Our musicians
Music Director: Catherine Olver
Originally from Belfast, Catherine studied music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where, as organ scholar, she was responsible for conducting and accompanying the choir. Prior to this, she was awarded organ scholarships at both St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh and Rochester Cathedral and has since become an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. She is a member of SWO (Society of Women Organists) and co-coordinated the Jennifer Bate Organ Academy for four years.
Catherine is currently Professor and Director of Academic Studies for the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth, where she teaches academic music courses to aspiring Bandmasters and adjudicates in-house competitions. She combines this with weekend organ-playing at Holy Trinity Church, Guildford.
Catherine’s inspiration for choral direction started at school when she sang in the award-winning Chapel Choir of Methodist College Belfast under Ruth McCartney. Since then, she has studied under Paul Brough, Graham Walker and Robin Walker and has also enjoyed working with chapel choirs and chamber choirs in her previous roles as Acting Assistant Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College and Head of Organ, School Organist and Teacher of Academic Music at St Catherine’s School, Bramley.
Outside of work, Catherine enjoys giving organ recitals, studying for a part-time Master’s in Music Psychology and composing new choral works. Rest assured, she also enjoys non-musical activities such as running (followed by a hearty lunch), and supporting Ireland in the Six Nations!
Assistant Music Director: Malcolm Keeler
Malcolm graduated with a degree in Music from Royal Holloway College, University of London, where he studied Organ with John Porter. As a member of their Schola Cantorum he sang in many of the cathedrals in Southern England. For eleven years he was organist and choirmaster of St Mark’s church in Portsea. He has performed as a soloist for the Lee Singers and for the Midhurst Music Society. He has accompanied visiting choirs at a number of Cathedrals, including Manchester, Durham, Newport, Llandaff and Salisbury.
Malcolm has also been the Musical Director of Portsmouth Baroque Choir since 2008.
Karen Kingsley: our concert accompanist
Karen Kingsley studied with Jean Harvey at the Royal Academy of Music, gaining prizes and commendations for solo and ensemble performances. Whilst there she had the privilege of performing Lutoslawski’s Epitaph for oboe and piano to the composer, and gave her first performance of the Gershwin Piano Concerto. She was also the orchestral pianist for the world premiere of Kurt Weill’s Streetscene.
Subsequent concerto performances include works by Beethoven, Chopin, Gerhardt, Grieg, Haydn, Mozart, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Rubinstein, Saint-Saens and Shostakovich.
Karen greatly enjoys chamber music. She is a member of the Monington Duo with clarinettist Robert Blanken, pianist in the Dunwald Ensemble and has enjoyed numerous collaborations with string players and singers. She was for many years one of the accompanists for Southampton University, and whilst there joined saxophonist Angela Space for a performance at the International SaxOpen in Strasbourg.
She is a busy accompanist, playing for many festivals, masterclasses and summer schools.