Director of Music - Philip Rushforth
Philip Rushforth began his musical training as a chorister at Chester Cathedral where he began learning the organ with Cathedral Organist, Roger Fisher and became Organ Scholar in 1987. In 1991 he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, as Organ Scholar under Dr Richard Marlow. At Trinity he broadcast and recorded frequently with the world famous college choir, and toured with them extensively in Europe, Canada and the USA. Organ studies continued with David Sanger.

Graduating in 1994, he took up the post of Assistant Organist at Southwell Minster, working closely with Paul Hale and the Cathedral Choir and became the first director of the Southwell Minster Chorale. For eight years he directed the Chorale in Southwell and further a field.

Active as a recitalist, he has performed throughout the country and at many cathedrals and concert halls, including Westminster Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, and King’s College, Cambridge. In September 2000 he was a finalist in the prestigious Royal College of Organists’ Performer of the year Award, performing the Poulenc Organ Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. He won many recital awards, including performing at St John’s, Smith Square and at the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival. Invitations to Italy have seen him perform in two International Organ Festivals in Cantu and Senigallia and in September 2007 he played in the International Organ Festival in Sens, France.

In September 2002 he returned to Chester Cathedral as Assistant Director of Music and was appointed Director of Music in December 2007. Under his direction, and in addition to the daily worship of the Cathedral, he has directed the Cathedral choirs in concert, including a tour of Florida in 2007, on CD, and radio. He is a regular director and organist for the Daily Service on Radio 4. He also organises the weekly organ recital series at the Cathedral, performing regularly as a recitalist. He is in constant demand as an accompanist and soloist, both on organ and piano, performing with the Chester Music Society and Chester Bach Choir, and has appeared in the Chester Summer Music Festival and International Church Music Festival.

His recording of organ music by Louis Vierne and Marcel Dupré played on the organ of Chester Cathedral received excellent reviews in music journals and on Radio 3. Two further discs of organ music were released in 2008.

Assistant Director of Music - Ian Roberts
Ian Roberts started his musical life as a chorister at Chester Cathedral. He read music at the University of East Anglia and then embarked on a year’s organ scholarship at Blackburn Cathedral and at Chichester Cathedral. During this time, he studied with David Sanger and became an Associate of the Royal College of Organists.

In September 2003, Ian returned to Chester to take up the post of Assistant Organist and was promoted to the role of Assistant Director of Music in January 2008 In this capacity he directs or plays the organ for The Cathedral Choir in the daily office of Evensong and assists Philip Rushforth in the training of the boy and girl choristers. He also regularly plays in the Thursday organ recital series.

An important part of Ian’s work at Chester is his directorship of the Cathedral Nave Choir. In this capacity he prepares the choir for weekly cathedral services, special liturgies for the major festivals of the year, civic events, tours and concerts.

As an organist and choir-director, Ian has taken part in various tours and cathedral visits in the United Kingdom, as well as Germany, Italy, The Czech Republic and America. Ian has accompanied Chester Cathedral Choir on a number of C.D. recordings and national broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Organ Scholar - Simon Walker
Simon started his musical training as a chorister at Durham Cathedral. From September 2005 he studied music at the University of Edinburgh graduating in July 2009. During this time he spent three years as Organ scholar at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, and also as accompanist to Edinburgh University Music Society Chorus. Simon has been awarded Edinburgh University’s Hollins and Anderson organ prizes and has given recitals at the McEwan Hall, Holy Trinity Church Hull, the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow and during the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford.

In August 2008 he was awarded the Associate diploma of the Royal College of Organists.
He has studied with Dr. John Kitchen (Edinburgh University Organist and City Organist), Nicholas Wearne (St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral) and Michael Harris (St. Giles Cathedral).

Away from music, Simon a passion for classic cars, especially old Citroens, and very much enjoys driving his yellow and maroon 2CV.