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Peter Phillips has made an impressive if unusual reputation for himself in dedicating his life's work to the research and performance of Renaissance sacred music.
Having won a scholarship to Oxford in 1972, Peter Phillips studied Renaissance music with David Wulstan and Denis Arnold, and gained experience in conducting small vocal ensembles, already experimenting with the rarer parts of the repertoire.
Besides his work with The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips has for many years contributed a regular column (as well as a cricket column) to The Spectator. In 1995 he became the Advisory Editor of The Musical Times, the oldest continuously published music journal in Europe. His first book English Sacred Music 1549 - 1649, a unique and encyclopaedic account of the history of English-texted sacred music written during the golden period between the Reformation and the Commonwealth, has been published by Gimell. His interest in the Renaissance extends beyond the music to fine art and he is currently working on an account of the cultural background of the period.
He continues to work with groups around the world. In 1997 he visited Japan as the adjudicator of a choral festival in Tokyo and has also worked in Italy and the USA with groups specialising in the polyphonic repertoire.
Peter Phillips has made numerous television and radio broadcasts. Besides those featuring The Tallis Scholars (which include live broadcasts from the 1988 Proms. the Aldeburgh Festival, the Bath Festival and the Cheltenham Festival), he has appeared several times on Radio 3's Music Weekly and on the BBC World Service, on Kaleidoscope (Radio 4), on Today (Radio 4) and on European, Canadian and North American radio. In December 1990 Peter Phillips, The Tallis Scholars and Gimell Records were the subject of a major South Bank Show television documentary in which the viewer is taken on a personal odyssey through the sacred Renaissance repertoire.
Benjamin Nicholas was appointed Director of The Choir of The Abbey School, Tewkesbury in September 2000. In this capacity, he directs the choir in the daily Evensongs in Tewkesbury Abbey.
Born in 1976, he was a chorister in The Choir of Norwich Cathedral and educated at Norwich School. In 1994 he became organ scholar of Chichester Cathedral and in the following year took up the organ scholarship at Lincoln College, Oxford. With the Lincoln College Chapel Choir he directed the choir in numerous concerts (mainly in Italy) and on two discs for Guild Music. In 1997, Benjamin Nicholas was conductor of The Oxford Chamber Choir. In 1998 he moved to the organ scholarship at St Paul's Cathedral where he spent two years working under John Scott, teaching in the Cathedral School and at the London Oratory School and conducting the Yateley Choral Society. During this time he was also Director of Music of St Luke's Church, Chelsea.
In 1998 Benjamin Nicholas conducted the first performance of John Caldwell's opera Good Friday and in 1999 directed further performances and the recording. The disc, released in 2000, was included on Radio 3 Critic's Choice and was Classic FM's opera recording of the month in August 2000. In 2001 he directed the first performances in Oxford and Tewkesbury of Caldwell's The Word.
Benjamin Nicholas has given recitals in many venues including St Paul's, Norwich and Westminster Cathedrals, York Minster and Westminster and St Alban's Abbeys. He studies with David Sanger.
In addition to his work in Tewkesbury, Benjamin Nicholas is Conductor of Stroud Choral Society, Musical Director of Monmouth Choral Society and Head of Choral Music at Dean Close School, Cheltenham.
Chris is in his second year as organ scholar and is reading Music with Dr Suzannah Clark.
Born near Canterbury in Kent, Chris started his music education as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, attending the choir school of St. Edmund's, Canterbury. Continuing as a Music Scholar into the senior school, Chris's completion of his Piano Grade 8 inspired him to begin studying the organ with Choirmaster and Cathedral Organist, David Flood, .
Chris likes to consider himself as an 'all-rounder' with a huge appetite to be involved in all things performing arts related. An actor (National Youth Theatre of GB), director (film and theatre), technical producer (CD recordings), artist (advertising and media) and dancer (OUDT), he seems to find something satisfying about changing his role every now and again!
Natasha is in her first year at Merton studying Music.
The Revd Dr Simon Jones has been Chaplain of Merton since 2002. As well as being responsible for the day to day life of the Chapel, Simon also co-ordinates the various College welfare bodies and convenes the College hardship and patronage committees.
Before coming to Merton, Simon served his curacy at Tewkesbury Abbey in the Diocese of Gloucester. He trained for ordination at Westcott House in Cambridge, and, as a member of Selwyn College, completed a PhD in Syrian baptismal theology. His current research interests include Eucharistic Presidency, and the influence of Dom Gregory Dix (Merton 1920-23) on liturgical scholarship and revision. He is a Consultant to the Church of England Liturgical Commission and also liturgy tutor at St Stephen's House, Oxford.
Simon also likes to hide the fact that he was once an organ scholar himself (in Durham). With his fine musical experience, this perhaps makes him the choir's biggest supporter and the best organ scholar advisor!
