New Choir Cassocks and Cottas:
Now that that the organ is installed and the choir re-sited, the next stage of renewal is to look at getting new choir cassocks and cottas. The current roman purple choir gowns have been in use for 25+ years and have seen better days. Some gratefully received donations were made towards buying something new a while back, and we have decided to get them from J & M Sewing Services in Newcastle. They will be more traditional than the current gowns – black cassocks and white cottas. They will be made to measure and should look very dignified and smart. We still need to raise some money before the order can go in - any donations, clearly marked for the Choir Robe fund, would be very gratefully received. |
The Cathedral’s Organist and Director of Music is Robert Osmond who was appointed to the Cathedral for a second time in 2020, having held the post for some years during the 1990s.
As well as being Director of Music at the Cathedral, Robert is the regular Vigil Mass Organist at Sacred Heart, Paignton on Saturday evenings, when Cathedral duties allow. He had the pleasure of working with the Cathedral Dean, Canon Mark O’Keeffe, for several years when Canon Mark was the Parish Priest of Paignton. Robert has been involved in church music since the age of 7, firstly as a chorister, then as an Assistant Organist at 15 and Organist / Director of Music from the age of 21. He has served in parishes’ locally in Devon and in both Kilburn and Willesden Green in London. Raised in the Anglo - Catholic tradition within the Church of England, Robert was received into full communion with the Holy See in early 1993, by the late Fr. Tony Bennett at Sacred Heart, Paignton and was subsequently Director of Music there before being appointed to the Cathedral a couple of years later. If you might be interested in joining the choir, or for any other musical enquiries, Robert would be delighted to hear from you. He can be contacted in the following ways:- E Mail: robert.osmond@hotmail.com Mobile: 07970 - 566466 |