THE P
RTAL
The importance of good music
February 2017 Page 12
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane meet Francesca Massey who is the Sub-Organist of Durham Cathedral
One of the debates that continues in the Ordinariate is about worship , and specifically which rite to use . Bound up with this debate is the place of music in worship . Continuing this theme , your Co- Editors travelled to the City of Durham to meet with Francesca Massey , Sub-Organist of Durham Cathedral since 2011 .
Francesca told us , “ I was born and brought up in Halesowen in the West Midlands . I started the organ firstly through St John ’ s church in Halesowen and then at St Thomas ’ Stourbridge where they had a great choir set up and organ scholarships . I went to school in Birmingham . My parents are supportive of music and very encouraging . Music was always something in the family but not forced upon me .”
Having heard her play , we knew that Francesca is an accomplished organist , but Jackie asked , “ Do you sing as well ?” Francesca replied , “ Yes I do . I started singing as a chorister in my church choir , then as a teenager , I sang in the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus , the youth choir of the CBSO . We regularly sang with the CBSO , with the Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle . We ’ d go off to the Saltzburg festival .
We just took it for granted , but looking back on it , being in that professional environment I recall thinking it really exciting and something I really wanted to do . I sang in the National Youth Choir as well , so I did a lot of singing but I wasn ’ t a Cathedral Chorister , I was in a Church choir . ”
Jackie commented , “ When did you realise you could actually make a living from doing what you loved ?” Francesca replied , “ I started playing the violin and moved on to the piano . I picked up the organ when I was about 12 or 13 . At first , it was a practical decision , thinking that as an organist you will probably be more in demand than as a pianist . Then I pursued organ scholarships and that was the direction my career took , although I never stopped singing or playing the piano .”
Francesca took a gap year before university . “ I did an organ scholarship at St George ’ s Chapel , Windsor Castle . I was thrown into the deep end . For much of the year I was acting assistant organist . There were various events that came upon us very swiftly that year .
Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother died . Then there were the 9 / 11 attacks , and the Golden Jubilee … it was an extremely eventful year ! That taught me just how , as a church musician , you have to be very versatile and quick to react to the needs of events going on in the world .
“ Then I became an organ scholar for three years at Gonville and Caius College , Cambridge , with a vibrant undergraduate mixed choir and a fantastic director of music , Geoffrey Webber .
“ I did an extra year in Cambridge because Geoffrey Webber took a sabbatical so I stayed on to run the choir for a term . It gave me the new experience of directing and planning music lists etc . I did some playing at Great St Mary ’ s Church as well . Following that , I went to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for a post graduate course . I ’ d done a lot of liturgical playing and choral accompaniment but I felt I needed a year to focus on my solo organ repertoire performance .