Neil Taylor, Master of the Music

A native of Bradford and former chorister of Bradford Cathedral, NEIL TAYLOR won a Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where he studied with John Birch and Nicholas Danby. Whilst a student, he was organ scholar at St Albans Cathedral, and on graduating was appointed Assistant Organist at Norwich Cathedral. As well as premiering many new works in his time at Norwich, he made numerous broadcasts and recordings with the Cathedral Choir, which received high critical acclaim, and toured with them on the continent and in the USA. As well as directing the Cathedral Consort, he formed the Cathedral Girls’ Choir which completed its first CD recording and made a highly successful tour of Germany shortly after its inception. in 1997.

He has been Organist and Master of the Music at Sheffield Cathedral since 1997, where he is responsible for the Cathedral Choirs of boys, girls and men. Since his appointment, the Cathedral Choir has toured both at home and abroad (including Germany, Holland, France and the USA). CD Recordings include Music for a Millennium, a Classic FM Magazine CD of the Year Award Winner, and eight CD recordings with the Cathedral Choir.

Neil has directed and assisted choral courses as far afield as Aldeburgh, Mexico City, and the Eton Choral Courses. As an organist, he has played at most of the major venues in the UK.

In addition to his Cathedral duties, Neil is also Musical Director of the St George’s Singers, Manchester, and appears frequently on BBC Radio 4’s Daily Service.

In his spare time he enjoys reading, swimming and walking. A keen cook, he is also an enthusiast of real ales and good wines.

Anthony Gowing, Assistant Master of the Music

ANTHONY GOWING is currently Assistant Master of the Music at Sheffield Cathedral, which involves him working with the Cathedral’s Choirs as Accompanist and Director. With the Choir, he has performed live on BBC Radio 3, given the world premiere of a work by Tarik O’Regan, recorded a CD of the music of Patrick Gowers and performed at St. Eustache and Notre Dame de Paris and Abbaye-aux-hommes in Caen.

After a spell at The Royal Academy of Music in London, Anthony has worked as an organist, pianist and singer. His organ teachers were Colin Walsh, John Keys and Nicholas Danby. He was a semi-finalist in the 2007 St. Albans International Organ Competition, and has recently studied with Thierry Escaich in Paris.

In addition to his Cathedral duties, Anthony is an active pianist and accompanist; recent performances include Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps and Britten’s Canticles. He is also an avid jazz pianist and a keen composer and arranger. Future projects include a performance of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen and Maurice Duruflé, and a series of recitals based around the art of improvisation. Apart from his regular recitals at Sheffield, recent recital venues have included Ripon, St. David’s, Norwich and Lincoln Cathedrals, St. George’s, Doncaster and St. Mary’s, Nottingham, and later this year he is giving a recital at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral as part of the city’s Messiaen centenary celebrations.

In his spare time Anthony enjoys listening to all kinds of music, and following sport.