Who's Who


The Director of Music - David Coram

David was previously assistant organist at Romsey Abbey for three years and enjoys a busy career as a soloist and accompanist. His first solo CD, The Organ of Romsey Abbey, received widespread critical acclaim and is available from the Recordings page. He continues his organ studies with David Briggs and Gillian Weir. Unusual concerts in the past year have included improvising two 20-minute pieces while Mark Rowan-Hull painted live, and re-enacting the 1858 opening recital on the organ of Romsey Abbey, at which he also performed his new transcription for organ of Peter and the Wolf. He has also given performances of Mozart piano concertos and other works with pianists Nathaniel Brawn and David Owen Norris.



Vocal Coach and Director of the Girls Choir - Alice Coram

Alice is a professional soprano who studied with Ashley Stafford and enjoyed postgraduate training at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Kodaly Institute in Hungary. Demand for her voice training skills and rapport with young musicians has led her to work in three schools, Hampshire County Youth Choir and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. She and David founded the Romsey Children's Choir at Easter 2007. Recent concert appearances as a singer include Mozart and Haydn at Romsey, Handel and Malcolm Williamson in Banbury, and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music in Romsey Abbey alongside Ian Caddy, and accompanied by two Davids - Coram on organ, and Owen Norris on piano.




Alice and David can be contacted by telephoning 01794 522510 or 07875 578876.


Assistant Organist - Sam Hanson

Sam was organ scholar at St Peter's in the 1990s, and learned his skill at the organ from Sean Tucker (Wimborne Minster) and extensively with David Briggs (formerly Gloucester Cathedral and now based in the USA). After a year as Organ Scholar at Salisbury Cathedral, Sam read music at Jesus College, Cambridge and followed Peter Hurford's footsteps as Organ Scholar there. (Coincidentally Alice was a Choral Scholar at Jesus College, and David assisted with the early stages of the restoration of the organ there!). His skill as an improviser is complemented by wide ranging musical interests, including being keyboard player and founding member of acclaimed alternative rock band Oposium, winners of Roland UK's national Unsigned Artists award and featured on BBC TV (see here). Sam is one of only a handful of people ever to have taken to sea for an improvisation session on an ocean-going piano.




Instruments

We are fortunate to be accompanied by some of the county's finest musical instruments - a fine modern Kawai grand piano, a Steinway model D grand piano, and the church's large 3-manual Harrison and Harrison organ. Built in 1914 based on the previous Father Willis instrument, it was rebuilt with alterations in 1976 by the Liverpool firm Rushworth and Dreaper, at which time a detached mobile console was fitted and some tonal alterations made. A full history of the organ is available in a booklet which can be purchased in the visitor's centre or by emailing a request through the contact page. The current specification is found here.