RCO awards Diplomas, Certificates & Medals in cathedral ceremony

The Royal College of Organists has presented Diplomas and Certificates to 31 Members of the College, and awarded the RCO Medal to two distinguished practitioners and scholars from the fields of organ and choral music.

RCO President Dr Phillip Moore conferred Members of the College with Fellowship of the College (FRCO) and Associateship of the College (ARCO), and presented the Certificate (CertRCO), at a ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday 11th March.

The ceremony also saw the RCO Medal awarded to:

• Ms Anne Marsden Thomas MBE, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ pedagogy and distinguished service to the College

• Prof. Ton Koopman, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ playing, choral conducting, and organ- and choral-related scholarship

In his Conferment address, Dr Moore said: “I hope that those of you who have come to receive your diplomas today will see your success as the gateway to the whole world of music, for music is the most powerful language of all; it bridges all gaps: the linguistic gaps, the generation gaps, the national gaps and the cultural gaps.

“It was Plato who said: ‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’ Our hope for you is that your music making will bring life to those who listen to you.”

The ceremony closed with the Ede & Ravenscroft Recital in which Ashley Grote, MA, FRCO (Master of Music, Norwich Cathedral) played Prelude and Fugue in D major BWV 532 by J. S. Bach, Choral I by César Franck, and Toccata, Chorale and Fugue, Op. 16 by Francis Jackson.

The vote of thanks was given, according to custom, by Donal McCann, winner of the Limpus Prize at Fellowship in Summer 2016 and recipient of The Coventry Cathedral Recital Award 2016/2017.

The successful examination candidates and prize winners were:

THE CERTIFICATE

Summer 2016
Paul Greally (Pinner)
Geoffrey Higgins (Ealing)
James Potter (Oxford)

Winter 2017
David Cain (Fareham)

THE DIPLOMA OF ASSOCIATESHIP

Summer 2016
Marion Bettsworth (London)
Shean Bowers (Bath)
Andrew Forbes (Glasgow)
Seb Gillot (Ruislip)
Mark Keane (Roscam, Co. Galway, Eire)
Benedict Mackey (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)
David O’Shea (Donnybrook, Dublin)
Hilary Punnett (Lincoln)
Owen Saldanha (London)
Leonard Sanderman (Harrogate)
James Speakman (Oakham)
Anthony Wilson (Eastbourne)

Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Seb Gillot
Sawyer Prize and Durrant Prize: James Speakman
Lord St Audries Prize: Owen Saldanha
Sowerbutts Prize and Durrant Prize: James Speakman
Doris Wookey Prize: Seb Gillot
Samuel Baker Prize: Seb Gillot

Winter 2017
Alana Brook (Blandford Forum)
Jamie Conway (Gloucester)
Joe Cooper (Solihull)
Shanna Hart (Wellingborough)
Theodore Hill (Oxford)
Pamela Hulme (Hebden Bridge)
Lucy Morrell (Cambridge)
Catherine Olver (Cambridge)
Alexander Palotai (Chelmsford)
James Short (Hythe)
Damon Ying (Elstree)

Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Damon Ying
Sowerbutts Prize and Durrant Prize: Damon Ying
Doris Wookey Prize: Shanna Hart
Dr F. J. Read Prize: Damon Ying

THE DIPLOMA OF FELLOWSHIP

Summer 2016
Herman Jordaan (London)
Charles Maxtone-Smith (London)
Donal McCann (Belfast)
Graham Thorpe (London)

Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Donal McCann
Turpin Prize and Durrant Prize: Herman Jordaan
Harding Prize and Durrant Prize: Herman Jordaan
Samuel Baker Prize: Herman Jordaan
Arnold Richardson Prize: Herman Jordaan
Coventry Cathedral Recital Award 2016/2017: Donal McCann

THE DIPLOMA OF CHORAL DIRECTING

Autumn 2016
James Potter (Oxford)

John Brook (IAO) Memorial Prize: James Potter

The following Members were been awarded the Dr John Birch Scholarship: James Short ARCO, Anthony Wilson ARCO, and Donal McCann FRCO. This award was founded in 2015 in memory of a former President, Treasurer, and Examiner of the College.

A full gallery of images from the day can be found here on the RCO Facebook page.