Claire Innes-Hopkins is Director of Chapel Choirs at the University of St Andrews, which includes conducting the highly acclaimed St Salvator’s Chapel Choir.
Claire was Organ Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where she read Music. After university Claire spent two years as Organ Scholar at Peterborough Cathedral, gaining her FRCO in the summer 2009. In 2010 she moved to Oxford to take up the post of Tutor to the Choristers at Magdalen College School, and Associate Organist at Magdalen College. Claire began her musical career as a chorister, and 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.
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 at Easter 2014, Claire performed Giles Swayne’s virtuosic Stations of the Crosson Good Friday at Lincoln Cathedral, and was honoured that the composer attended the performance.
In April 2014, she took up the post of Assistant Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral, which included directing the girl choristers. In November 2017 Claire took on the role of Acting Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral, which included directing the boy choristers in addition to the girls.
Claire has extensive experience as a solo recitalist and an accompanist, playing at many cathedrals and concert halls, including St Paul’s, Westminster and Hereford cathedrals, and the Royal Albert Hall, where she performed Saint Saëns’ Organ Symphony, as well as playing for CD recordings and live radio broadcasts.
Claire is a Trinity College London theory examiner, and an ABRSM practical examiner. In her spare time Claire loves sport and currently plays hockey for Madras FPs Ladies 1st XI. Claire also sings, and is a soprano in the Holst Singers, conducted by Stephen Layton.
Michael Chamberlain is a third-year Campbell Watterson Organ Scholar at the University of St Andrews, where he regularly accompanies services sung by St Salvator’s Chapel Choir alongside his studies in Mathematics. He began his studies as an organ scholar at Ss Peter and Paul, Olney, in 2013. Under Lee Dunleavy, Michael was made assistant musical director of the church choir in 2017, and his responsibilities included conducting the choir as well as accompanying sung morning services and evensongs. In that same year, he went on to study organ under Anne Marsden Thomas and James Parsons, and in 2020, he passed his ABRSM Grade VIII examination with distinction.
Michael is also an accomplished pianist and came runner-up in the Milton Keynes ‘Young Musician of the Year’ competition in May 2020. Two months later, he gained his ARSM diploma with distinction under Adrian Boynton, and, upon arrival at St Andrews, was also awarded a University Piano Scholarship. Whilst studying in St Andrews Michael has played piano for Menotti’s Telephone with the St Andrews Chamber Opera Group and was fortunate to be asked to play for the Vice-Chancellor alongside a private audience.
In March 2023, Michael was elected to the role of Musical Director of St Andrews Madrigal Group. Michael is also a keen composer, with his entry having been shortlisted in the national BBC ‘Inspire’ Competition in 2019. In July 2021 he went on to win the Northampton & District Organists’ Association’s Centenary Composition Competition with his piece ‘Flourish for an Occasion,’ written for solo organ and published in their latest anthology.
Harry Sullivan is currently completing an MLitt in Sacred Music at the University of St Andrews, alongside which he is a Campbell-Watterson Organ Scholar, where he has also been awarded the School of Divinity MLitt Postgraduate Scholarship, and a St Leonard’s Master’s Scholarship.
Harry gained distinctions in both ABRSM Grade 8 Piano and Organ, winning the Margaret Willden Prize for the latter and has been organ scholar in his homes church of St Peter Mancroft Norwich and later to the University of Exeter Chapel Choir and to the church of St Michael and All Angels, Mount Dinham.
In September 2019, he was appointed Organ Scholar to St German’s Cathedral, Isle of Man. From September 2020, Harry moved to North Wales to study for a BA in Music at Bangor University. From September 2021 he held the position of Organ Scholar at St Deiniol’s Cathedral, Bangor, until he graduated from the university in July 2023 with first-class honours. Harry won multiple awards for academic achievement at the university: the Catherine Evans (Yr1), Dept of Music (Yr2), & Phillip Pascal (Yr3) prizes for academic achievement, Award for Outstanding Achievement in Editorial Musicology, (Yr3), and the Eric Morris Memorial Prize for Best Performance Recital (Yr3).
Freddie Frostwick is currently completing his undergraduate studies in Classics at the University of St Andrews, where he is a Campbell Watterson Organ Scholar. As organ scholar he accompanies St Salvator’s Chapel Choir in their weekly services as well as for concerts and special services. In November 2021 Freddie accompanied St Salvator’s Chapel Choir in their live broadcast of Sunday morning worship on BBC Radio 4 for Advent Sunday. Freddie also played for their latest CD, ‘The Tyger and the Lamb: A Christmas Dance’.Freddie began his musical career as a cathedral chorister, first at Truro Cathedral for a year, and subsequently at Westminster Abbey between 2010 and 2014. In 2014 Freddie joined Bryanston School as a music scholar and began organ studies under Graham Scott, alongside studies in piano, violin, viola and singing. In addition, he has received tuition from internationally acclaimed organists including Nathan Laube, Christian Wilson, Henry Fairs, Margaret Phillips and Ann-Elise Smoot. Freddie was appointed organ scholar at St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church, Rome for the academic year beginning September 2019. Whilst in Rome Freddie gained experience playing for the various liturgies of the church, helping compile the music lists and directing the choir. As well as an accompanist, Freddie has experience as a soloist, having performed at venues including St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, Christchurch Priory, and the Caird Hall in Dundee.
Sebastian Roberts is a third year German and Russian student, currently on a year abroad in Germany. He developed an interest for the organ during his time as a chorister at Blackburn Cathedral. In 2014 he began organ lessons with the Director of Music, Samuel Hudson. From 2016 to 2020, he studied organ at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music with Simon Mercer, achieving Grade 8 distinction in Summer 2019. From 2017-2019, Seb attended the RCO’s “Organ Scholar Experience” course in Oxford and Cambridge, receiving organ tuition from prestigious organists including Daniel Moult, Matthew Owens and Simon Williams. In addition to playing the organ, Seb is a choral scholar in St Salvator’s Chapel Choir and has taken part in a number of productions in St Andrews, most recently playing “Pelleas” in Byre Opera’s “Pelleas and Melisande” in 2022. Seb is also an ardent composer. When he was 13, his composition “God Be In My Head” was performed by Blackburn Cathedral Choir on tour in Paris, at venues including “La Madaleine” and “La Trinité”.
Sopranos
Ailsa Calder – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Anna Collins – Mary Carpenter Choral Scholarship
Amy Dunn – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Charlotte-May Tomlinson – Mary Simmers Choral Scholarship
Eilidh Deans – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Emily Kemp – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Kate Fowler – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Lydia Crabtree – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Rachel Cornille – Mary Simmers Choral Scholarship
Altos
Benjamin Hayes – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Catriona Kadirkamanathan – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Georgina Duncan – Mary Macdougall Choral Scholarship
Harriet Carlill – Alan Chalmers Choral Scholarship
Jasmin Sykes – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Rebecca Wilson – Bursary Choral Scholarship
Tenors
Hector Revill – Cedric Thorpe Davie Choral Scholarship
James McNinch – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Kieron Moore – Alan Chalmers Choral Scholarship
Nic Field – John C Hall Choral Scholarship
Sebastian Filho – David Dorward Choral Scholarship
Seb Roberts – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Basses
Benedict McClure – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Charlie Tavolato – David Dorward Choral Scholarship
Harry Edey – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Guy Minch – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Joshua Lightwing – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
Leon Tasch – Alan Chalmers Choral Scholarship
Tim Burgess – Heather C Higgins Choral Scholarship
