Rupert Jeffcoat hails from Scotland where he was a chorister at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. He read music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge where as well as obtaining a double-first in Music he worked with the choirs of Kings and St John's Colleges, studying with Peter Hurford, Peter le Huray, Robin Holloway and David Sanger. At the age of only 20 he gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists with a prize. He worked with the Edinburgh International Festival as a music assistant for several seasons, and he was Assistant Organist at Birmingham Cathedral for 2 years.

At the age of 26 he was appointed Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral. In 8 years he took the choirs on a dozen foreign trips (including Russia, Japan, South Africa and Europe), giving regular broadcasts for British Television and Radio. Over a dozen of his choristers gained their Grade 8 singing, and the choirs relished singing in up to 20 languages. In 2000 he wrote the keynote anthem for a national service (attended by HM the Queen, Prime Minister Blair and the Archbishop of Canterbury) commemorating the work of the Home Front. Rupert is also the only Cathedral Organist to have won a Royal Television Society Award (2004) for Best Entertainment - his work on a Songs of Praise (with pop producer Pete Waterman) showed that church music can be fun!
As an organist Rupert's has recorded to great acclaim (Gramophone magazine labelled him 'truly virtuosic'), and his performance of Bach was described by the Melbourne Age as 'masterly'. He has played at both Sydney and Melbourne Town Halls, as well as in New Zealand and in Europe. He has also composed some 300 pieces, and his Third Service is in the repertoire of many Cathedral choirs. Rupert's interests include underplayed, unplayed and even unplayable repertoire.

Rupert trained for the ministry in England and Germany, and was ordained in 2005. He retains a deep interest in biblical studies (particularly Hebrew numerology), literary theory and art history. In addition to exploring Australia with his young family, his hobbies include many European languages and literature, cinema and Indian cuisine.

Director of Choral Music

Graeme Morton’s experience of church music goes back to his childhood days in the Methodist Church, in which his father was a Minister. He believes that these early experiences of fervent Protestant music lie at the very foundation of all his musical achievements and interests since.

He was a church organist and choir conductor from age 17, and in the early 1970’s was responsible for the installation of one of the first neo-classic church organs in Australia.

He was also the first Sub-Organist appointed to St John’s Cathedral, where he worked with his mentor Robert Boughen for almost a decade.

Upon leaving St John’s he became Director of Music at Christ Church Anglican Church, in St Lucia Brisbane, where he brought the Lucian Singers to a standard rarely seen in parish choirs in Australia. The choir’s two CDs have received acclaim for the quality of the choir and the breadth of the repertoire.

Graeme is Director of Music at St Peters Lutheran College, where he is founder and conductor of the St Peters Chorale, now in its twenty-eighth year. This exceptional school choir has a distinguished record of support of Australian choral music, and its recordings are available on itunes, amazon.com, and emusic. The Chorale’s recent overseas tour included performances in York Minster, Merton College, Trinity College and St Anne’s and St Agnus in London.

Graeme is a former Artistic Director of NYCA, the National Youth Choir of Australia, and also is Director of the Brisbane Chamber Choir, (which is also the St John’s Cathedral Chamber Choir). He holds a Master of Music (Organ) from the University of Queensland.

Graeme is a strong protagonist for Australian music and has commissioned many of Australia’s composers, including Paul-Antoni Bonetti, Ross Edwards, Michael Knopf, Matthew Orlovich, Vincent Plush, Stephen Leek, Peter Rankine, Paul Stanhope, Joseph Twist and others.

As Co-Founder and first Director of The Australian Voices, Graeme performed Australian music extensively, as he has with all his ensembles. As a composer Graeme is published by Augsburg Fortress, Kjos Music, and Morton Music.

He hosts a weekly radio programme of choral Music titled “The Choir Room” on radio 4MBS.

Graeme is actively involved in the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and was a Director of the last two church music Summer Schools held in Brisbane. He has toured overseas on numerous occasions, including Finland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Japan, North America and New Zealand. He has lectured in the Summer Programme at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, and in 1996 was Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the famed St Olaf College in Minnesota. As a Churchill Fellow he observed choral leadership in the United States and in Canada.

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 Graeme Morton