FREE WEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS Starting 13th April

Music Staff

Meet the Peterborough Cathedral Music Department team, under the leadership of Tansy Castledine, Director of Music.

Tansy Castledine – Director of Music

Tansy Castledine took up the post as Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral in September 2018. 

Tansy began her musical studies as the Parry Wood Organ Scholar at Exeter College, Oxford, following which she gained her MMus with Distinction in Choral Direction and Church Music from the Royal Academy of Music, winning all the major prizes for Choral Direction. Following this, Tansy worked with Finchley Children’s Music Group and became Director of Music at Belmont, Mill Hill Prep School, and St Paul’s Church, Mill Hill. Between 2004 and 2008 Tansy served as Visiting Lecturer and Director of the Chamber Choir at London City University, before becoming Director of Music at St George’s College, Weybridge in September 2007. Under Tansy’s direction, St George’s College Chamber Choir achieved unprecedented national success, winning both the BBC Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the Year Competition and the Barnardo’s National Choir Competition in 2012, and being a finalist in the BBC Competition in 2016. Choral engagements included concerts at the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, and St Martin-in-the-Fields, performing on BBC television and Radio 3 and 4, and directing four CD recordings.

Between 2012 and 2018 Tansy was Organist and Director of Music at St Mark's, Hamilton Terrace, NW8, prior to taking up her posts in Peterborough; Tansy is also Musical Director of Peterborough and Ramsey Choral Societies. Additionally she works for the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) as a Course Director and Singing Examiner, and has worked on programmes broadcast on ITV and Channel 4, and BBC Radio 2, 3, and the World Service. Tansy is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO) and in February 2013 she was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for distinguished service to the choral music and education professions. In November 2013 she was appointed Subject Specialist Inspector for Music by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), in 2014 was elected President (2015-2016) of the MMA, the UK's largest and longest established association of music teaching professionals, and in 2017 gained the NPQSL qualification in Senior Leadership.


Christopher Strange - Organist

Christopher took up the post of Cathedral Organist in September 2020.

As Cathedral Organist, Christopher is the principal accompanist to the Cathedral Choir in their daily services, concerts, tours and recordings as well as assisting in the training and direction of the boy and girl choristers.

Prior to this, Christopher was Assisting Organist at York Minster during which time he shared in the training and accompanying of the Minster Choir, including a short period as acting Assistant Director of Music.  While at York he worked with numerous choirs including the Chapter House Choir and the Ebor Singers.

Christopher began studying the organ with Shean Bowers and David Poulter before attending Chetham’s School of Music where he studied with Christopher Stokes.  He took up the Sydney Nicholson organ scholarship at Manchester Cathedral in his gap year before beginning studies at the Royal College of Music with Margaret Philips and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin.  Before graduating with a first class honours degree, Christopher held the organ scholarships at Grosvenor Chapel and Chelmsford Cathedral for two years, during which time he obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists winning all the available prizes.  


Olivia Timms - Music Department Administrator

Olivia Timms, Music Department AdministratorOlivia grew up in Hampshire and discovered her love of music from the influence of her father, Paul Timms, who is Director of Music in her family’s church. After playing the Bassoon with the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra alongside other local area orchestras, Olivia went to study Music at the University of Birmingham in 2017 where she studied under Gareth Twigg at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In Birmingham, she had the opportunity to work with many musicians from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Other notable bassoonists who Olivia has worked with include Margaret Cookhorn and Martin Gatt. She regularly performs with her wind quartet, Ensemble Octave, made up of herself and her three older sisters. Olivia enjoys learning new skills and recently joined City of Coventry Brass Band where they successfully came first place at Butlin’s Mineworkers Open National Brass Band Festival playing percussion in 2020.


Sarah Burston - Head of Choral Partnership and Development

Sarah Burston, chorister singing teacherSarah Burston is a freelance teacher and conductor who studied music at Royal Holloway, University of London, where her love of choral music grew through singing in the renowned Chapel Choir.  Sarah completed an MA in Professional Practice (Voice Pedagogy) in November 2019 and in 2020 she qualified as a Vocal Health First Aider.  Sarah continues to study vocal health through Vocal Health Education.

Sarah has a portfolio of work which includes this role and her role as Chorister Singing Teacher here, her freelance singing teaching and conducting work, and also teaching Musicianship at London Youth Conservatoire.  Sarah is an experienced vocal coach and choral conductor having worked with many choirs including the award-winning Farnham Youth Choir and the choirs at the Royal College of Music Junior Department.

 

Roger Brown, Chorister Chaperone

  “I was a cathedral chorister for six years as a boy which means I have a good knowledge about    the preparation that goes into services such as Evensong and Eucharist and a sensitivity to the    requirements of the choristers. I have sung in a variety of choirs throughout my adult life as a    bass, including Peterborough Cathedral Festival Chorus, and am passionate about choral           music.   Highlights for me include singing Evensong in Westminster Abbey, as well as taking   part in concerts   at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London. I’m married with   two children and live in a village near Peterborough.”

 

 


Scholars 

Adam Lockyer - Choral Scholar (Bass)

Adam Lockyer

Adam started singing in December 2012 at St Mary le Tower Church, Ipswich, where he sang as a chorister and choral scholar under the direction of Michael Nicholas and Christopher Borrett up until July 2022. During his time there, he sang at a number of cathedrals including Edinburgh, Durham, and Norwich, and also at Christ Church, Oxford and Westminster Abbey. Adam was a pupil at Ipswich School, where he was a member of the chapel choir. He joined their tours to New York, performing at the cathedral of St John the Divine; as well as several cathedrals in England, including Lichfield and Worcester. When he is not singing, Adam is a keen cellist. In his spare time, he enjoys watching football and cricket, attending Ipswich Town and Lords Cricket grounds respectively. He is very excited to be joining Peterborough Cathedral Choir this year.


Harvey Stansfield, Organ Scholar

  Born in Lancashire, Harvey was awarded a music scholarship to begin his musical education at Rossall School and in his final year was awarded the coveted Sir Thomas Beecham Award. He then held Organ Scholarships at Blackburn and Coventry Cathedrals respectively. Harvey recently completed his BMus (Hons) degree in organ performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he studied organ with Daniel Moult and Nicholas Wearne, harpsichord with Robin Bigwood and choral conducting with Sarah Tenant-Flowers. He received regular opportunities to have additional studies with Prof. Martin Schmeding and Nathan Laube. Harvey has also performed in masterclasses given by David Briggs, Eric Lebrun and Steven Devine. As an accompanist he has played for the RBC Consort, Camerata choirs and the Aston University Music Society.

Harvey released his debut CD ‘FANFARE’ as the culmination of his degree studies. This disc celebrates the organ music of Percy Whitlock performed on the authentic Compton Organ of Southampton Guildhall. “...It is good to be reminded of Whitlock’s genius as a composer of some of the great organ music of the 20th century by such an up-and-coming player” (The Organ Manual, 2023)

He is delighted to be joining the music department of Peterborough Cathedral as Organ Scholar.


 Oliver Mollett, Choral Scholar (Tenor)

 Oliver started singing at Stamford School Chapel Choir, under the direction of Giles Turner. He   also sang with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the Rodolfus Choir. In 2021 he joined the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music where he is a first study vocalist with Jean-Claude Ohms, and a second study guitarist with Laura Snowden. He is continuing his JD studies whilst at Peterborough Cathedral. Oliver enjoys watching opera and ballet, as well as playing the piano and sketching in his free time. 

 

 

 


Further information

For further details about the Music Department at the Cathedral, please contact:

Music Administrator
music@peterborough-cathedral.org.uk

Share this page: