Julian Parkin, Musical Director since January 2012
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Julian Parkin gained a choral scholarship to attend Melbourne
Grammar School as head chorister of the chapel choir under the
direction of Ian Holtham. Julian graduated Bachelor of Arts, Trinity
College, University of Melbourne in 1992 reading Music and
Geography. In 1994 he completed a Bachelor of Letters at the
university having read History. He was a choral scholar with the
Trinity College Chapel Choir from 1990 and became Acting Director of
Music at the College in 1993; after the appointment of a Director of
Music in 1994, he was appointed Assistant Conductor. Whilst in
Melbourne, he studied conducting with John Rivers, Peter Godfrey (ex
King’s College, Cambridge) and Christopher Dearnley (ex St Paul’s
Cathedral London). During this time he sat on the RSCM Victoria
Branch Committee.
During 1994 he accepted the position of bass choral scholar at
Winchester Cathedral during which time he studied with and sang
under the cathedral’s Master of Music, David Hill. Whilst at
Winchester he took part in two compact discs, broadcasts for radio
and television and sang with the Hilliard Ensemble for a performance
of Arvo Part’s Passio in London.
Moving to Wells in 1995 to sing with the cathedral choir he sang
under Malcolm Archer, taught at Wells Cathedral School and assisted
the Diocesan Music Advisor for three years. This involved assisting
in the administration and musical direction of Diocesan Festivals
and giving workshops on vocal technique. At the cathedral school he
worked under the guidance of the Director of Music, Roger Durston,
conducting various music groups, including the boys' choir and
chapel choir. He directed Nailsea Choral Society in a season of
concerts presenting Malcolm Archer’s Requiem, Stainer’s Crucifixion,
Handel’s Ode to St Cecilia, anthems by John Blow, the annual carols
concert and a summer’s evening of secular music.
At this time he formed His Master’s Voices, a group dedicated to
period performance of sacred choral music from the Renaissance,
Tudor and Baroque periods, and Armonico Tributo, a period
instruments ensemble. Over a period of 18 months HMV gave seven
concerts in Wells Cathedral and surrounding parish churches. The
climax to the second concert series included countertenor James
Bowman as soloist. It was during this time that he organised a
revival of Marcel Dupré’s majestic Les Vêpres de la Vierge Opus 18
for grand orgue, choeur orgue and men’s plainsong. Jeremy Rouse
(Assistant DOM Bedford School) and Malcolm Archer (Head of Chapel
Music, Winchester College) were the organists.
On returning to Australia he has been involved with professional
singing and conducting engagements including the Directorships of
the Geelong Early Music Ensemble, the choir of St Anselm’s Anglican
Church, Middle Park and Queen's College Chapel Choir at the
University of Melbourne. Eighteen months in Sydney gave Julian the
chance to direct a small select choir, Praeclarae Cantores. The
group’s first public concert (Vivaldi, Philips, Carissimi and
Monteverdi) involved professional singers from the choir of St.
James’s, King Street and Cantillation and instrumentalists from the
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. In addition he sang in the choir
of St James’s, King Street, Australia’s finest and only professional
parish choir and has recorded with Cantillation.
From 1994 to 1996 he was founding Director of Music at St
Bartholomew’s, Burnley, an inner city Anglican parish church with a
strong focus on liturgical music from plainsong to the present day.
He sang with and was occasional director of the Choir of the
Canterbury Fellowship in Melbourne. Settling in England with his
wife, he has deputised in the choirs of Norwich and Guildford
Cathedrals and Magdalen and New College Choirs in Oxford and helped
with the music in each school where he has been employed. He is
presently Choirmaster at All Saints’ in the beautiful Regency town
of Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
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