ORGANIST
Richard Nott is an organist with over 45 years’ experience of playing for a wide variety of Christian churches and cathedrals in London and Essex. He graduated from the Colchester Institute with a B.A.(Hons) in Christian Liturgical Music, and has become well-known as a reliable, committed and sensitive freelance organist.
Richard was the Director of Music at St Bede Roman Catholic Church in Chadwell Heath from 1998 to Easter 2023, where he played a fine example of a Cedric Arnold pipe organ. Read more about the Cedric Arnold organ at St Bede's. Since January 2024, he's been playing regularly at St Mary's, Hornchurch. If you'd like to book Richard to play for you during the week, please email him here.
Richard plays a valuable role with the Diocese of Brentwood by playing for services and RSCM examinations in addition to consulting on
the significant inventory of musical instruments available for liturgy. He also teaches the organ at the Cathedral. Richard works part-time for the Master of Music, and is currently helping to
digitise and archive the department's substantial number of recordings since 1983. His home office is full of equipment, including a lovely Revox B77 used for archiving reel-to-reel recordings of
Brentwood Cathedral Music concerts from mid-80s to the early 90s. In fact, Richard made most of these recordings at the time!! His next project is to update the register of organs in the
parishes.
Richard has played for both live and recorded television and radio programmes.
Richard is a member of the Independant Society of Musicians, the Royal College of Organists and
the Royal School of Church Music, and is a Fellow of both the Guild of Musicians and Singers and National Federation of Church Musicians.
Richard is available during the week and on Saturdays to play for weddings, funerals and other services. Please call or email him if you would like Richard to play at a service for you. His number can be found on the 'Contacts' page. Richard is always happy to give help and guidance to "reluctant" organists on a one-off basis, or for a few lessons on playing for the liturgy.
News
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the second update of the year. Once a month is more than I've ever achieved!
My diary of bookings to play is nice and full, although I have enjoyed a rare desk-day today. The rest of the week is very busy.
As well as playing at St. Mary's, Hornchurch on Sundays, I am spending a morning each week at the attached primary school teaching singing. I see the whole school across three hours, and have started a fledgling choir. I've been there for 1.5 terms and am enjoying working with the children. It is a very friendly school, and the staff are very supportive. I'm looking forward to starting looking at music for Lent and Easter in the coming weeks.
I have branched out into the world of mobile live-streaming. I've completed my first stream and already have two more bookings, one of which is to play the organ and stream at the same time. I'll also be working with a professional soloist, so it's going to be a busy Mass, and I'm looking forward providing a first-class service to the client.
You'll find a new page on this site all about my live-streaming.
My daughter Isabel is having the time of her life in Guildford, where she is half way through the first year of her B.A.(Hons) course in Musical Theatre. Poor girl has picked up a leg muscle injury and is not allowed to dance for a few weeks. She's not happy.
That's it for now. Take care and be good!
Best wishes,
Richard
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