Paul Hale

Paul Hale is an English organist and Organist Emeritus of Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire.[1]

He was previously Assistant Organist of Rochester Cathedral[2] and Organist of Tonbridge School. He studied at New College, Oxford where he was Organ Scholar. He studied with Sir David Lumsden and Professor Nicholas Danby, gaining an MA in Music.

Hale is Conductor of the Nottingham Bach Choir, an Examiner for the Royal College of Organists. He is also Chairman of the RSCM Southwell & Nottinghamshire Area, and a Trustee of the Percy Whitlock Trust and of the Nottingham Albert Hall Binns Organ Trust.

He is Organ Adviser and Consultant to the dioceses of Lincoln and Southwell & Nottingham. He designed and led the restoration of the organ at Solihull School;[3] and has designed organs for Southwell, Rochester and Lincoln Cathedrals; Glasgow University, Bridlington Priory, Glenalmond, Leicester’s De Montfort Hall and designed and led the restoration of many others.

He has appeared at both the Three Choirs Festival and the St Albans International Organ Festival. As well as this, he was also author of over twenty articles for the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

He has toured internationally. In 2005 he represented Britain in the Brussels Organ Festival. Recently he has toured Norway, America and was invited to play at St Sulpice in Paris.

He was President of the Cathedral Organists Association 1999–2001[4] and as of 2010 was Chairman of the annual Diocesan Organ Advisers’ Conference and President of the Nottingham & District Society of Organists.

He has recorded with the Southwell Minster Choir as well as his own organ performances.

In June 2017, he was awarded the Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury "for his distinguished service as Rector Chori and Cathedral Organist at Southwell Minster and as one of the UK's foremost organ consultants".[5]

Professional achievements

Critique

The Nottingham Post said "under his direction the score showed a fine sense of pace and impressive climaxes" as he led the Nottingham Bach Choir & Orchestra in 2009 [6] and earlier that year it had suggested that Hale should be recognized as a musician "capable of outstanding feats of stamina" for directing the Bach Society's St John Passion and the Harmonic's Brahms' German Requiem in consecutive weeks.[7] His 2009 organ recital at Liverpool was described as an "exacting champion of subtlety – the difference that but one stop can make.".[8] More recently his direction of Bach's Christmas Oratorio (1734) with the Nottingham Bach Choir was described as being a "thoughtful, spirited performance, truly fine and memorable."[9]

He is highly regarded as a choral trainer and conductor. He was recently praised for leading the Nottingham Bach Choir of Elgar's the Kingdom to a performance "which resulted in a confident and emotive reading of the score."[10]

Cultural offices
Preceded by
Kenneth Bernard Beard		 Rector Chori of Southwell Minster
1989-2016		 Succeeded by
Paul Provost

References
  1. Church of England Yearbook 2008. Church House Publishing
  2. British music yearbook. Felicity Rich, Laura Dollin - 1997
  3. [Worcestershire News High note for school organ with cash boost Feb 20 2008]
  4. Organists' review: Volume 93, Incorporated Association of Organists - 2007
  5. "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Awards: Citations in Alphabetical Order" (PDF). Archbishop of Canterbury. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  6. Nottingham Post Monday, November 30, 2009, 10:31 Review: Nottingham Bach Choir & Orchestra, St Mary's Church
  7. Nottingham Post Monday, March 30, 2009, 06:58 Spine-tingling– yet still tender
  8. REVIEW: Paul Hale, Liverpool Cathedral Sep 1 2009 by Joe Riley, Liverpool Daily Post
  9. Church Times, 10/12/10, Nottingham Bach Choir in St Mary's Nottingham, Paul Hale
  10. Newark Advertiser, 26/03/11, Nottingham Bach Choir performing in St Mary's Nottingham, Paul Hale
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