Director of Music | Richard Brain
Richard has been Director of Music at Christ Church Southgate since February 2013. During this time, he has led the choir to sing at some of the UK’s finest cathedrals and abbeys, as well as in Italy and The Netherlands. Under Richard’s direction, the choir have expanded their repertoire to include liturgical works by the great Renaissance masters as well as perform an exciting series of Baroque and Classical oratorios. His responsibilities include directing and training the choir of adults and children for all sung services and concerts, as well as overseeing the administration of the music department.
Away from Christ Church, Richard is Head of Music at The Peterborough School, with responsibilities that include directing the school’s Chapel Choir. As a freelance conductor, Richard is Musical Director of Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society, with whom he performs a regular concert series throughout the year, and has conducted orchestras including the London Mozart Players, Amadeus Orchestra, Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia, and Forest Philharmonic, as well as the Baroque ensemble Musica Donum Dei.
Notable works conducted include, Bach Mass in B Minor, Christmas Oratorio and St John Passion, Beethoven Mass in C and Fantasia in C for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, Brahms Academic Festival Overture and Ein deutsches Requiem, Elgar The Dream of Gerontius and The Music Makers, Handel Dixit Dominus and Messiah, Haydn Creation and The Seasons, Mendelssohn Elijah, Mozart Requiem and Mass in C minor, Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony and Dona Nobis Pacem, Smyth Mass in D, and Walton Belshazzar’s Feast. Orchestral works conducted include Haydn Symphony No. 82 “The Bear,” Holst Two Songs without Words, and Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending.
You can find out more about Richard’s freelance portfolio by visiting, www.richardbrain.co.uk.
To contact Richard please email music@christchurch-southgate.org.
Organist | Kate Macpherson
Kate is the Organist of Christ Church Southgate, having previously served as the Associate Organist from 2015-2021. She is an established professional organist, accompanist, and continuo player. Previously Kate has held positions as Assistant Organist of Waltham Abbey, Assistant Organist of Crediton Parish Church (The Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross, Crediton, Devon), Organ Scholar of Portsmouth Cathedral and The Portsmouth Grammar School, and Organ Scholar of the University of Exeter. Kate is taught by Margaret Phillips, Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, and is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists (ARCO).
Kate is in demand as a continuo player, having performed with modern and period chamber ensembles including the London Mozart Players, London Handel Players and Musica Donum Dei. She has also worked as an organist and pianist with orchestras for concert performances, including Walton Belshazzar’s Feast with the Amadeus Orchestra. She is also an experienced recitalist, having performed organ recitals in numerous cathedrals and churches, including Gloucester, St Alban’s and St Edmundsbury Cathedrals.
Outside of music, Kate has a full time career in human rights law. She works as a supervising solicitor at a London-based NGO, and is also a visiting law lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire.