Malcolm Archer (born 1952) is an English composer, conductor and organist. He was formerly Organist and

Director of Music A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...

, at

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...

and at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

and Director of Chapel Music at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

Education and personal life

Malcolm Archer was educated at King Edward VII School, Lytham before studying at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

(as a Royal College of Organists scholar). He was later organ scholar at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

. His organ teachers included Ralph Downes, Gillian Weir, and Nicolas Kynaston and he studied composition with Herbert Sumsion, Bernard Stevens and Alan Ridout. Archer married Alison (an artist and musician) in 1994, and they have a son (b.1997) and a daughter (b.1999).

Career

First posts

Malcolm Archer's first posts were at

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

as Assistant Organist (1978–1983), and

(1983–1990) as Organist and Master of the Choristers which he left to spend time living and working in the US.

Wells Cathedral (1996–2004)

Archer was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at

in 1996 where he directed and trained the Cathedral choir for its daily services in the cathedral, as well as being the musical director for Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society. In April 2000, he and choir members participated in a tour to North America, which included concerts in Ottawa, Ontario; Albany, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Lancaster, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; Chattanooga, Tennessee and Augusta, Georgia. He has made several recordings with the choir, including with the labels Hyperion Records and Lammas Records.

St Paul's Cathedral (2004–2007)

Malcolm Archer took over as organist and

at St Paul's from John Scott in 2004. He directed the choir for several important state services, including the service to celebrate the 80th birthday of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, for which he composed a special anthem.

Winchester College (2007–2018)

In August 2007 he took up a position as Director of Chapel Music and Organist at

, where he was in charge of the Winchester College Chapel Choir and the College Quiristers as well as teaching composition and the organ. Recordings with the choir include Stanford's choral music, Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, Three Wings (Warner Classics) and Mozart's Requiem, accompanied by the London Mozart Players. He left Winchester College in 2018.

Compositions

Archer has had over 250 compositions published. His major works include ‘Requiem’, ‘Vespers’, ‘Three Psalms of David’, ‘The Coming of the Kingdom’, the musical, ‘Walter and the Pigeons’, the one-act opera, ‘George and the Dragon’, ‘Sinfonietta’ for orchestra, ‘Concerto for Trumpet and Strings’ and ‘Sonata for Cello and Piano’. His choral works include:

Sexual abuse allegations

Archer was acquitted of indecent assault and indecency with a child by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court in 2019. At a hearing of the

Teaching Regulation Agency The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is an executive agency of the Department for Education responsible for regulation of the teaching profession in England. Background Between 2000 and 2012, the teaching profession in England was regulated by a ...

(TRA) in July 2022, however, he was judged by the panel to have engaged in sexual activity with a pupil, while employed as assistant director of music at Magdalen College School, Oxford, between 1977 and 1978. The TRA heard evidence from the pupil detailing the sexual abuse. He received a prohibition order banning him from teaching in England, without the ability to apply for the order to be revoked.

References

External links

Website of Malcolm ArcherPrinted Notes by OUP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Malcolm 1952 births English classical composers of church music Living people British cathedral organists English classical organists Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Alumni of the Royal College of Music People educated at King Edward VII and Queen Mary School 21st-century English organists 21st-century British male musicians British male classical organists