Cathedral Organist, Dr Alan Thurlow, retires after 28 years…

Dr Alan Thurlow, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral, has announced that he will be retiring next Easter after 28 years.

Alan’s contribution to Cathedral life over the years cannot be overestimated. The Chichester Cathedral Choir is now world-famous, touring in recent years to South Africa, France and Germany. The choir’s inspirational sound is also the mainstay of Cathedral services: during term time the choir sings Evensong in the Cathedral six days a week, as well as Mattins and the Sung Eucharist on Sunday. They also sing at a number of additional services throughout the year, including the Cathedral’s hugely popular Christmas Carol Services.

Alan has also been greatly involved in the musical life of the entire Chichester Diocese, extending across the counties of East and West Sussex, and in 2005 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music on Alan, in recognition of his services to the world of church music.

The Very Rev Nicholas Frayling, Dean of Chichester, says “Alan has made a unique contribution to the Cathedral for more than a quarter of a century: his choir is the envy of many other Cathedrals and has an international reputation. Alan and his wife, Tina, will be greatly missed.”



BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Alan Thurlow was born in Essex and read music at Sheffield University before going to Emmanuel College, Cambridge for a period of research into pre-reformation English Church music. In 1973 he was appointed Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral, serving first under Dr Conrad Eden and later under Richard Lloyd and combining his Cathedral duties with those of Director of Music at the Chorister School and part-time Lecturer in Music at Durham University.

In 1980 he was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral, in succession to John Birch. During his time at Chichester, he has been responsible for the restoration of the Cathedral’s historic organ. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Friends of Pallant House Gallery, an Organ Adviser for the Diocese of Chichester and an area representative for the Royal School of Church Music. He has travelled with the Cathedral Choir and the RSCM to France, Holland, Germany, South Africa and the United States, and has served as Chairman of the Organs Advisory Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches. In 1995 and 1996 he served as President of the Cathedral Organists’ Association.

In 2005, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music on Alan Thurlow, in recognition of his services to the world of church music, especially in Chichester Cathedral.

For more information, please contact Ruth Poyner on 01243 812482.