Christopher Kent
Christopher Kent, honorary organist at St, Nicholas, read music at The University of Manchester and studied organ and conducting at The Royal Manchester College of Music and musicology at King’s College London. In 1973 he received the Hilda Margaret Watts Prize for the M.Mus. examination, and in 1976, a Louise Dyer Award for research into British Music from the editorial committee of Musica Britannica. After completing a Ph.D. on Elgar's sketches he continued organ and harpsichord studies with Gustav Leonhardt prior to joining the Department of Music at The University of Reading where he established an influential postgraduate course in Organ Historiography. He retired from this post in 2002 to devote more time to research, writing, and performing. His main publications include A Guide to Elgar Research which is currently being revised and expanded to include a Thematic Catalogue. Latterly, he has contributed to the Cambridge Guide to Elgar, the Cambridge Musical Instrument Guides, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart and The New Dictionary of National Biography. He is a member of The Association of Independent Organ Advisers, the Organs Advisory Committee of The Church Buildings Council, a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Musicians and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities. He has performed widely in Britain, Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia and the U.S.A. Recent papers at musicological conferences include the 2006 Handelfest in Halle and the 2008 and 2009 Oxford Symposiums of the British Institute of Organ Studies. He has been honorary organist at the chapel of St.Nicholas, Tytherton Lucas since 1973 and is dedicated to an historically informed restoration of the organ of St. Andrew’s Church, Chippenham. He his recordings include the organs of the Stiftkirche, Klosterneuberg, Austria (Freundt 1632) and, the Walpurgiskirche, Grossengottern, Germany (Trost 1716) which was inspirational for instrument in Bowood House Chapel (Collins 2002) for which he was the consultant. Recently, he acted as consultant for the restoration of an organ by William Allen of ca. 1810 for the church of St. Martin’s Bremhill.
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