Director of Music
Mark Quarmby playing for Evensong at Westminster Abbey
Mark Quarmby BMus, FDipA, LTCL, AMusA
Mark Quarmby graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium studying organ under Norman Johnston and piano under Marjorie Hesse. He has given recitals throughout Australia, Europe, North America, Asia and New Zealand. For over 20 years he was associated with the music of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, playing the organ for national live broadcasts, visits of the Queen, funerals of State governors and national memorial services. In August 2009 he was appointed Director of Music at St Stephen's, Macquarie Street.
In Europe he has played in the Cathedrals of St Paul's, London, Canterbury, Salisbury, Oxford, Winchester, Lichfield, Westminster Abbey plus Notre-Dame, Paris, with recitals in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, and Holland. In 2009 he gave the opening recital of the American Guild of Organists Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, playing a whole program devoted to organ music written by Australian composers.
He has been the President of the Organ Music Society of Sydney, has served on the committee of the Royal School of Church Music (NSW) and is currently a National Director of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia and teaches piano, organ and musicianship at St Patrick's College, Strathfield, and privately.
Choral Director
Anthony Pasquill conducting a rehearsal
Anthony Pasquill MMusStud (Cond), BMus, DipABRSM
Anthony Pasquill was born in 1984 in Royal Leamington Spa, UK and began his musical training in the choir of Lichfield Cathedral where he was head chorister under the guidance of Andrew Lumsden. During this time he gave concerts at Les Sœurs de l'Assomption; a concert and Eucharist in Cologne Cathedral and also a full choir recital in Frankfurt Cathedral, Germany. As a chorister he has also appeared with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Michael George and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at Coventry Cathedral, as well as Midnight Mass in 1995, both of which were televised by the BBC.
Educated at Shrewsbury School (UK), he gained his diploma in clarinet performance a year before his A-levels and made his conducting debut at St John Smiths' Square, London with the orchestra before obtaining a place at Leeds University to study clarinet performance in 2003. There he received his Bachelor of Music (Performance) in 2007.
In 2006, Anthony was appointed conductor of the Leeds University Union Music Society Chamber Orchestra (LUUMS) and assistant of the LUUMS Symphony Orchestra. He was also involved with LS2 (School of Music Contemporary Music Ensemble (2007), the University of Leeds Philharmonia (2006-7) and the University Liturgical Choir.
Since moving to Australia, he has worked with the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony Choir, Macquarie University Singers, Sydney University Music Society and is the Choral Director at St Stephen's Uniting Church in Macquarie Street.
He has been the Musical Director of the Sydney based chamber choir Bel a cappella since 2008. The choir has performed Britten's 'A Boy Was Born', Arvo Pärt's 'Berliner Messe', Howells' 'Requiem' and Rachmaninov's 'Vesper's in both Sydney and Goulburn. 2012 saw the choir perform works by contemporary composers, including the Australian premiere of Pēteris Vasks' 'Missa' and George Dyson's 'Hierusalem' as well as the music of Bach, Caldara, Scarlatti and Schütz.
He has been involved with the 'Symphony Australia Core Conductors program' which is designed for musicians aspiring to a career conducting around the world and has spent time working with the Auckland Philharmonia under Chief Conductor Eckehard Stier and Christopher Seaman, and also with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Sebastian Lang-Lessing and Bernard Ladabie.
Anthony is currently working alongside the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs as their assistant chorus-master. In 2012 he prepared the choirs for concerts with many international conductors at the Sydney Opera House including Poulenc's 'Gloria' with David Zinman and Tchaikovsky's 'Pique Dame' with Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Organ Scholar
(2013 - )
Joshua Ryan playing the organ at St Bavo's, Haarlem
Joshua Ryan
Joshua Ryan was born in 1994, in Sydney, Australia. He commenced his organ studies in late 2009 under the direction of Mark Quarmby and since 2012, his teachers have been Oliver Brett and Thomas Wilson at St Mary's Cathedral.
Joshua participated in the 2011 Sydney Summer Organ Academy where he received a scholarship to study at the Prospective Organ Scholar Course, which was held at Oxford University during August 2011. There he received lessons from Susan Landale, James Parsons, David Goode and other world-renowned organists. During his time in England, Joshua was given the opportunity to play many prestigious instruments such as the organs at King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Durham Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, and as well as organs in various colleges of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He also gave a recital at St Mary's, Warmington in the UK. The scholarship also included a trip to Holland where Joshua played many famous, historic instruments such as St Bavo's, Haarlem and St Michael's, Zwolle.
In October, 2011 Joshua received first prize (shared) in the Intermediate Section of the Sydney Organ Competition.
Performances have seen Joshua play in major Sydney venues such as the Sydney Opera House, as part of its Open Day celebrations in 2010 and 2011, the Sydney Town Hall, St Mary's Cathedral, St Andrew's Cathedral, and St Stephen's Macquarie Street.
In 2013 Joshua won the Organ Scholarship at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. His term lasted from late January to August 2013. Since then he has been appointed Organ Scholar of St Stephen's Church, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Assistant Organist
(2009 - 2013)
David Tagg performing at Sydney Town Hall
David Tagg LTCL, ATCL, BDesArch
David Tagg commenced organ studies while at school and continues to study with Peter Kneeshaw. David has played recitals at a number of venues including the Sydney Town Hall, the Sydney Opera House, St Andrew's Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne and other churches in Sydney.
Upon leaving school he became the Organ Scholar at St Stephen's Uniting Church in Macquarie Street and in June 2011 he was appointed Assistant Organist. Since 2011 he has accompanied Stainer's 'The Crucifixion' with a massed choir in St Stephen's Good Friday concerts and last year accompanied the Sutherland Choral Society's performance of Handel's 'Messiah'.
In 2011 David sat for the Associate Diploma from the Trinity College of Music, London, achieving a distinction in organ performance; he also completed his Bachelor of Design in Architecture degree at the University of Sydney. In 2012 David was a finalist in the Sydney Organ Competition and gained his Licentiate Diploma in Organ Performance with Distinction from the Trinity College of Music, London.
David left St Stephen's to take up the position of Organ Scholar at Christ Church St Laurence on 8th September 2013.
Anthony Pasquill, Mark Quarmby & David Tagg after HymnFest 2011.
Anthony Pasquill, David Tagg & Mark Quarmby after David's final service on 8 Sept, 2013
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List of Organists and Choral Directors
