STEPHEN CLEOBURY
(conductor of the 2005 Cumbria Rural Choirs Concert)
Stephen Cleobury has been Fellow, Organist and Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, since 1982. He is also Conductor of the orchestra and chorus of the Cambridge University Musical Society, Organist to the University of Cambridge and, from November 1995, Chief Conductor of Britain's only full-time professional choir, the BBC Singers.He was born in Bromley, Kent on December 31st 1948. He received his early musical training as a Chorister at Worcester Cathedral. In 1963 he became an organ pupil of Christopher Robinson, under whose guidance he gained the Organ Studentship of St. John's College, which he held from 1967-1971. Here he came under the influence of George Guest with whom he took part in many recordings including the Liszt Missa Choralis.
While in Cambridge, he was associated with the University Musical Society under Sir David Willcocks, and conducted performances of the University Opera Society. He was also a John Stewart of Rannoch Scholar in Sacred Music.
After earning his B. A. and Mus.B. degrees, Stephen Cleobury became Organist of St. Matthew's, Northampton. During his time there he was also Director of Music at the Grammar School and Conductor of the Northampton Bach Choir. His vacations were spent studying organ in Germany with Arno Schönstedt, as the recipient of a W. T. Best Scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
In 1974 he moved to London as Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey. conducting the annual performances of Messiah and the St. Matthew Passion given by the Westminster Abbey Special Choir.
He left the Abbey in 1978 to take up the post of Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, the first time an Anglican had been appointed to that position. The highlight of his time there was the visit of Pope John Paul II to Britain in 1982, when he was responsible for music at the opening service at the Cathedral and at an open-air mass in Wembley Stadium.He moved to King's College Choir, Cambridge in 1982. Under his guidance the Choir maintained standards of musical excellence and continued to broaden its repertoire, commissioning new works and performing baroque and classical works. Recent recordings have included the Scarlatti Stabat Mater. Since 1995 he has also been Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers.
He was President of the Royal College of Organists from 1990 to 1992. He is also on the Council of the Royal School of Church Music and is a member of the Committee of the Church Music Society. He has been President of the Incorporated Association of Organists and of the Cathedral Organists' Association.