary le Strand in London and has also been involved in part time roles at St Dunstan in the West and St Albans Holborn. Colin enjoys working as a repetiteur for High Wycombe Choral Society, Aylesbury Choral Society, Barnet Choral Society and the North Herts Guild of Singers, whom he recently accompanied on a tour of Belgium, having held similar positions with Marlow Choral Society, Thame Choral Society and Aylesbury Opera Group. He features as an organist on recent CDs by Aylesbury Choral Society and North Herts Guild. He is also currently Musical Director of Wingrave Singers, a chamber choir with whom he frequently visits many of the UK’s great Cathedrals, and was also Musical Director of Thame Choral Society from 2008-2012.
Colin is frequently in demand as an accompanist for concerts, regularly working with the London-based chamber choirs Ad Libitum and Chantage, and has performed with the Frideswide Ensemble (Oxford), Musica Donum Dei and the London Mozart Players. Colin was the founder conductor of the Langlais Festival in Brittany, France, and still participates in the Festival as a repetiteur and lecturer. He has also performed in the USA, Australia, Germany, Italy and Guernsey.
