Alexander Mason Organist and Master of Choristers at St Davids Cathedral became the Dyfed Choir Principal Conductor and Director of Music on 1st January 2008. The appointment follows the departure in the summer of 2007 of Timothy Noon to take up residence as Director of Music at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool.St Davids Cathedral is a magnet for talented musicians and Alexander Mason continues that tradition. He studied at Worcester College, Oxford (Organ Scholar); The Royal Conservatory, The Hague (Improvisation) and The Royal College of Music (Choral Conducting). His teachers were David Sanger, Jos van der Kooy and Paul Spicer. He became an FRCO aged 18 winning the Turpin, Durrant and Dixon prizes and later received awards from the Countess of Munster, Ian Fleming and Eric Thompson trusts.
CHOIR HISTORY
1967 - 1985 John S Davies is a leading figure in the musical life of West Wales. The charismatic direction of the founder soon ensured a fine reputation for the Choir, enjoying a close relationship with the Fishguard Festival of which he was Director. The Dyfed Choir was frequently retained by the BBC for performances with orchestras such as the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, under guest conductors of the calibre of Roger Norrington, Sir Colin Davies, Sir David Willcocks, Sir Charles Mackerras and Richard Hickox, until the formation of BBC Welsh Chorus.
1985 - 1998 Christopher Barton, Master of Choristers at St Woolos Cathedral, Newport developed the Choir's reputation for the late Baroque and Classical repertoire. During his tenure there was special interest in presenting Baroque music with ensembles of period instruments, including a memorable performance of Messiah in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea with the Gabrieli Consort. It was fitting that Christopher's last concert as Director should have been a performance of Dvorak's Stabat Mater in The Smetana Hall, Prague, with the Prague Radio Orchestra.
1998 - 2000 James Thomas, Director of Music at Christ College, Brecon extended the repertoire with a range of music not previously performed by the Choir. He moved to Sussex in mid-2000 but his relatively short tenure included a memorable performance of the Vaughan-Williams 'Dona Nobis Pacem' and, to celebrate the Millennium, the first ever performance at Saint Davids Cathedral of the Bach 'St Matthew Passion' .
2001 Seimon Morris had been Deputy Music Director since 1986 and is well known throughout the area as a music teacher in local schools, as a private music teacher, as accompanist to the Pembrokeshire Youth Choir, as Choirmaster of Wiston Parish Church, as a composer, as an active participant in a wide variety of local music groups. Seimon resigned in July 2001 to pursue his interest in alternative approaches to choral music.
2002 - 2007 Timothy Noon greatly extended the Choir's repertoire, spanning the entire range from Renaissance to contemporary music, with Rachmaninov 'Vespers', Verdi 'Requiem' among other notable concerts. He was noted for his rapport with audiences, drawing them into the event and explaining the origins and significance of the music they were about to hear. In the summer of 2007, Timothy Noon was appointed Director of Music at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool