Sir Stephen John Cleobury ( ; 31 December 1948 – 22 November 2019)Sir Stephen Cleobury: Former King's College choir conductor dies aged 70

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

23 November 2019 was an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

music director 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 ...

. He worked with the

Choir of King's College, Cambridge The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It was created by Henry VI of England, King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge, in 1441, to provide daily singing in his King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Chapel, ...

, where he served as music director from 1982 to 2019, and with the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...

. King's College has worldwide fame for its Christmas music, having performed a live broadcast on the

on Christmas Eve since 1928. During his long tenure as Director of Music, Cleobury made the singers even better known by tours and recordings. From 1984 he introduced the commission of a new Christmas carol annually. Among many honours, he was honorary fellow of the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

, and was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

before he died of cancer that November at the age of 70.

Life

Early years

Stephen John Cleobury was born in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, the son of John F. Cleobury and Brenda J. Randall.Paul Brackley
Sir Stephen Cleobury, who directed the famous choir at King’s College in Cambridge, dies at 70
Cambridge Independent 23 November 2019 He sang as a chorister at

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...

under Douglas Guest then Christopher Robinson. He was organ scholar at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, under the musical directorship of

George Guest George Guest CBE FRCO (9 February 1924 – 20 November 2002) was a Welsh organist and choral conductor. Birth and early life George Guest was born in Bangor, Gwynedd. His father was an organist and Guest assisted him by acting as organ blow ...

, and sub-organist of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

before becoming the first Anglican master of music at the Catholic

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

in 1979. In the 1970s, he was head of music at both

St Matthew's Church, Northampton St Matthew's Church, Northampton is a Church of England parish church in Northampton, within the Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, Diocese of Peterborough. The church is a Grade II* listed building. It was erected (1891–4) in memory of bre ...

, and

Northampton Grammar School Northampton School for Boys (NSB) is an 11–18 boys secondary school in Northampton, England. It was founded as Northampton Grammar School in 1541 by Thomas Chipsey, Mayor of Northampton. Years 7 to 11 are boys-only, while sixth form classes ar ...

, where he taught music for four years.

King's College, Cambridge

In 1982 Cleobury succeeded

Philip Ledger Sir Philip Stevens Ledger, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE, FRSE (12 December 1937 – 18 November 2012) was an English classical musician, conducting, choirmaster and academic, best remembered as Director of the Choir of King' ...

as Director of Music for the

, where he also taught music. He led the annual

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve in Anglican churches. The story of the f ...

at the

King's College Chapel King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...

on Christmas Eve, which was established in 1918 and broadcast live by the

from 1928. Cleobury's most notable contribution was, from 1984, the incorporation of specially commissioned modern works to complement the traditional carols. Among the composers contributing were

Thomas Adès Thomas Joseph Edmund Adès (born 1 March 1971) is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: ''The Tempest (opera), The T ...

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious music, religious works. Among his best known works are ''The Lamb (Tavener), The Lamb'' (1982), ''The ...

and

Mark-Anthony Turnage Mark-Anthony Turnage (born 10 June 1960) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. Life and career Mark-Anthony Turnage was born in Corringham, Essex on 10 June 1960. Turnage was the eldest of three children. His parents were lov ...

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

's ''The Gleam'', which requires the choristers to stamp their feet and shout, caused some controversy. The high-profile performance of these commissions allowed the widespread dissemination of sophisticated contemporary choral music. Cleobury introduced singing lessons for the choristers and expanded the repertoire to include more singing in Latin, and composers such as Kodály, Janáček and

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

. He established the Festival of Easter at King's and also Concerts at King's, a concert series throughout the year. Recordings were made by the choir's own label beginning in 2012. He was conductor of

Cambridge University Musical Society The Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS) is a federation of the university's main orchestral and choral ensembles, which cumulatively put on a substantial concert season during the university term. Foundation In 1843 the Cambridge Universi ...

(CUMS) from 1983 to 2009, and made many recordings with that group including

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

's ''Quattro Pezzi Sacri'' and Goehr's ''The Death of Moses''. As part of the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University, he premiered

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

' ''The Sorcerer's Mirror''. His last major project there was Bach's ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

'' in 2019, in a sequence of performing it alternating with the ''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the earliest of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzi ...

'' every year. The choir performed with the

Academy of Ancient Music The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...

and James Gilchrist as the Evangelist. He retired on 30 September 2019, and was succeeded at King's College by Daniel Hyde.

Beyond Cambridge

Cleobury was president of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

from 1990 to 1992. He was chief conductor of the

from 1995 to 2007, and was then their conductor laureate. He performed with them themed concerts such as ''Shostakovich, Stalin and Soviet Russia'' in 2014, ''Creation songs'' in 2015, ''Tallis Lamentations'' in 2016, and for

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

2017, ''Songs of Farewell''. The latter was given at the King's College Chapel, and combined the world premiere of Thomas Simaku's ''The Scream'' with Hubert Parry's ''

Songs of Farewell ''Songs of Farewell'' is a set of six choral motets by the British composer Hubert Parry. The pieces were composed between 1916 and 1918 and were among his last compositions before his death. Background The songs were written during the First ...

'', and Duruflé's '' Notre Père'' and

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

. In the concert celebrating the choir's 90th anniversary on 24 September 2014, he was one of four conductors to lead compositions written for the group. Cleobury served as a visiting fellow at the

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

School of Music for 2013–2014.

Personal life

Cleobury's brother

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

is also a conductor and his sister is a musician and teacher. His cousin Stephen Dean is a composer. Cleobury lived with his second wife, Emma Disley, whom he married in 2004, and their two daughters. He died of cancer in his hometown of York, on 22 November 2019, the liturgical feast day of

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of organ players and musicians. He also had two children from his first marriage to Penny Holloway.

Honours and awards

Cleobury was awarded an Honorary

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (DMus, DM, MusD or occasionally MusDoc) is a doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions, musical performances, and/or scholarly publications on music. In some institutions, the award is a ...

(D.Mus.) from

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public research university in the region of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins date back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the Unive ...

in 2001. In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the

. He was appointed

(CBE) in the

2009 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

for services to choral music.

Recordings

CD

As conductor

* 2020 – ''Bach:

'' (released posthumously) * 2019 – ''Evensong Live 2019: Anthems and Canticles'' * 2019 – '' Howells: Cello Concerto & An English Mass'' * 2019 – ''The Music of King's: Choral Favourites from Cambridge'' * 2018 – ''

100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols is a double album by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge released to mark 100 years since the first festival of nine lessons and carols service was held in King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's Colle ...

'' * 2018 – ''

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people *Byrd (surname), including ...

: Motets'' * 2018 – ''再别康桥'' (''Second Farewell to Cambridge'') * 2017 – ''Vaughan Williams:

Dona Nobis Pacem Dona nobis pacem (Latin for "Grant us peace") is a phrase in the Agnus Dei section of the mass. The phrase, in isolation, has been appropriated for a number of musical works, which include: Classical music * " Dona nobis pacem", a traditional r ...

& Bernstein:

Chichester Psalms ''Chichester Psalms'' is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra. The text was arranged by the composer from the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew. Part 1 us ...

'' * 2017 – ''Bach:

'' * 2016 – ''Evensong Live 2016'' * 2016 – ''Hymns from King's'' * 2015 – ''1615 Gabrieli in Venice'' * 2015 – ''Evensong Live 2015'' * 2015 – ''English Hymn Anthems'' * 2014 – ''Favourite Carols from King's'' * 2014 – ''Fauré

'' * 2013 – ''Britten: Saint Nicolas'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 2013 – ''Mozart: Requiem Realisations'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 2012 – ''Nine Lessons & Carols'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 2007 – ''I Heard a Voice – Music From the Golden Age, Works by Weelkes, Gibbons and Tomkins'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Oliver Brett, Peter Stevens) * 2006 – ''Brahms:

Ein deutsches Requiem ''A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures'', Op. 45 () by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soprano and baritone soloists, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together l ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with

Susan Gritton Susan Gritton (born 31 August 1965) is an English operatic soprano. She was the 1994 winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and has sung leading roles in a wide-ranging repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Britten, Janáček and Richard Strauss, St ...

, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Evgenia Rubinova and Jose Gallardo) * 2003 – ''Bach:

Johannes-Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the earliest of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzig ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with

John Mark Ainsley John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has ...

, Stephen Richardson,

Catherine Bott Catherine Bott (born 11 September 1952) is a British singer and broadcaster. Following her studies at The King's High School For Girls and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Arthur Reckless, she began her career as a member of Swingle I ...

Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE (born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival. Early life Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After grow ...

Paul Agnew Paul Agnew (born 11 April 1964 in Glasgow) is a Scottish operatic tenor and conductor. Biography Agnew read music as a Choral Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with various groups specializing in early music (Ex Cathe ...

, and Stephen Varcoe) * 2002 – ''Vivaldi:

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

, RV 589 / Dixit Dominus, RV 594 /

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...

, RV 610'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with the Academy of Ancient Music) * 2001 – ''Howells: Te Deum & Jubilate'' (Choir of King's College Cambridge) * 2000 – ''Handel:

Israel in Egypt ''Israel in Egypt'', HWV 54, is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. Most scholars believe the libretto was prepared by Charles Jennens, who also compiled the biblical texts for Handel's ''Messiah''. It is composed enti ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge,

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

, Stephen Varcoe) * 2000 – ''Best Loved Hymns'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1999 – ''Rachmaninov:

Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1998 – ''John Rutter:

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1997 – ''

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

: Evening Services in C and ''G (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1996 – ''The King's Collection'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1996 – ''Allegri: Miserere'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1995 – ''Handel:

Dixit Dominus Psalm 110 is the 110th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The said unto my Lord". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, th ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1994 – ''Ikos'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1994 – ''Handel:

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with

Lynne Dawson Lynne Dawson (born 3 June 1953) is an English soprano. She came to great prominence through her performance as a soloist in ''Libera me'' from Requiem (Verdi), Verdi's Requiem with the BBC Singers at Princess Diana's Funeral of Diana, Princess o ...

Hilary Summers Hilary Summers is a Welsh lyric contralto. She was trained at Reading University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. She has performed on soundtracks such as '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', '' The Li ...

and

Alastair Miles Alastair Miles (born 11 July 1961, Harrow, England) is a British operatic and concert bass who has had an international career since the late 1980s. Biography Education Alastair Miles was educated at The John Lyon School, Harrow, and subs ...

) * 1994 – ''Bach:

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with

Rogers Covey-Crump Rogers Henry Lewis Covey-Crump (born 1944) is an English tenor noted for his performances in both early music and contemporary classical music. He has sometimes been identified as an ''haute-contre'' tenor. He has performed for over 50 years i ...

, Michael George,

Emma Kirkby Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings. Education and early career Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dorse ...

Martyn Hill Martyn Hill (b. 14 Sept 1944) is a British tenor. Life and career Hill was born in Rochester, Kent on September 14, 1944. He studied at King's College, Cambridge, followed by the Royal College of Music. He pursued further vocal training with Audr ...

, David Thomas) * 1990 – '' Tallis: Spem in alium, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Responsaries'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1989 – ''Fauré: Requiem; Duruflé:

'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge,

Olaf Bär Olaf Bär (born 19 December 1957) is a German operatic baritone. Life Bär received his musical training in his home city of Dresden, studying at the city's Hochschule für Musik. His career has concentrated on lieder and on the lyric baritone ...

Ann Murray Ann Murray (born 27 August 1949) is an Irish mezzo-soprano. Life and career Murray was born in Dublin. Having won a number of prizes at the Feis Ceoil, she studied singing at the College of Music (now the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, ...

) * 1984 – ''O Come All Ye Faithful (Favourite Christmas Carols)'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)

As organist

* 2019 – ''Herbert Howells’ An English Mass'' * 2017 – ''The King of Instruments: A Voice Reborn'' * 2009 – ''The Grand Organ of King's College'' * 2007 – ''Organ Classics from King's'' * 2004 – ''British Organ Music from King's'' * 1993 – ''Organ Favourites from King's College, Cambridge''

DVD

As conductor: * 2014 – ''Carols from King's'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 2002 – ''Anthems from King's'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1996 – ''Bach: "Johannes-Passion"'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge) * 1993 – ''Handel: "Messiah"'' (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)

References

External links

*
Stephen Cleobury
interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 4 July 2008 (video) * from * , a message from the Dean, Revd Dr Stephen Cherry *
The recordings of King's College, Cambridge
kingscollegerecordings.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleobury, Stephen 1948 births 2019 deaths English choral conductors English male conductors (music) English classical organists English cathedral organists EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists Musicians from the London Borough of Bromley Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of King's College, Cambridge People educated at King's School, Worcester People from Bromley Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century English conductors (music) 21st-century English organists 21st-century English male musicians Knights Bachelor Musicians awarded knighthoods English male classical organists