Rupert Jeffcoat hails from Scotland, where he was a chorister at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. He was Organ Scholar at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where he studied with Peter Hurford, Alexander Goehr, and Peter le Huray. After University, Rupert worked with the Edinburgh International Festival for several seasons, before teaching at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire. In 1995 he moved to Birmingham to become Assistant Organist at the Cathedral, and he also served on the staff of the Conservatoire.

In 1997 he became Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral, where he oversaw the work of four choirs, and directed the concert series and many services. Under his leadership he took choirs to South Africa, Japan, Russia, Germany and other European countries. The repertoire was drawn from 10 centuries of music and the choirs sang in up to 20 languages as diverse as Vietnamese, Arabic and Hungarian.

Rupert is also a prolific composer, with his music performed by many Cathedral Choirs. His Third Service has featured several times on the BBC. In 2003 Rupert won a Royal Television Society Award (for Best Entertainment). Rupert’s playing has been described by Gramophone as ‘truly virtuosic’ and ‘utterly compelling’: the Organ magazine hailed his latest disc (on the Coventry Cathedral Organ) as ‘really top-notch.’

Rupert holds two Firsts in music from Cambridge, and is also a Prizewinner at the prestigious FRCO diploma. He also holds a Diploma in Theology, and is a Deacon in the Anglican Church. He moved to Brisbane in the middle of 2005 and is full of eager anticipation about the possibilities and potential of this magnificent building and community.

Rupert has written nearly 200 works for choirs, and enquiries about his music can be addressed to him at the cathedral. His Third Service has been sung by many of the world's top choirs, including St Paul's Cathedral London and St Thomas's Fifth Avenue, New York.

His commissions have bene sung by Canterbury Cathedral and broadcasr on UK Radio. Here is my Servant (2000) was composed for the visit of Her Majesty the Queen, Prime Minister Blair and the Archbishop of Canterbury to Coventry Cathedral in 2000 and is available on the Regent Record label. www.regentrecords.com

The Reverend Rupert Jeffcoat was installed and welcomed by The Dean and cathedral congregation at the beginning of August 2005.

The Rev'd Rupert Jeffcoat

CDs available in
The Cathedral Shop
The English Cathedral
Series Vol XI
Rupert Jeffcoat
plays organ music from
Coventry
Price $30

La Nativité
Organ music for Christmas
Rupert Jeffcoat playing the organ at Coventry Cathedral
Price $30

MR CHRISTOPHER COOK
Assistant Director of Music

A graduate in piano and organ from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Christopher has worked as Director of Music at All Saint's, Wickham Terrace, Brisbane; St Peter's Eastern Hill, Melbourne and is currently Assistant Director of Music at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.

He is an imaginative recitalist and accompanist, with repertoire ranging from pre-Baroque to contemporary Australian Music, seeking to attract as broad an audience as possible. He is a Director of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia, to assist in preserving what is left of our fragile organ heritage.

Christopher has examined and taught piano and organ at all levels for over 20 years, including a growing school of pupils at Queensland Conservatorium during the late 80’s and early 90’s. He examines piano for the Australian Music Examinations Board.

Christopher has performed in Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Launceston, Sydney and Townsville, as well as overseas in Stockholm, Windsor, Wokingham and London.

He has broadcast for the ABC and MBS stations.

Christopher holds a Fellowship of Trinity College of Music, London in organ performance, and LTCL and LMusA in piano. Further study has taken him to courses in Italy, Sweden, Liechtenstein and France in 1985, 1997, and 2000.

In 2005 he completed his Licence to manage commercial rental property, and has taken on an exciting venture with Peta Nagle, as part of MC Group Australia, including the management and upgrading of heritage buildings in the Brisbane CBD. One aspect of this venture is devising and promoting concerts, the most recent of which is a short series of Thursday evening Organ + Recitals in the Brisbane City Hall. More soon..

As Cathedral Assistant Director of Music Christopher, co-ordinates the Monthly Organ Recital Series [BORIS], the Choir Library, and directs the Choral program during January and other holiday Sundays, as well as normal Sunday accompanimental duties and directing.

Mr Christopher Cook

MR BENEDICT MACKEY
Organ Scholar

Ben is a graduate of the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, where he studied with Dr. Phillip Matthias. In 2002 he was awarded the Don Kay Hobart City Council Scholarship in Music and in 2006 held the Michael Dudman Undergraduate Scholarship in Organ, as well as the Dr. Ian Ratcliffe Memorial Scholarship at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle.

In 2007 he spent a year as an assistant organist at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church before returning to Christ Church Cathedral as organ scholar in 2008. Ben was organ scholar for the University of Newcastle Chamber Choir's 2007 UK tour, playing for the Guild of Church Musicians' festival evensong and for two services at Blackburn Cathedral. He aslo accompanied this choir for a live ABC Classic FM broadcast.

Ben holds Trinity College London's Licentiate diploma (LTCL) with distinction as well as an AMusA in piano.