The Chaplain

The Revd Dr Simon Jones (Fellows' 3:2) has been Chaplain of Merton since 2002. As well as being responsible for the day to day life of the Chapel, Simon also co-ordinates the various College welfare bodies and convenes the College's Student Support Committee and patronage committee. He is always happy to speak in confidence with any member of College (regardless of religious affiliation) concerning any matter.

Email: Dr Simon Jones
Telephone: 01865 276365.

Before coming to Merton, Simon served his curacy at Tewkesbury Abbey in the Diocese of Gloucester. He trained for ordination at Westcott House in Cambridge and, as a member of Selwyn College, completed a PhD in Syrian baptismal theology. His current research interests include recent revisions of Anglican baptismal rites, Gregory Dix and the origin and development of marriage rites.  He is a member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission, chairs the Oxford Diocesan Liturgical Committee and is also liturgy tutor at St Stephen's House, Oxford.

Junior Chaplain

The Revd Mark Stafford assists with Chapel services and activities. He is the Curate of St Barnabas, Jericho. A former Circus performer, he ran a South London Youth Work Trust for 10 years before training for ordination at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. He is currently completing an MA in Group Analytic Psychotherapy.

Email: The Revd Mark Stafford

The Revd Peter Anthony assists with Chapel services and activities. He is a graduate student and Junior Dean at St Stephen's House, where he trained for ordination, and is now working on a DPhil in New Testament Apocalyptic. Before returning to Oxford, Peter was a curate in Hendon, North London, and before that a Modern Linguist at Magdalen.

Email: The Revd Peter Anthony

Chapel Officers

A number of students assist with the running of the Chapel. Chapel Wardens welcome people to services, arrange readers and servers for the main Sunday evening service and send out the weekly Chapel email. The sacristans light candles and ring the bells before services and often serve at the Sunday evening Eucharist. The Chapel Clerk arranges the rota of weekday readers and the Graduate Representative organises out-of-term activities for members of the MCR. This year’s officers are:

Chapel Wardens: Alice Brooke and Kristine Merriman

Sacristans: Joe Hutchinson and Marie Sall

Chapel Clerk: Jonathan Burr

To find out more about how to get involved, email the Chaplain or phone him on 01865 276365.

Reed Rubin Directors of Music

Benjamin Nicholas was appointed a Reed Rubin Director of Music at Merton College in 2008, and in September 2012 takes up the full-time post of Organist and Director of Music. He has conducted the College Choir on tours to the USA and France, on BBC Radio 3 and on the choir's debut CD In the beginning. He has directed the choir of men and boys at Tewkesbury Abbey for the last twelve years and has been Director of Choral Music at Dean Close School since 2005. In 2011 he succeeded Andrew Carwood as Director of the Schola Cantorum at the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy.

He has also conducted much of the large-scale choral repertoire including performances of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Vaughan William's Sea Symphony  and Berlioz's Te Deum. He has also commissioned numerous composers including Caldwell, Chilcott, Dubra, Goodall, Ives, Jackson, Skempton and Wilby. His recordings for Delphian include discs of Mozart, Rutter, Stanford and Weelkes.

Benjamin was a chorister in the Choir of Norwich Cathedral before holding organ scholarships at Lincoln College, Oxford and St Paul's Cathedral. As an undergraduate he was Conductor of The Oxford Chamber Choir, and in 2000 held the post of Director of Music of St Luke's Church, Chelsea.

Email: Ben Nicholas

Peter Phillips was educated at Winchester College and St John's College Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar between 1972 and 1975. He founded the Tallis Scholars in 1973. He taught at the Royal College of Music until 1988, after which he devoted himself to concert-giving and recording. He became Reed Rubin Director of Music at Merton College in 2008. Peter has written a music column in the Spectator since 1983; and became the Publisher of the Musical Times in 1995. He first worked in Merton College Chapel in 1974, since when, along with the Tallis Scholars and the BBC Singers, he has returned to make many broadcasts and recordings. He hopes now to build on this experience with the singers of the new Merton College Choral Foundation.

Video of the Tallis Scholars singing in Merton Chapel

Organ Scholars

Anna Steppler is the Organ Scholar and a second year music undergraduate at Merton. She began playing the organ in 2008 on becoming the Nicholas Maines Organ Scholar at St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb. She spent her gap year studying the organ at Trinity College of Music with Ian Curror, performing both as a soloist and continuo player. She currently learns with William Whitehead, and was awarded the ARCO in 2011.

Vocal Coaches

Carys Lane and Giles Underwood are the College’s Vocal Coaches. They work with the Choral Scholars on a regular basis whilst continuing to give concerts both in the UK and abroad.

Chapel Administrator

For information about booking the chapel for concerts and recordings, please contact the Chapel Administrator, Rachel Fright.

 

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