CALLUM ALGER Organist | Director

4 Exchange Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1TS 01604 702 214 | 07471 892 695 [email protected] www.callumalger.co.uk

Education

2020- Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (Advanced Postgraduate Diploma)

Organ with Daniel Moult (First study)

2015-2019 Royal Birmingham Conservatoire [BMus (Hons)]

Organ with Henry Fairs (First study) Choral conducting with Paul Spicer (Second study)

2006-2013 Northampton School for Boys (3 A-Levels, 10 GCSEs)

Employment History

2020- Interim Director of Music, St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton

2019-2020 , Westminster

• Accompany services as required, in particular non-choral liturgies, and from mid-October act as principal accompanist to the cathedral choir • Rehearse and train the probationer choristers and boy altos • Conduct the cathedral choir, in particular for men’s voices liturgies

2018-2019 Acting Director of Music, St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton

• Direct the boys’ and girls’ choirs, as well as the choral scholars and lay-clerks at their weekly Eucharist and (and special feast day services), in addition to an upper voice (senior girls) weekday Evensong • Plan music lists (including hymns), and organise musical events (concerts, ‘Come and Sing’ days), in addition to social events (bowling trip, summer tours) • Co-ordinate the recruitment of new choir members (‘Be a Chorister for a Day’, delivering assemblies in local schools (primary/secondary), open rehearsals at church

2016-2018 Assistant Director of Music, St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton

• Principal accompanist to the choirs at their weekly Eucharist and Evensong (repertoire such as Jonathan Dove’s Missa Brevis and Seek him that maketh the seven stars, and Edward Bairstow’s Blessed city, heavenly salem) • Occasionally directed the choirs at rehearsals and services in the absence of the Director of Music • Taught ABRSM Grade 5 organ to a school student, entered the exam and passed • Offered advice and assistance to the organ scholar to ensure he was progressing

2015-2016 Director of Music, St Thomas’ Church, Stourbridge

• Directed the mixed choir (child sopranos/trebles) at their weekly Eucharist and twice-monthly Evensong • Played the organ for most of the services, and organised deputies for the other times (often for Evensong when the music required a conductor) • Planned ways of recruiting new choir members (‘Be a Chorister for a Day’) • Revived the Friends of the Music, organising organ recitals (including Christopher Allsop), a ‘Come and Sing’ Choral Evensong, and regular choir social trips

2014-2015 Organ Scholar, Cathedral/Portsmouth Grammar School

• Regularly accompanied the cathedral choirs in their daily worship (most notably for part of their pre-recorded BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day 2014) • In the absence of other staff, led morning chorister rehearsals (boys or girls) • Occasionally conducted the choirs during services • Rehearsal pianist for school Chamber Choir (playing for Nicholas Cleobury in rehearsing Jonathan Dove’s ‘For an Unknown Soldier’) • Taught one-to-one theory and aural • Assisted with the administration, helping photocopy, email and file

2011-2014 Organ Scholar, St Matthew’s Church, Northampton

• Regularly played the organ for services, and accompanied the choir (playing a solo and accompaniment on their commercially released disc ‘O how glorious’) • Occasionally directing the choir in rehearsals and services • Helped maintain the choir library

2013-2014 Music Technician, Northampton School for Boys

• Maintained music equipment and software • Accompanied school Choir and Male Vocal Group, ran when DofM was ill • Lead sectional rehearsals • Transposed ensemble parts using Sibelius software • Recorded A-level performances using Cubase recording software

Professional Qualifications and Prizes

✦ Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, with the Turpin/Durrant Prize (FRCO) [2021] ✦ Associate of Trinity College, London (ATCL) [2014]

✦ Finalist: St Albans International Organ Competition [2021] ✦ Making Music Selected Artist [2020-21] ✦ Stanley Vann Scholar (IAO) [2020] ✦ First prize: Dame Gillian Weir Messiaen Prize (Birmingham) [2018] ✦ First prize: IAO/RCO Organ Competition (Peterborough) [2018]

CDs and Radio

✦ Rosa Mystica (organ): CD, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir (Paul Spicer) [2019] ✦ Klangreden (organ): CD, Lutheran chorale-based works for solo organ [2019] ✦ O how glorious (bass & organ): CD, St Matthew’s Church, Northampton (Stephen Moore) [2015] ✦ My Lord has come (bass): CD, St Matthew’s Church, Northampton (Stephen Moore) [2013]

✦ BBC Radio 3 (organ): Concert, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir (John Rutter) [2019] ✦ BBC Radio 4 (organ): Sunday Worship, Portsmouth Cathedral ( Price) [2014]

Recent Recital Venues

✦ Westminster Abbey ✦ Westminster Cathedral ✦ St John’s Smith Square, London ✦ ✦ ✦ Temple Church, London ✦ Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral ✦ ✦ St Michael’s Church, Cornhill

Safeguarding Training

Church of (Online Training) • C1 (Foundation) [2021] • C0 (Basic) [2021]