Dr. Peter Hurford OBE - President

Born on St. Cecilia's Day 1930, Peter Hurford studied at the Royal College of Music before moving to Jesus’ College Cambridge in 1949 where he was organ scholar until 1953 and from where he graduated in music and law. Peter undertook National Service as an officer in the Royal Signals from 1954 to 1956 after which he became Organist at Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa.

In 1955 he married Patricia Matthews. Their two sons Michael and Richard were both Woollam’s Scholars in the Cathedral Choir; Michael also became Head Chorister. Heather, their daughter, was unable to sing at the Cathedral as there was no Abbey Girls’ choir at the time.

While Master of the Music at St. Alban's Cathedral, from which he retired in 1978 after 21 years' service, he raised the standard of the Choir to be comparable with the best Cathedral and Collegiate choirs in the UK. Peter also initiated the famous “Choir Camp” at Luccombe and in 1958 he brought together many parish church choirs from Herts and Beds for the first Biennial Diocesan Choirs’ Festival.

In 1963, Peter founded the International Organ Festival and was Artistic Director until 1978. He has been President ever since. Peter Hurford's recital career spans 41 years and he is one of the most recorded instrumentalists of the past twenty years. As a freelance organist from 1978 until 1998 he became particularly well known for his interpretation of Bach's complete organ music and in 1988 he published his book ‘Making music on the organ'.

In 1997 his career culminated with 15 concerts of Bach Organ Works at the 50th Edinburgh Festival.

From 1980 to 1982 Peter was President of the Royal College of Organists and Visiting Artist-in-Residence to Sydney Opera House. He is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Music and of the Royal School of Church Music.

In 1984 Peter Hurford was honoured with the O.B.E. and in November 2007 he was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Herts., his third.

Andrew Lucas - Vice President

Andrew Lucas has been the Master of the Music at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban since 1998.

His career began St Paul's Cathedral in 1980 as organ student and he became subsequently Assistant Sub-Organist (1985) and Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music (1990–1998).

Born in Wellington, Shropshire in 1958, Andrew studied organ at the Royal College of Music with John Birch, and composition with Herbert Howells. He graduated with a BMus from the University of London and continued his organ studies after college with Peter Hurford. The award of the W T Best Scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians then enabled him to study with Piet Kee at the Sweelinck Conservatoire, Amsterdam.

As an organ soloist he plays concerts throughout the UK and has given recitals in Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Bermuda and the USA.

In 1997 he spent three months on sabbatical as Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia.

As conductor, Andrew has been Chorus Master of the London Concert Choir, Assistant Conductor of the City of London Choir and deputy chorus master with the Royal Choral Society, the Brighton Festival Chorus, the Academy of St Martin's-in-the-Fields Chorus and the Philharmonia Chorus.

In 2007 he directed the annual Choir Directors’ Course at St Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York.

Since Andrew took up his position as Master of the Music the Cathedral Choir has toured Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Rome and the Eastern seaboard of the USA, made several broadcasts (including Choral Evensong on Radio 3 and morning service on ITV) and sung at the late Queen Mother's 100th birthday celebrations.

Andrew was made an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians in 2006.

Malcolm (Big Mac!) Bury - Chairman

Now retired after 37 years with Royal Dutch Shell plc, having spent many years as an ex-pat., Malcolm and his wife, Luanda, now live in Aston Clinton, Aylesbury. Malcolm was an Alto lay clerk from 1971 to 1982 and left to move to New Zealand and thereafter to Indonesia, Thailand, Scotland and Oman. He now sings with The Wingrave Singers, a group he previously directed and, when he can, with St. Andrew's Cathedral Choir in Aberdeen.

Robert Staten - Honorary Secretary

Bob was a chorister from 1968 to 1972 when his voice (very inconsiderately and somewhat prematurely) broke, leaving him to limit his involvement to an annual stint as an ex-chorister at Choir Camp until he went off to University in 1978. He has filled the remaining years teaching in various schools in Wiltshire and fathering 4 children, all of whom show signs of successfully realising the musical potential so cruelly torn from Bob at the tender age of 12 with the onset of puberty. He currently lives in Wootton Bassett and teaches in Corsham near Bath.

David Martin Smith - Honorary Treasurer

David began singing as a treble at Holy Trinity Lyonsdown in New Barnet moving to Barnet Parish Church, aged 11 and carried straight on into the back rows to sing Tenor. He joined the Cathedral Choir at St. Albans as a Tenor lay clerk in 1986 under Colin Walsh and has sung their ever since. However, due to increasing work and family commitments David is able to enjoy a job share arrangement. David works in the City as an Insurance specialist.

Simon Colston - IT / Communications Manager

Having been a singer since the age of 5, Simon Colston now sings Tenor in the Abbey choir on a job-sharing basis. For his daytime job he is responsible for the IT and financial management for a number of companies and groups, providing IT strategies, systems and financial and administrative management.

John Adams - Representative for 1960/1970's

Already a member St. Mary’s Church Choir, Ware, John was greatly encouraged as an Alto when Dr. Alwyn Surplice of Winchester Cathedral came to hear the church choir just before the 1958 RSCM Festival being held at the St. Albans Abbey.

John joined the Abbey Choir in June 1960, after being persuaded to audition by Cantoris lay clerk John Tournay whom he went on to succeed as a lay clerk for 13 years and remained in the choir until July 1980. John’s son, Mark became a Cathedral Chorister in 1973. John was Adam House Master and had fun with cricket matches, treasure hunts and carol singing at the hospital at Christmas. John was also a keen camper and remembers well the advance parties for the early annual camps at Luccombe. John was a member of the Alban Singers and also Competition Secretary for the 2001, 2003 and 2005 International Organ Festivals.

John enjoyed the first reunion; not only meeting old friends, but also realising that he could still sing. In his spare time John enjoys radio control model planes, oil painting and his 60’ canal boat.

Libby Godlee - Representative for the Abbey Girls' Choir

Libby Godlee was the youngest founder chorister of St. Albans Abbey Girls' Choir at the time of its formation under Andrew Parnell. Her main claim to fame during her time at the Abbey was a four note solo on the first CD at the age of 9, and being photographed meeting the Queen during the Royal Visit.

She studied at St. Albans High School for Girls up to the age of 16, and then took up a music scholarship to Haileybury for sixth form. At Haileybury she was Head Chorister and led the School Symphony Orchestra. She is currently on a Gap Year and has recently been working as a Gap Assistant at Heath Mount School. In February 2008 she travels to Uganda to work for 6 months in the village of Jinja on behalf of the Haileybury Youth Trust. In October 2008 she will take up a place at University College, Durham, reading Anthropology. Libby continues to sing with Rodolfus Choir and the Brocket Consort as an alto.

Rosie Cooke - Representative for the Abbey Girls' Choir

Rosie Cooke was a founder-member of the Abbey Girls' Choir and subsequently a Lewis-Barclay Chorister. Her proudest moment as a chorister was singing the soprano solo in Wesley Blessed be the God and Father on Easter Sunday.

After leaving the choir in 1999 she was a member of the Abbey Singers until 2004 when she left to study architecture at Sheffield University. While there she joined several choirs, including two church choirs, as well as developing her solo voice. This experience led to her spending the past academic year singing at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin; the only cathedral with a mixed voice, professional ensemble as its main choir. She has recently returned to the UK to be closer to her family and is busy planning her next career move; not to mention trying to find a new choir to sing with!