Sarah Baldock (born 5 April 1975) is an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

and choral conductor, formerly the Organist and Master of the Choristers of

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

. She is notable as one of the earliest women to be appointed to the senior music post at a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

cathedral. She was married to counter-tenor

David Hurley General David John Hurley, (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who has served as the 27th governor-general of Australia since 1 July 2019. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales, ...

. Baldock has become known as a popular soloist in the UK and abroad.

Education and early career

Baldock was educated as a music scholar at

St Paul's Girls' School St Paul's Girls' School is an independent day school for girls, aged 11 to 18, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England. History St Paul's Girls' School was founded by the Worshipful Company of Mercers in 1904, using part ...

in London and then as

organ scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and ad ...

of Pembroke College, Cambridge, winning prizes in the RCO diploma examinations and a bursary for postgraduate study with David Sanger and Thomas Trotter. She was a finalist in the 1998 Calgary International, and prizewinner at the 2000 Odense and 2002 Dallas International Organ Competitions. Baldock has been a faculty member of the Calgary, Edinburgh and Oundle Organ Courses, and involved in education projects at the Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. Sarah has directed choral workshops in the UK, US, Norway and Sweden. Performances have included concertos with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, the

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

and the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and solo concerts in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...

, Europe, US and Canada.

Career

Tonbridge School

Baldock was Organist in Residence at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

in Kent and in 1998 she released a solo CD on the Marcussen organ in Tonbridge School Chapel for Herald.

Winchester

In 1998 Sarah moved to

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". '' National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winche ...

where she founded the Girls' Choir and in 2002 became Assistant Director of Music, accompanying the Choir in daily services, tours, broadcasts and recordings. During her time in Winchester she was accompanist to the Waynflete Singers and Organ Performance Tutor at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

Chichester

In December 2007, Baldock was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at

on the retirement of

Alan Thurlow Alan John Thurlow (born 18 May 1947) is an English organist. He is best known as having been Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral between 1980 and 2008. Education Thurlow was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford Gree ...

. She took up the post after Easter 2008, becoming, after Katherine Dienes-Williams of

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett ...

, the second earliest appointment of a woman to the senior music post at a Church of England cathedral. Following her resignation from the Cathedral in 2014, Charles Harrison, Assistant Director of Music at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

was appointed to succeed her.

Cheltenham Ladies' College

In March 2014, it was announced that Baldock had been appointed a music teacher at

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

; she started at the school in September 2014.

Discography

* 2005
1605 Treason and Dischord: William Byrd and the Gunpowder Plot
with the

King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1 ...

and Concordia, for Signum * 2005
Immortal Fire: Music for Female Saints
with Andrew Lumsden and the

Winchester Cathedral Choir Winchester Cathedral Choir is an internationally recognized professional choir based at Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire. The choir currently consists of 18 boy choristers and 12 lay clerks and sings eight services weekly in the Cat ...

, for Griffin & Co Ltd. * 2006
Advent in Winchester
with Andrew Lumsden and the Winchester Cathedral Choir, for Griffin & Co Ltd. * 2009
Carols from Chichester Cathedral
with

Mark Wardell Mark Wardell was Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral from 1997 to 2009, serving for five of those years as Director of Music at the Prebendal School, the Cathedral Choir's School. He had previously held positions at Royal Holloway Col ...

(organ) and the Choir of Chichester Cathedral for Herald AV Publications * 2010 - Holst in Chichester, with the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth (directed by Lt Col Nick Grace RM), Mark Wardell (organ) and the Choir of Chichester Cathedral, for Herald AV Publications * 2011
The Organ of Chichester Cathedral: Sarah Baldock
for Herald AV Publications * 2012
Advent Procession
with

Timothy Ravalde Timothy Ravalde (born 1988) is an English organist and the current Assistant Organist of Chichester Cathedral. Early life and education Ravalde was educated at the Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton. He was Organ Scholar of Carlisle Cathed ...

(organ) and the Choir of Chichester, for Herald AV Publications * 2013
The Day Thou Gavest
with Timothy Ravalde (organ) and the Choir of Chichester Cathedral, for Herald AV Publications

References

External links

BBC Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldock, Sarah English classical organists Women organists Cathedral organists English conductors (music) British women conductors (music) Living people Organists & Masters of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge 1975 births 21st-century English women musicians 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century organists