Jeremy Woodside
Jeremy was born in 1989 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He became organ scholar at Christ's College, Canterbury with Music Director, Robert Aburn, in 2004, while at secondary school there. Formal lessons began with Russell Kent, and Jeremy passed his Licentiate with Trinity College, London, with distinction in 2005. Gaining this, he was appointed organ scholar at ChristChurch Cathedral under Brian Law, and Assistant Music Director at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Christchurch.
In 2007, Jeremy held the position of Junior Organ Scholar at Wells Cathedral under Matthew Owens, and was also the music administrator for the concerts department at Wells Cathedral School. Whilst over there, he had a number of compositions premiered by Wells Cathedral and Chapel Choirs. He also was the accompanist for the very successful Christ's College Chapel Choir European Tour in 2007.
Performances have seen Jeremy play in major venues throughout New Zealand. Overseas, Jeremy has performed in Wells, Portsmouth and Manchester Cathedrals and St. George's Chapel Windsor, United Kingdom; The American Cathedral and Notre Dame, Paris, and various venues in Switzerland and Austria including the Musikverein in Vienna. He has participated in masterclasses with Judith Clark and Christopher Herrick, has been involved in performances with Simon O'Neill, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Will Martin and Fiona Pears, has accompanied Dame Malvina Major and Hayley Westenra, and was the rehearsal accompanist for the John Rutter Requiem in Wells, with the composer as the conductor.
In 2008, Jeremy was the organist/accompanist for the ChristChurch Cathedral Choir tour of the United Kingdom, playing for services and concerts in such buildings as Bath Abbey, Hereford Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, Exeter Cathedral, and culminating in a week at Westminster Abbey.
Jeremy is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours at the University of Canterbury, and is also the Sir Gil Simpson Assistant Organist at ChristChurch Cathedral. He was made a Fellow of Trinity College London (October 2009) in Organ Performance, and toured Europe in July 2011 accompanying the Christ's College Chapel Choir, playing in venues in Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome), Austria (including the Salzburg DOM) and France (La Madeleine, Paris, and Chartres Cathedral). Because of the damage to the Cathedral in the recent earthquake, he also gave a number of solo organ recitals in Europe (St. Paul-Within-the-Walls in Rome) and the UK to raise money for this appeal, namely at Christ Church Oxford and Westminster Abbey, and raised over $3500 NZ. Jeremy performs regularly with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra as an organist/continuo player, and recently retired as the accompanist for the Christchurch City Choir.
Jeremy directed the Cathedral Choir for the National Memorial Service in Hagley Park after the February 22 earthquake, performing to around 85,000 people. He has released three solo CDs on the Cathedral organ and is an active composer, with various choral pieces of his being published by the RSCM in the near future.
Jeremy was awarded a Lilburn Trust Composition Award (second equal) for Summer is icumen in (for Soprano, Recorder and Piano).
(Updated October 2011)
