Barry Rose

Barry Michael Rose OBE (born 24 May 1934) is a choir trainer and organist. He is best known for conducting the choir of St Paul's Cathedral at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales formerly Lady Diana Frances Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981.

Biography

Born in Chingford, England, Rose grew up accompanying the choir of his local church. After a spell as organist at St Andrew's, Kingsbury, at the age of 25 he became the youngest cathedral organist in the country when he was appointed to the position of Master of Music at Guildford Cathedral.^[1]

He moved to St Paul's Cathedral in 1974 as Sub-organist and was appointed Master of the Choir in 1977. He conducted the choir at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales on 29 July 1981. He left St Paul's in 1984 after a difference of opinion with senior members of the clergy.^[2]

From 1971 to 1986 he was Religious Music Adviser to the BBC, a job that included booking the choirs for the weekly Choral Evensong broadcasts. He continues to work for the BBC, directing choirs and arranging music for The Daily Service. After leaving St Paul's he became Master of the Choirs at the King's School, Canterbury. His last post was that of Organist & Master of the Choristers for St Albans Cathedral Choir, from which he retired on 25 December 1997. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List announced on 13 June 1998 he was appointed OBE for his services to cathedral music.^[1]

In the summer of 2010, he was the choir director at the Royal School of Church Music America's King's College course in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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