Richard Apperley
From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Assistant Director of Music, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Richard Apperley is at the forefront of New Zealand's younger generation of liturgical organists, recitalists and choral conductors. He is currently the Assistant Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, where he is responsible for accompanying services and assisting with the direction of the cathedral’s choirs. Richard formerly held the post of Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral, where he benefited from the opportunity of accompanying and directing one of the UK’s top cathedral choirs.
Alongside his work at the cathedral, Richard is Musical Director of Cantoris, a Wellington based chamber choir. The choir explores a diverse range of music – concerts in 2012 will range from medieval Christmas music through to Will Todd's astounding Mass in Blue. He is also Musical Director for the Bach Cantata Vesper series at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Newtown, where he leads Ensemble Abendmusik in performances of baroque Lutheran cantatas in a liturgical setting.
He is also one of New Zealand's most active organ teachers and is passionate about fostering a love of the organ in the younger generation. Recent highlights have included Internal Organ, a recital at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul given by Michael Stewart, where audience members were invited to experience the organ from different locations around the cathedral, as well as from inside the organ itself thanks to a multi-speaker installation in the lady chapel.
Richard is also co-director and engineer for his audio production company, Hadfield Audio – a specialist location recording company with a focus on choral and organ music. Recordings are usually released on his Organism label – founded in 2010 to allow independent artists to record and release recordings with minimal costs and absolute control over the finished product. Richard has released three of his own recordings on the label so far – a disc featuring Johann Kuhnau's Biblical Sonatas, a recording of Elgar's Vesper Voluntaries on the Norman and Beard organ at St James' Presbyterian Church Newtown – shortly to be demolished, and most recently a disc of organ works by Dietrich Buxtehude. Upcoming releases include recordings by the Tudor Consort, Dianne Halliday and Lisette Wesseling.
As an organist Richard has a particular interest in the music of Buxtehude, Howells and contemporary works. He also has a passion for Anglican psalmody, and has led the publication of new psalters at both the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul and Lincoln Cathedral. A keen promoter of New Zealand organ music, Richard has compiled and edited two volumes of New Zealand organ works, published by Fagus Music (UK). He has also given many recitals of the repertoire, and has recorded a concert for broadcast by Radio New Zealand Concert.
http://www.richardapperley.com
