Mark Wardell
Encyclopedia
Mark Wardell was Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral
from 1997 to 2009, serving for five of those years as Director of Music at the Prebendal School
, the Cathedral Choir's School
. He had previously held positions at Royal Holloway College, University of London
, St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle & Christ's Hospital School, Horsham
.
His work in Chichester
involved him in numerous live BBC broadcasts and recordings
, the Southern Cathedrals Festival
and Chichester Festivities. The Cathedral Choir at Chichester is one of the widely respected in the country
and it is the primary role of the Assistant Organist to accompany the choir in its opus dei
- the singing of the daily choral liturgies.
Mark has featured as soloist
and accompanist on numerous commercial recordings released through IMP Classics
, Carlton
, Pickwick
, Lammas
, Guild
and Priory
. He enjoys life as a recitalist and has a formidable reputation as one of the foremost British exponents of liturgical improvisation. He has performed throughout Europe
, South America
and South Africa
and has given recitals in most of the major venues in England
, including a début performance in St. John's Smith Square and Westminster Abbey
.
Chichester
's links to Bamberg
and Chartres have enabled him to give recitals in both of those cathedral
s; his programme in Chartres 2004 concluded with a 20-minute improvisation on the plainsong
: Salve Regina.
Increasingly in demand as a choral conductor
he is co-founder of the university based Chichester Chorale where he is also Organ Performance Tutor. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
On Christmas Day 2009, Mark left the Choral Foundation at Chichester Cathedral to take up the post of Director of Music at Barrow Hills School
in Surrey
.
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
from 1997 to 2009, serving for five of those years as Director of Music at the Prebendal School
Prebendal School
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral. It is a boarding and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir. Most students go on to English public schools such as Winchester, Westminster, Eton,...
, the Cathedral Choir's School
Prebendal School
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral. It is a boarding and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir. Most students go on to English public schools such as Winchester, Westminster, Eton,...
. He had previously held positions at Royal Holloway College, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle & Christ's Hospital School, Horsham
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
.
His work in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
involved him in numerous live BBC broadcasts and recordings
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, the Southern Cathedrals Festival
Southern Cathedrals Festival
The Southern Cathedrals Festival is the bringing together of the choirs of Chichester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral in the penultimate weekend of July...
and Chichester Festivities. The Cathedral Choir at Chichester is one of the widely respected in the country
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and it is the primary role of the Assistant Organist to accompany the choir in its opus dei
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
- the singing of the daily choral liturgies.
Mark has featured as soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and accompanist on numerous commercial recordings released through IMP Classics
IMP
Imp is a fantasy creature.IMP or imp may also refer to:* Interactive Mathematics Program , a Key Curriculum Press Interactive Math program* Isle of Man pound, or Manx pound* Imp , American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse...
, Carlton
Carlton Communications
Carlton Communications was a British media company. It was led by Michael Green and listed on the London Stock Exchange from 1983 until 2 February 2004, when it taken over by Granada plc to form ITV plc with Carlton gaining 32% of the new company....
, Pickwick
Pickwick Records
Pickwick Records was an American record label and distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo , Hurrah, Grand Prix, and children's records on the Cricket and Happy Time labels.The label is also...
, Lammas
Lammas
In some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, August 1 is Lammas Day , the festival of the wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year. On this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop...
, Guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
and Priory
Priory Records
Priory Records is a record company in the UK founded in 1980 and devoted mostly to church music and organ music. Important projects have included the complete psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant, all of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis settings by Herbert Howells and, more recently,...
. He enjoys life as a recitalist and has a formidable reputation as one of the foremost British exponents of liturgical improvisation. He has performed throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and has given recitals in most of the major venues in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, including a début performance in St. John's Smith Square and Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
's links to Bamberg
Bamberg Cathedral
The Bamberg Cathedral is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg....
and Chartres have enabled him to give recitals in both of those cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s; his programme in Chartres 2004 concluded with a 20-minute improvisation on the plainsong
Plainsong
Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
: Salve Regina.
Increasingly in demand as a choral conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
he is co-founder of the university based Chichester Chorale where he is also Organ Performance Tutor. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
On Christmas Day 2009, Mark left the Choral Foundation at Chichester Cathedral to take up the post of Director of Music at Barrow Hills School
Barrow Hills School
Barrow Hills School is a preparatory school for pupils aged 3–13. It is a privately run, co-educational Catholic school, situated in the Surrey countryside south-west of Godalming...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.