Biography

Roy Massey was born in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 and was educated at Moseley Grammar School

Moseley School

Moseley School: A Language College is a large comprehensive school in the Moseley area of Birmingham, England. It has a predominantly male, Muslim student population...

, Birmingham, and the University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...

. He took the Birmingham degree of B.Mus. and holds the diplomas of FRCO, CHM, and ADCM.

He was organist of St Alban-the-Martyr, Bordesley, Birmingham (1953–1960) and St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston

St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston

The Church of St Augustine of Hippo in Lyttelton Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England is a parish church in the Church of England.-Background:...

, Birmingham (1960–1965).
He became warden of the Royal School of Church Music

Royal School of Church Music

The largest church music organisation in Britain, the Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and has 11,000 members worldwide; it was originally named the School of English Church Music. It seeks to enable church music in the present and invest in its future,...

 (1965–68) as well as organist of Croydon Parish Church

Croydon Parish Church

Croydon Minster is the parish and civic church of the London Borough of Croydon. There are currently more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Minster being the most prominent.-History:...

. From 1968-1974 he was organist of Birmingham Cathedral and director of music at King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...

. Massey was elected a fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (FRSCM) in 1972 and in 1975 a fellow of St. Michael's College, Tenbury

St. Michael's College, Tenbury

The College of St. Michael and All Angels, in Tenbury Wells Worcestershire was a boys school founded by Frederick Ouseley in 1856 to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral services were performed daily in term time, and the college possessed a library that contained...

.

From 1974 to 2001 he was Organist and Master of the Choristers

Organist and Master of the Choristers

An Organist and Master of the Choristers is a title given to a Director of Music at a Cathedral, particularly an Anglican Cathedral in England. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. He is both the organist and the choirmaster....

 at Hereford Cathedral

Hereford Cathedral

The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. Its most famous treasure is Mappa Mundi, a mediæval map of the world dating from the 13th century. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.-Origins:...

. During his time at Hereford, he was nine times conductor-in-chief of the Three Choirs Festival

Three Choirs Festival

The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...

, where he commissioned and conducted the premieres of several works by British composers.

He was awarded the Lambeth degree

Lambeth degree

A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England...

 of D.Mus. in 1990 and appointed MBE

MBE

MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...

 in 1997.

Following his retirement in 2001, Massey became president of the Royal College of Organists

Royal College of Organists

The Royal College of Organists or RCO, is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, but with members around the world...

(2003–05). He remains active as a concert organist, and gave the opening recital on the newly-rebuilt organ at Hereford Cathedral in 2005.

His arrangement of a Ukrainian melody, 'Long the night', was published in the carol anthology Noel! published by Novello in 2000.