11:30 Bank Holiday Celebrity Organ Recital: Claire Innes Hopkins

Claire Innes-Hopkins
Monday 29th August 2016

Claire Innes-Hopkins is Assistant Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral, where she directs the girl choristers of the Cathedral Choir, as well as accompanying the boys and men.  She took up this post after Easter in 2014, having previously been Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral.

Beginning her musical career as a chorister, and subsequently Head Chorister at St Albans Cathedral, Claire then moved to Christ’s Hospital for her sixth form studies, following which she took up the post of Assistant Organist at Winchester College for her gap year.  Claire graduated with a BA in Music from Selwyn College, Cambridge, where she was Organ Scholar.  Following university Claire spent two years as Organ Scholar at Peterborough Cathedral, gaining her FRCO in the summer 2009.  In September 2010 she moved to Oxford for a year to take up the post of Tutor to the Choristers at Magdalen College School, where she was also Associate Organist at Magdalen College.

Moving to Lincoln Cathedral in 2011, her main responsibilities as Assistant Organist included accompanying the Cathedral Choir, training the probationary choristers, and conducting the chamber choir, Lincoln Cathedral Consort.  For her swan-song upon leaving Lincoln, Claire performed Giles Swayne’s Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Lincoln Cathedral, and was honoured that the composer attended the performance.

Claire’s musical work is diverse: she is happy doing many things, including conducting children’s choirs and workshops, accompanying and directing cathedral and chamber choirs, continuo playing, working in schools and giving solo organ recitals.  She has given recitals at many places including King’s and St John’s College, Cambridge and Hereford Cathedral: one of her most exciting concerts to date was performing Saint-Saëns Symphony no. 3 (Organ Symphony) at the Royal Albert Hall.   Claire also sings, and is a soprano in the Holst Singers, conducted by Stephen Layton: in March she is singing the Pergolesi Stabat Mater in a performance at Rochester.

Programme

Entrance is by programme at a cost of £10 and includes refreshments served from 11:00