Harrogate Choral Society's leader joins elite group of names in music with top honour

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Dr Andrew Padmore, who has been the society's musical director and conductor for the past 15 years, has been made an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.

Although, due to the current Covid restrictions, the conferment of the award in Hereford Cathedral will not take place as planned this autumn, so is being deferred until 2021, Mr Padmore said it was still exciting and unexpected.

Mr Padmore said: “I feel privileged to have been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians (Hon.FGCM), joining an elite group of illustrious recipients including senior cathedral directors of music, university and conservatoire Professors of Music and composers such as John Rutter and Howard Goodall.”

Andrew’s early start in church music began at the age of ten when he accompanied church services in a tiny hamlet near Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire.

Progressing through more significant church posts he was appointed, at 19, assistant organist at Birmingham Parish Church - St Martins in the Bull Ring.

Here he had the pressure of live Choral Evensongs, World Services and recorded Songs of Praise with the BBC.

Next came a ten-year stint with the Church of Ireland as Organist and Master of the Choristers: first with St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, then St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. This provided more opportunities for BBC broadcasts.

On returning to England to live in Yorkshire he played many organ recitals around the country, including two at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and also took on the directorship of York Minster Chapter House choir and the Bradford choristers for a few years.

He helped develop the choral tradition in a few local churches while still conducting national and international church music events, including massive combined church choir festivals in Singapore.

He examined for the Royal School of Church Music and conducted Diocesan choral festivals.

He also played and conducted BBC broadcasts for live Radio 4 Daily Services.

In 2004 he was invited to follow the legendary Francis Jackson in conducting the NHS annual carol service in York Minster – a most rewarding challenge that he continues to the present.

He has made CD recordings of choral repertoire in Cork, Belfast and Wakefield cathedrals.

Teaching has enabled him to produce organists – some are current cathedral organists, and a large number of his singing students have gained choral scholarships to Oxbridge colleges.

In Yorkshire, outside direct Church Music involvement, in 1989 he became conductor of Yorkshire Chamber Choir in Wakefield, which quickly shot up in numbers to become the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir – which he still directs more than three decades later.

In 2005 he became musical director of Harrogate Choral Society.

With these two major choirs he has conducted numerous concerts of sacred music in a variety of concert halls and Cathedrals in England, Ireland and Scotland.

He has also taught and examined in music conservatoires and still adjudicates for the British and International Federation of Festivals and examines for the Royal Schools of Music.

Andrew said: “One of my greatest personal delights has been to conduct Handel’s Messiah in cathedrals, concert halls and less likely venues.

"The riveting performance with Harrogate Choral Society in Tennants Garden Room/concert hall in Leyburn last December has to be one of the most memorable”.

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