Rupert Jeffcoat
Rupert Jeffcoat hails from Scotland where he was a chorister at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. He was a scholar and organ scholar at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and also assisted regularly at both King’s and St John's Colleges. A pupil of Peter Hurford and Peter le Huray, he gained his FRCO (as a prizewinner) less than 3 years after first approaching the bench.
After a teaching spell in Yorkshire, Rupert became Assistant Organist at St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham, working at the Conservatoire and with Ex Cathedra, before being sent to Coventry as Director of Music at its iconic Cathedral aged only 26. In addition to introducing repertoire from 10 centuries and in 20 languages into its liturgies, Rupert took the Cathedral choir on tours to Japan, Russia and South Africa. He was then Director of Music and Organist for over 5 years at Brisbane Cathedral, re-invigorating the music programme and ensuring the restoration of its fine organ. In that time he also gave many pre-concert talks for the Australian String Quartet and is still active as a writer, reviewer and teacher. Rupert is well-known as an accompanist, recording as continuo-player with Emma Kirkby, broadcasting with the BBC Singers, as well as giving hundreds of recitals in the UK and abroad as a soloist. As well as his Cambridge degree, he holds a PhD in Composition, with his Third Service having been performed by Cathedral Choirs on every continent (except Antarctica!). Radio 3 judged his Messiaen La Nativite du Seigneur (Regent Records) ‘lively, inventive and imaginative’, while Gramophone Magazine has called him ‘truly virtuosic’. As Organist at St Luke's Church, Chelsea, since 2011, he delights in presenting repertoire which is underplayed, unplayed or even unplayable!