St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

David Orr: New Director of Music at St George's Cathedral

15 October 2007

David Orr has been appointed as Cathedral Director of Music and commenced his duties on Monday 15th October. David Orr was born in Cape Town in 1977, and matriculated at Rondebosch Boys' High School. He showed interest in music at an early age, and had his first organ lessons with Christopher Dew at St Saviour's Church, Claremont, where there was an inspiring three manual organ.

After a Gap Year in the UK, he was awarded the Charles Bryars Organ scholarship to study a BMus at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, where he majored in Organ Performance, Musicology, Analysis and Composition, while also completing the RULO, RULM and LRSM diplomas. He loved his time in Grahamstown, and having been awarded two further scholarships, he stayed on at Rhodes to complete the MMus degree in Organ Performance, under the tutelage of Christopher Cockburn.

Following the completion of his studies, David has spent the past seven years teaching music in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, initially at Epworth High School, and since January 2003, at St Anne's Diocesan College in Hilton, where he has been the choirmaster, chapel organist, and Subject Music teacher. His principal focus in both of the schools he has worked at, has been the promotion of quality choral music, particularly in the chapel. To this end he has tackled a number of major choral works with his choirs, in collaboration with some of the local boys' schools. David believes strongly that choral music is the key to music education in South Africa, and that all too often educationalists underestimate the ability of young people to respond positively to quality 'classical' music, by mistaking poor packaging for exclusivity.

Outside of teaching David has been involved with several adult choirs, and last year composed a number of pieces for a Sine Nomine Singers Evensong programme at the Hilton Arts Festival. He has also given a number of organ recitals in the last few years, together with numerous concerts with Jeff Judge (soprano saxophone) and also with Paul van Zuilenburg (trumpet).

His own musical tastes are somewhat eclectic. He loves Bach, and English string music, particularly Vaughan Williams and Finzi, and English church music features prominently too, but he also gets great pleasure from listening to some of the current female vocalists such as Diana Krall and Tierney Sutton.

David has loved his time in Kwa Zulu Natal, and has explored, particularly the Midlands area, extensively. He is passionate about the South African landscape and its wide, open spaces, and loves hiking, and exploring district roads, usually with a camera, as he is a keen photographer. He is unmarried, but he does have family in Cape Town whom he is looking forward to being closer to. David is excited about developing the music at the cathedral, and hopes to make a real contribution to the cathedral's worship and music ministry.

The Dean, Cathedral Clergy, Wardens and Council together with Director of Music Selection Committee are delighted to welcome our new Director of Music and wish him a long and blessed ministry with and among us.

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