Who’s Who

George Inscoe has joined the Minster Music Department as at August 2022. He was Assistant Organist at Norwich Cathedral for three years, having previously held the cathedral’s organ scholarship. Prior to his move to Norfolk, he was the organ scholar at the Temple Church and St Mark’s Church, Hamilton Terrace in London. His musical career began as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. In December 2005 he was chosen to be a soloist for the Young Voices Tour of the UK, performing in some of the countries’ largest and most prestigious concert halls including the Manchester and Sheffield Arenas, the Birmingham NIA and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Other prestigious events included the 2008 Lambeth Conference. He was made Senior Chorister in his final year.

George studied the Piano and the Organ with David Flood whilst a student at St Edmund’s School, Canterbury where he was a music scholar. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music where he was a scholarship student, studying with Susan Landale (in London and Paris) and Bine Bryndorf (in Copenhagen), and he also studied improvisation with Gerard Brooks and Neil Wright. Whilst at the 

academy, George won numerous prizes for performance and academic achievement and performed regularly in concerts as part of the renowned Bach Cantata series and Widor Organ Symphonies series. During this time, George performed with the London Mozart players in Cadogan Hall; the City of London Sinfonia in St Paul’s Cathedral and appeared on stage at the Royal Festival Hall.

When not at the Organ, George will often be found playing football or out on the Golf course! 

Sophie Garbisu studied lyrical singing at the Regional Conservatory of Bordeaux, France, with Maryse Castets. In 2019 she performed with Les Musiciens du Louvre for a tour in West Europe. Having obtained her diploma, she returned to her alma mater to teach Music Theory and ear-training, alongside studying choir conducting. Having discovered a passion for Anglican Church Music, she came to England to develop her expertise in the English Choral tradition. She arrived at Croydon Minster in September 2020 and has sung with the Minster’s choir while assisting the Director of Music. Currently, she holds the post of Assistant Director of Music with responsibility for contributing to the vocal training of the children in the boys’ and girls’ choirs.

Sophie has also taken on the post of Singing Development Leader to develop Croydon Sings! a children’s singing programme that offers enhanced singing support to state primary school children in Croydon who have little or no access to music. In co-ordination with the rest of the Minster music staff, Sophie will deliver the programme to both local schools and the Minster choirs.

We were saddened by the death of Martin How in July 2022.  Martin had been an integral part of the musical life of the Minster as honorary organist and resident composer since his retirement from the RSCM and was known and loved by choristers and musicians worldwide. 

Martin was born in Liverpool, where his father was Rector of St Nicholas Church. The family then moved to Brighton, where Martin’s father was Vicar at St Peters Parish Church. The family then moved to Glasgow just before the second world war, and Martin spend most of his childhood there.

Educated at Repton School where he was a Music Scholar, he was then awarded an Organ Scholarship at Clare College, Cambridge, where he read Music and Theology. In this post he had responsibility for the Chapel Choir of men and boys, and Choral Society. He was a keen athlete, and ran for the university, narrowly missing being awarded a ‘Blue’ for cross-country running.

After university he was in the Army for two years where he gained a National Service Commission. He still claims that this experience was invaluable for his later profession.

Later, he was for some years at Grimsby in Lincolnshire where his post as Organist and Choirmaster at Grimsby Minster was combined with school teaching and various musical activities.

Martin spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music where he was known principally as a choir trainer specialising in the training and motivation of young singers. In this capacity he initiated and developed the RSCM Chorister Training Scheme which has since been used in various forms in many parts of the world. He also inaugurated the RSCM Southern Cathedral Singers, a group which has broadcast frequently on BBC Radio’s Choral Evensong from Canterbury Cathedral and elsewhere.

Martin travelled widely as a choral conductor, accompanist, lecturer and adjudicator. In this capacity he worked in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Belgium and Holland.

Martin was appointed MBE for ‘Services to Church Music’ in the 1993 New Year Honours List.

Reunion of former Minster Organists (May 2016): Back Row (left to right): Simon Lole, Dr Peter Nardone. Front Row (left to right): Carl Jackson, David Swinson, Nigel McClintock, Andrew Cantrill, Ronny Krippner.

Before the fire of 1867 records are incomplete, but include:

Thomas Attwood Walmisley 1830-1833

After the fire of 1867

• John Rhodes 1857-1868
• Frederick Cambridge 1868-1911
• F Rowland Tims 1911-1918
• H Leslie Smith 1918-1948
• Edward Shakespeare 1948-1952
• J.A. Rogans (Hon) 1952-1953
• B. Aldersea 1952-1957
• J.A. Rogans (Hon) 1957-1958
• Derek Holman 1958-1965
• Roy Massey 1965-1968
• Michael Fleming 1968-1978
• David Brookshaw 1978-1980
• Simon Lole 1980-1985
• Carl Jackson 1986-1990
• David Swinson 1990-1992
• Peter Nardone 1993-2000
• Nigel McClintock 2000-2007
• Andrew Cantrill 2008–2012
• Tom Little (Acting) 2012-2013
• Dr Ronny Krippner 2013- 2021

Professor Derek Holman 2011- 2019
Dr Roy Massey MBE 2011-

Fraser Ellson is a recent Graduate of the University of Nottingham reading Music. He has been singing with the Genesis 16 for the past year and learnt a great deal from the ever great Harry Christophers, which has really propelled his love of the choral tradition. He has sung at various cathedrals across Europe and at many other venues as well. Fraser considers a personal highlight came was singing in a fashion show for Burberry! Alongside the choral singing he enjoys solo repertoire singing recitals and events in a variety of different genres (He is a member of a Barbershop Quartet embarrassingly named “Fresh Trim”!). A favourite choral piece for Fraser would be something between Brahm’s German Requiem and Durufle’s Requiem, both holding special places in his personal history. He adores any Vaughan-Williams choral works and Quilter is a personal favourite for both Choral and Solo repertoire. Recently Fraser has ventured into Operatic repertoire, singing a varied range of Operatic Arias in his final recital at University. He is looking forward to being part of the Minster environment to cultivate some truly beautiful singing.

Oliver Turner is a 21 year old vocalist who began singing with the Hallé family of choirs starting in 2012 with their Children’s Choir. Soon after this he began singing as a soloist in music festivals in the Greater Manchester area with success in a number of classes, styles and areas. From here he continued working on his vocal skills, studying at the Chetham’s School for Music for two years, under the tutelage of the excellent Helen Francis. He moved to the University of York to study academic music with singing lessons from renowned baritone Alex Ashworth. Oliver committed to being an active and essential part of live music at York, singing with groups including The 24, The Yorkshire Bach Choir, Vox, and in 2021 became the Bass Choral Scholar at Bradford Cathedral. Oliver has studied piano, guitar, and, over lockdown between chess and baking, picked up the cello. Aside from performance at university, Oliver held numerous committee roles including for the Opera Society, as the department representative for his second year, and in his final year was President of the Music Society. Oliver finished university with a final recital of Schumann’s Dichterliebe, achieving a first and being awarded the John Paynter prize for outstanding contribution to musical life at York. He has now moved to London looking to further his training, contribute as much as possible at the Whitgift School and Croydon Minster, and work out the tube system.