Choir: People
Benjamin Nicholas was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral before holding organ scholarships at Chichester Cathedral, Lincoln College, Oxford and St Paul's Cathedral. After a period as Director of Music of St Luke’s Church, Chelsea, he was Director of Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum for twelve years.
Benjamin is currently Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford and Music Director of The Oxford Bach Choir. As a conductor, he has appeared with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Florilegium, The BBC Singers and The Holst Singers in works such as Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony and Holst’s Savitri.
Benjamin Nicholas has been involved in the commissioning of a great many works, and conducted the premiere of Charlotte Bray’s Bach Re-imagined in Southwark Cathedral with the City of London Sinfonia, Howard Goodall’s Veni Sancte Spiritus in Westminster Abbey and numerous choral works by Kerry Andrew, Birtwistle, Chilcott, Dove, Jackson, MacMillan, Martin, Muhly, Tabakova, Weir, and Wilby in Tewkesbury and Oxford.
As an organist, Benjamin has appeared in concert with the Tallis Scholars, and has most recently given recitals in Bath Abbey and Munich Dom. This year he will give recitals in King’s College, Cambridge, Belgium and Rome.
Email: Benjamin Nicholas
Owen Chan is Senior Organ Scholar; he is in his third year studying Mathematics and Philosophy.
François Cloete is currently Junior Organ Scholar at Merton College, Oxford, and is in his second year reading Music. François accompanies the College Choir and Girls’ Choir for their schedule of five services a week, concerts, and tours. As organ scholar François has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic, and Instruments of Time and Truth, as well as playing for live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Danish Radio. François has given organ recitals at Christ Church, Exeter, Keble, Queen’s, and Merton colleges, in addition to recitals at Trinity College, Cambridge, Passiontide at Merton, and the 2023 Three Choirs Festival. Alongside his work as organ scholar and recitalist, François has recently taken up the posts of accompanist to the Oxford Bach Choir and Assistant Organist at Pusey House.
François was educated at Wells Cathedral School as a specialist musician and has held organ scholarships at Wells Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral. At the age of 19 François became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, receiving three prizes for highest marks in every component of the examinations. In 2023 François took up directorship of the Oxford Baroque Players and is an active harpsichordist studying with Terence Charlston (RCM), giving solo recitals at the Bate Collection and Holywell Music Room. François also maintains a busy profile as a collaborative pianist, playing for recitals and public examinations across the University, including a sell-out performance of Schubert’s Winterreise in January.
François currently studies organ repertoire with Christian Wilson and David Ponsford under the Oxford-RAM scheme.
Carys Lane, Giles Underwood, and William Purefoy 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.
Peter Phillips, founder and director of The Tallis Scholars, is Patron of the College Choir. It was Peter’s idea that the College should consider establishing a Choral Foundation. Along with Benjamin Nicholas, he was a Reed Rubin Director of Music from 2008, a post he held until 2016. His involvement included recordings, tours and broadcasts, as well as conducting the choir on a number of occasions each term. The College is enormously grateful for Peter’s enthusiasm for the Choral Foundation and is delighted that he has accepted the honorary position of Patron. Peter is also a Bodley Fellow of the College.