Winchester College Quiristers, Katie Salomon & Malcolm Archer
Biography Winchester College Quiristers, Katie Salomon & Malcolm Archer
Winchester College Chapel Choir
sings the regular services in Winchester College Chapel. Winchester College was founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, in 1382, and Winchester College Quiristers have for over 625 years sung services in Winchester College Chapel. In modern times they have formed a choir renowned for its excellence, and their musical director is Malcolm Archer.
The Quiristers, who form the top line of the choir, perform a wide variety of music at home and abroad. They benefit from bursaries, a first rate all-round education, and a particularly broad musical training. This builds confidence, teamwork and a commitment to the highest standards. The Quiristers also sing on their own as a concert choir, as well as with Winchester College Chapel Choir. The senior boys from the College, many with previous experience as both choristers and Quiristers, provide the lower voices.
Since 1966 the Quiristers have attended The Pilgrims’ School. They are given bursaries which are funded by Winchester College, and means tested top up funding is available up to 100 per cent. At Pilgrims’ the Quiristers benefit from the best academic teaching and join in all the school’s sporting activities.
Malcolm Archer
has had a distinguished career in church music. He held the post of Organist and Director of Music at Bristol, Wells and St Paul’s Cathedral. He was subsequently Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College for eleven years.
Malcolm studied as an RCO scholar at the Royal College of Music and was Organ Scholar at Jesus College Cambridge. His organ teachers were Ralph Downes, Gillian Weir and Nicolas Kynaston.
As an organist and harpsichordist he is in frequent demand. He has given solo concerts all over the world, including the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Europe. His performances with orchestra have included Poulenc’s Organ Concerto and Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, Brandenburg Concerto No.5 and the Bach keyboard concertos. Malcolm has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in a classic rock concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Moreover, he has an extensive concert repertoire and has recorded a wide variety of works including J.S. Bach organ works and Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneuras.
Katie Salomon
is a professional harpist and teacher based in South-West England.
She first performed Britten’s Ceremony of Carols in Salisbury Cathedral with the cathedral choir whilst herself a young girl chorister, and first recorded it to great acclaim in 2002.
She feels particularly close to Britten’s Suite for Harp, loving it as a showpiece for the instrument, having studied as a post graduate with Sioned Williams who in turn studied with Ossian Ellis, the harpist for whom Britten wrote this Suite.
Her recordings with choir include performances of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Janacek’s Otce nas, both works which feature the harp as a principal accompaniment instrument. She has recorded with record labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Universal, Decca and Demon.
Katie is much in demand as a harpist. She enjoys all styles of playing from classical through to contemporary encompassing orchestral, chamber and solo performance.
She has a reputation as a gifted accompanist to choirs in these more intimate pieces, as a soloist – as shown in her interpretation of the Suite – and a crossover artist invited to play at venues as diverse as Buckingham Palace, London Guildhall and Wembley Pavilion Arena with other highlights being solo stage performances for the Wimbledon Champions’ Award Ceremony, the Rugby World Cup and Royal Ascot.
