Christopher Mabley

Christopher Mabley was appointed Musical Director of the Philharmonic Choir of Northampton in October 2005.

A choral conductor for more than twenty-five years, he has been associated particularly with Guildford Philharmonic Choir and Twickenham Choral Society, as well as with a number of other adult and children's choirs, especially the boy choristers of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy.

For seven years, he ran his own chamber choir, Voices for Today, dedicated to the performance of music of the most recent half-century. With them he gave thirtieth-anniversary performances of Sir Andrzej Panufnik's Song to the Virgin Mary, in both the venue in which it was composed (St Mary's Church in Twickenham) and the venue for which it was commissioned (Cartmel Priory in Cumbria). The choir regularly received awards from the Performing Rights Society for their innovative programming.

Christopher was Music Director at the American Church in London for eleven years, and conducted the massed American choirs at the annual service on Thanksgiving Day in St Paul's Cathedral. With all his choirs he has enjoyed leading them on tours, both in this country and across much of central Europe, from Italy to Iceland.

Christopher was born in Guildford. While at school he began composing music, and played the organ for services at Guildford Cathedral. Winning an Organ Scholarship to Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, he took a degree in Music and was also awarded a Music Exhibition. He has subsequently taken a Master's degree in music theory and analysis, and is currently researching for a Ph.D. at Goldsmiths' College, London, in the codes and ciphers hidden in the compositions of the 'Second Viennese School'. He is also writing a book on the harmonisation of Bach's chorales.

Based in London, he teaches music at Trinity College of Music in Greenwich and at two sixth-form colleges in Kensington. He is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, for Edexcel Examinations, and for Cambridge International Examinations.

An organist of distinction, he carried away all the prizes at the National 'West of England' Organ Competition in 1984, and continues to give recitals and masterclasses by invitation.

He is greatly enjoying developing all aspects of the Philharmonic Choir's music-making, and looks forward to welcoming new and returning singers.