Darius Battiwalla
Darius took up the post of Leeds City Organist in 2017, programming the very successful Town Hall recital series and giving regular solo concerts. He is currently overseeing the renewal of the Leeds Town Hall organ. Recent performances include the recitals at the Cathedrals of Coventry, Lincoln, Ripon, and St Albans, with appearances with Collegium Vocale Gent in Ghent and Amsterdam. He recently premiered a new work by Ian Farrington for organ with the Black Dyke Band, and was part of the premiere of a new work for four organs by James Wood commemorating the Great Storm of 1674, performed simultaneously by organists across Europe. He regularly plays with the Halle and BBC Philharmonic orchestras.
Darius is music director of the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, and has been guest chorus master with other choirs including the CBSO chorus and the Netherlands Radio Choir. He has had arrangements commissioned by the Halle, CBSO, Bournemouth SO and Black Dyke Band.
Drew Cantrill-Fenwick
Drew is one of the UK’s most experienced and versatile church musicians. His career has taken him to three continents, working in schools, churches and cathedrals, and he has appeared in some of the world’s most prestigious venues as conductor and organist. He is a prize-winning Fellow of the RCO and an examiner for the College and ABRSM. In addition to directing the RCO Summer Course, he is a major contributor to iRCO, the College’s online learning platform.
He is currently Director of Music at St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle, where he is responsible for the historic 4-manual Lewis-Binns organ.
Hannah Gill
Hannah Gill is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists, Co-Chair of the Society of Women Organists with Anne Marsden Thomas MBE, and examines grades and teaching diplomas for the ABRSM.
Previously Organ Scholar at the Southbank Centre, she is now Organist at St Nicholas’ Church in Harpenden. Hannah has taught since 2004 and currently teaches piano and organ at Haberdashers’ Girls’ School.
Robin Harrison
Dr Robin Harrison FRSA studied with Noel Rawsthorne, Margaret Phillips, Roger Fisher and Graham Eccles. His teaching pedagogy, connecting aural training with playing and improvisation up to postgraduate levels (aimed at the most advanced players), is published within The Routledge Companion to Aural Skills Pedagogy and this informed the development of courses and masterclasses for The Maestro Online platform.
He spends much time teaching the paperwork side of the RCO diplomas and thoroughly enjoys it!
Pam Hulme
Pam Hulme spilts her time between Berlin and the UK, working as Kantorin of Schöneberg-Mitte and as Executive Director of London-based Living Song CIC. She studied extensively in the UK and Germany, completing degrees in Music, Musicology, Composition, a PGCE and, most recently, studies in Church Music at the Evangelische Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Halle (Saale). Alongside her work as an organist, pedagogue, and choral conductor, Pam is in demand as a composer, arranger, and music innovator, including recent projects with Musikhochschule Lübeck, Lambeth Music Service, Tresor Berlin, Kirchenmusikverband Mecklenburg & Pommern, and Southbank Centre.
A combination of passions for composing, improvising, performing, and electronic dance music led to a fascination for combining organ with live electronics. During postgraduate research at the University of Huddersfield, Pam focussed on composing new works, and developing new music notation, for Organ and Live-Looping which can be heard on her album: Ver_wandlung.
Pam is a member of the Academic Board of the Royal College of Organists.
Kate Matthews
Kate pursued her organ studies under Ronald Frost at the Royal Northern College of Music, later specialising in piano accompaniment with Simon Young at Trinity College of Music, London. After graduating, she moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where she was a volunteer musician at Starehe Boys’ School before becoming Director of Music at an international school. While in Nairobi, she gained recognition as a highly sought-after pianist, collaborating with soloists, theatre productions, and musical ensembles across the city.
Upon returning the UK, Kate continued her organ studies with Anne Marsden-Thomas. She currently serves as Director of Prep School Music and College Organist at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex, where she also maintains an active freelance career as both an organist and accompanist.
Jean-Baptiste Monnot
(Full Course only)
Jean-Baptiste Monnot is currently the titular organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ at St. Ouen Church in Rouen.
As a soloist, he performs regularly with ensembles or orchestras all over the world. He also performed during festivals such as : La maison de la radio in Paris, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Naumbourg, Piacenza, Ostrava, Vienna, Sydney, London, Kiev, Kazan and in the US in New-York, Cleveland, New Orleans, and Boston.
He is also the creator and the main performer of l’Orgue du Voyage, a modular and transportable pipe organ.
Anne Marsden Thomas
Anne Marsden Thomas is an organist, organ teacher and author of 20 books.
Anne founded St. Giles International Organ School in 1992 and directed it until the Royal College of Organists (RCO) adopted it in 2012. The RCO employed her as Head and Senior Teacher of the organ school until 2016; during this time she increased the number of RCO accredited teachers from nine to twenty-three, and, when she left, some 250 students were taking individual tuition with RCO accredited teachers. From 1996 to 2016 she directed this annual residential summer course, first for the Royal School of Church Music and from 2008 for the Royal College of Organists.
Anne has been Director of Music at St. Giles Cripplegate Church, City of London, since 1982.
Gerdi Troskie
Gerdi Troskie completed her BMus and MMus degrees at the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and continued with post-graduate organ studies at the Amsterdam Conservatorium under Jacques van Oortmerssen. She was awarded the Conservatorium’s Soloist’s Diploma (organ) in 1996.
In 1996, Gerdi moved to the UK. She taught organ and musicianship at the Royal College of Music Junior Department from 1998 to 2005 and started teaching for the St Giles International Organ School in 2000. She currently works as an Accredited Teacher for the Royal College of Organists and as piano and organ teacher at Bromsgrove School and the King’s School, Worcester.
Peter Wright
Biography to follow