Adrian Bawtree MA (Oxon.) FRCO LRAM is Organist at Christ’s Hospital. After 22 years in the music business, he still retains his passion for teaching the organ, for giving solo organ recitals and for  accompanying choirs. The majority of his work has been in the South of England, most notably with the BBC Singers, but he has also undertaken tours to the USA in one direction and to Hungary and the Czech Republic in the other.

Adrian was educated at Christ’s Hospital, the Royal Academy of Music and Worcester College, Oxford. During this time he studied the organ with David Sanger and then with other great organists in this country as well as abroad. As a church organist, he was Organ Scholar at St Bride’s Church Fleet Street, Director of Music at St Mary’s Portsea and then St Peter’s Hammersmith. In 1992 he won the silver medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians for coming top of the class in the FRCO exam. He is currently engaged in schools outreach work in conjunction with the Royal College of Organists – seeking to reveal the organ as an engineering, artistic, architectural and musical masterpiece – a truly Wondrous Machine!

Adrian studied orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music on a post-graduate course which he completed with distinction. He is the musical director of Worthing Choral Society and conductor of the Weald Choir of Crawley, and is a guest conductor for the Dorking Chamber Orchestra and Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra. Previous conducting appointments have been Harpenden Choral Society, Guy’s King’s and Thomas’ Medical Schools Music Society and Southampton University Chamber Choir.

Away from the organ and conducting, Adrian enjoys composing. His latest piece is called Footsteps along the road which was inspired by poetry written by elderly people from Guild Care, a day centre in Worthing. This was premiered in the Worthing Assembly Rooms in July 2008 in front of a capacity attendance. Adrian is passionate about inter-generational music. All this has been inspired by his work with the Silver Songs Clubs set up by Sing for your life. He has also worked as a tutor at the Orpheus Centre, a performing arts organisation for people with disabilities founded by Richard Stilgoe.

Finally, his enthusiasm for teaching and communication led him to set up Conducting Business which demonstrates Management Development and Leadership issues within the context of music making. This venture is flourishing with some highly successful sessions having taken place in England and Scotland.

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