Christopher Phelps

After his early training in Gloucester as a chorister, organist and pianist, Christopher studied at the Royal College of Music in London, winning many prizes. 

He was organist and choirmaster at Armagh Cathedral before moving to Vienna to study with Hans Swarowsky at the Akademie fur Musik.

From there he went on to work and study in Italy and Salzburg, winning international prizes, particularly for his conducting.

 He has worked with many distinguished musicians including John Lill, Nigel Kennedy and Leon Goossens, and has also had the opportunity to work in a Master Class with Herbert von Karajan.

In addition to conducting, he is a talented transcriber and arranger. In the spring of 2000, he travelled to Prague to conduct his orchestration of César Franck’s Chorale No. 2 for Organ with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and has since been contracted to orchestrate Nos. 1 & 3 by United Music Publishers.

Since 1973 he has worked at the Colchester Institute Centre for Music and Performing Arts, where he also trains the Colchester Institute Orchestra and Choir. 

He has been Musical Director of the Colchester Orchestra since 1983, and of the Hadleigh Choral Society since 1991. He also conducts the Kelvedon Singers, with whom he makes regular visits to France to perform in Cahors Cathedral.

© Hadleigh Choral Society