Ray Maulkin was born in Southend on Sea, Essex, and studied at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and holds a BMus (Hons) degree from Durham University.

Whilst still at college he was accompanist to the Southend Boys' Choir and appeared regularly with them in a busy concert schedule which took him into many concert venues both in this country and abroad. He played the piano part of Britten's Golden Vanity at the Purcell Room and played the organ part for Britten's Missa Brevis in the Queen Elizabeth Hall as well as in many broadcasts and recordings.

Ray's interest in church music began when he sang as a chorister in his local church choir where he quickly developed an interest in both the church music repertoire and in organ music. He spent many hours practising in freezing cold churches! After completing the graduate course at the Royal Academy of Music he continued to study the organ. Ray has had the opportunity to play many fine instruments including those of Westminster Abbey, Gloucester and Canterbury Cathedrals, and made a recording of French music by Widor and Vierne.

Ray and Kathryn formed the ad-hoc choral group Gaudeamus which sang services at many cathedrals including Lichfield, Coventry, Ely, Peterborough.

As well as a career in teaching and as a lecturer in music Ray has always maintained his interest in playing and conducting.

As conductor of the Southend Symphony Orchestra and Southend Choral Society he had the opportunity to develop his interest in the wider choral and orchestral repertoire. Over several years he conducted many choral and orchestral concerts including Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto, Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade, Verdi's Requiem, Fauré's Requiem, Constant Lambert's Rio Grande.

Ray was also conductor of Rayleigh Sweyne Choral Society.

Throughout his musical career Ray has worked frequently as accompanist and continuo player, and has especially enjoyed working with choirs. Under the direction of Roy Wales, Ray has accompanied the English Concert Singers on many of their international tours and in concerts in St John's Smith Square and many other venues. Prior to becoming co-director of Pro Musica he was the choir's regular accompanist and accompanied it in concerts and on tours.

Together with Kathryn and friend and colleague, John Hancorn, they formed ChorusWorks in 2002 with the intention of presenting a series of choral-based workshops exploring not only standard repertoire but also expanding into techniques of choral singing and different musical styles. The first workshop, on the weekend of the Golden Jubilee, worked on music sung at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

He is currently Organist and Director of Music at the beautiful village church of St Andrew's, Alfriston, which is often described as the cathedral of the South Downs.

 

 

Ray Maulkin