Music at Wakefield Cathedral
Jonathan Bielby (Director of Music), email: jonathan@playon.org.uk
was born in Oxford and attended Magdalen College School. He studied with Dr Bernard Rose of Magdalen College, and while still at school became Associate (winning the Sawyer Prize) and then Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. In 1963 he became Organ Student of St John's College, Cambridge under Dr George Guest. In 1968 he was appointed Assistant Organist of Manchester Cathedral and in 1970 took up his present post as Organist & Director of Music at Wakefield Cathedral.
From 1974 - 1988 Jonathan was the first Borough Organist of Kirklees Metropolitan Council, during which time he gave regular recitals on the famous Father Willis organ in Huddersfield Town Hall. He master-minded the highly successful rebuilds of the Willis at Huddersfield and the five manual Compton at Wakefield.
In addition, he has performed in many British cathedrals, town halls and universities, both in Britain and abroad. Jonathan has taught at Leeds College of Music since 1977 and is looking forward to a well earned retirement from academic work in November. He has also taught at Chethams and the Royal Manchester College of Music.
Jonathan has commissioned, and given the first performance of, organ pieces by Richard Rodney Bennett, Paul Drayton and John Gardner. He has recorded CDs for Priory at Huddersfield Town Hall (Romantic Organ Music of Yesteryear), Rochdale Town Hall (complete organ music of John Ireland) and Huddersfield University.
In recognition of his work for the cause of church music over many years Jonathan has been elected to be an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. He received the honour in December 2005 at the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy in the Strand.
Thomas Moore (Assistant Director of Music)
was born in Leicester, and started his musical career early, beginning to play the piano at the age of four. He was a treble in Leicester Cathedral Choir, and was inspired to start organ lessons with the Cathedral Assistant Organist, Geoffrey Carter.
After Tom had completed his schooling in Leicester, he moved to Huddersfield to take a Bachelor of Music degree at the University. He majored in organ studies, studying under Keith Jarvis, and taking part in master classes given by Dame Gillian Weir, David Titterington, and Peter Hurford. During his time in West Yorkshire, he broadcast on radio and television, and was successively organ Scholar at Huddersfield Parish Church, and Bradford Cathedral, playing the organ for the Royal Maundy Thursday service, in March 1997.
Following graduation in September 1998, Tom was appointed Assistant Organist at Peterborough Cathedral, and eventually returned to Huddersfield University to study for his Master of Arts in Music, graduating in September 1999.
In September 2002, Tom assumed his present appointment as Assistant Director of Music at Wakefield Cathedral, and Director of the girl choristers of the Cathedral Choir. Tom is also regularly in demand as a freelance recitalist and accompanist/repetiteur; his engagements in the latter capacity have included accompanist for the Halifax Choral Society, the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir, and the Overgate Hospice Choir. He is on the teaching staff at Huddersfield University, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, and has also taught for Leeds College of Music.