This season represents the 25th year that Emmanuel Church has presented organ concerts. Clive Harries, the first person who performed 25 years ago, will return on Oct. 13 to give Chestertown another concert.
Harries’s organ studies were principally at Eton College with Philip Moore, who became Organist at York Minster, and at King’s College, Cambridge, where he studied with Sir David Willcocks for his Fellowship Diploma of the Royal College of Organists. He won an Open Choral Scholarship, sang in the world-famous choir for 4 years, studied for his MA degree, and received diplomas and teaching qualifications.
Post-Cambridge he worked in the professional singing, conducting and organ playing world, became Organist and Master of the Choristers at Christchurch Priory, a teacher at renowned independent schools, a music examiner and conductor. Presently, he sings in Ripon Cathedral and York Minster, and periodically assists locally with organ playing in Ripon and Middlesbrough Cathedrals. He also ventures further afield, such as Brunei, Bangalore and Hong Kong, where he was Artist in Residence, particularly associated with playing, conducting and teaching for St. John’s Cathedral and St. Paul’s College.
Over the years, while conducting choirs and orchestras such as the York Early Music Choir and English Renaissance Orchestra, his teaching encouraged many pupils to study in Cambridge and other British universities as Choral and Organ Scholars. Two of his four sons sang as Choristers at King’s, and another was at Durham Cathedral, the home of Harrison Organs, where the Emmanuel Organ was built.
He is looking forward to returning to Emmanuel for the 25th Anniversary series. His program will be a musical tour around Europe, including Franck’s Chorale No.3 in A minor, arrangements of music by Elgar, and works by Sweelinck, Bach, Buxtehude, Stanford and Herbert Howells.
The concert is at 7:30 p.m. at 101 N. Cross St., Chestertown.
Tickets are $20 at the door. Call Emmanuel Church 410-778-3477 for further information.
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