ROY MASSEY
MBE, DMus, FRCO, FRSCM, FGCM, ADCM
Dr Roy Massey, a native of the Midlands, received his musical education at the University of Birmingham under Sir Anthony Lewis and at Worcester Cathedral under Sir David Willcocks.
After various church and school appointments and a period as Conductor of the Birmingham Bach Society, he became Warden of the Royal School of Church Music at Addington Palace, Organist of Croydon Parish Church and Conductor of the Croydon Bach Choir. He returned to Birmingham as Organist of the Cathedral in 1968 and in 1974 became Organist and Master of the Choristers at Hereford Cathedral, a position from which he retired at Easter 200 1. He was nine times Conductor-in-Chief of the Three Choirs Festival where he premiered several important works for chorus and orchestra by modem English composers. He now lives in Tewkesbury.
Well known as an organ recitalist, Roy Massey has played in all the major recital series in this country and has also appeared in the USA, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. He has been broadcasting in various capacities since the age of eighteen, has appeared several times on television most notably as solo organist at a Henry Wood Promenade concert from the Royal Albert hall - and as conductor of a Good Friday performance of the Rutter 'Requiem' given by his Cathedral Choir with the London Festival Orchestra on BBC 2. Under his direction the Hereford Choir also supplied the incidental music for several productions on BBC radio and television.
Last year he was honoured by being elected to the Presidency of the Royal College of Organists and he was, until recently, a member of the Council of the Friends of Cathedral Music. He is a past President of the Cathedral Organists' Association and of the Incorporated Association of Organists and is a Governor of the Abbey School, Tewkesbury. He has been much involved with organ consultancy work over the years and among his commissions the rebuild at Ludlow Parish Church, the new organ at Lugwardine Parish Church, the restoration of the famous Willis organ in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the rebuilding of the organ in St. Woolos Cathedral, Newport, Mon., a major new instrument for St. David's Cathedral and a rebuild at Helston Methodist Church in Comwall is in hand at the moment. He was a member of the small committee responsible for the rebuilding of the famous organ in Birmingham Town Hall, and he is currently organ adviser to the Dioceses of Hereford, Worcester and Birmingham and Chairman of the annual Organ Advisers' Conference.
In 1971 he was awarded an honorary Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music for 'distinguished services to Church Music.' In 1991 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred on him the rarely awarded Lambeth degree of Doctor of Music in recognition of his work as a Cathedral organist, as a Conductor of the Three Choirs Festival, and for his outstanding achievements in many other musical spheres. In the birthday Honours list for 1997, Her Majesty the Queen awarded him an MBE for his services to Music and more recently he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.