Who's Who in the IAO

When reviewing the IAO's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the opportunity was taken to bring the titles of those who hold office in the organisation into line with current company and charity practice. The people concerned are listed below. 

Council 2009 - Directors/Trustees

Please note: The 'Official' titles given below are those registered at Companies House and are the formal titles. However, in normal day-to-day activities the alternative or informal titles given below may be used, as appropriate. The term ‘Hon’. or ‘Honorary’ is not to be used as we are informed that it no longer has any standing.

Advisory Committee  – Elected Advisory Members

Elected Members - retiring in 2009
Andrew Cesana
Melvin Hughes
James Little
Norman Marr
Adrian Moore
David Sutton
Roy Tripp

Elected Members - retiring in 2010
John Balding
Malcolm Hawke
Alasdair MacLaughlin
Graham Rock
John Wellstead
Michael Whitehall

Elected Members - retiring in 2011
Nick Bennett
Gary Desmond
Steve Knight
Philip Paul
Charles Wooler

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Advisory Committee  –  Others who may be invited to attend in an advisory capacity

Editor, Organists' Review:  Sarah Beedle
Advertising Manager, Organists' Review:  Jane Beeson 
Congress Organizer:  Helen Devereux Murray 
Alan Taylor 

Our President: Alan Thurlow

Alan Thurlow grew up in Essex where his lifelong passion for the organ and choirs began at the age of eight when he joined the choir at St Barnabas' Church, Woodford Green, and subsequently by his years at Bancroft's School, Woodford, with its organ and chapel tradition. While still at school he became Organist of St Barnabas' Church and at the same time became a member of the City of London and Eastern Society of Organists. His love of the music of Jean Langlais was first awakened by an article which he read at that time in Quarterly Record (the predecessor of the Organists' Review magazine). Throughout his career he has remained an active member of Organists' Associations and for the last twenty-eight years he has served as President (and ex-officio Chairman) of the West Sussex Organists' Association.

After studying music at Sheffield University and Emanuel College, Cambridge, he was appointed Sub Organist of Durham Cathedral in 1973, serving first under Dr Conrad Eden and subsequently under Richard Lloyd. In 1980 Alan was appointed to succeed Dr John Birch as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral, where his first task was to form a committee to raise money to restore the cathedral's historic pipe organ to working use (it had been abandoned as unplayable in 1972 and remained silent for fourteen years until the completion of the rebuilding by Manders in 1986).

During his time at Chichester Alan Thurlow has served as a past President of the Cathedral Organists' Association and also for twelve years as Chairman of the Friends of Cathedral Music. He is an Organ Adviser for the Diocese of Chichester and spent over twenty years as a member of the Organs Advisory Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches (ten of these years as Chairman). He has recently been appointed a member of the Church of England's new Church Buildings Council. He is Chairman of the Trustees of the ON Organ Fund, the only fund of its kind, which exists specifically to give financial assistance to places of worship (in the British Isles) for work on pipe organs, with no heritage or other similar qualifications required in respect of the instrument. He is also a Trustee of the Organists' Benevolent League and a member of the Executive Council of the Church Music Society.
In 2005 Alan Thurlow was awarded a Lambeth Doctorate in Music by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He retired from his post at Chichester Cathedral on Easter Day this year. He continues to be active in his other musical interests and is now also working as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Chichester.

IAO Presidents

We felt that there would be interest in having a complete list of Presidents of the IAO.  Honorary Vice-Presidents are noted with their names in purple.  Honorary Vice-Presidents who have also served as President have their name in italics.  Those who are deceased are included but are marked with †.

This list is believed to be accurate, but the Web Editor would welcome a note of any errors or omissions.

Sir Edward Bairstow†

Sir Ernest Bullock CVO†

Stephen Cleobury

G D Cunningham†

Lionel Dakers CBE†

Nicholas Danby†

Christopher Dearnley LVO†

Sir John Dykes Bower CVO†

Catherine Ennis

Professor Johannes Geffert

Professor Willis Grant†

Harvey Grace†

W Greenhouse Allt CBE†

George Guest CBE†

Sir William Harris KCVO†

Sir Hamilton Harty†

Sir Edward Heath KG, MBE†

David Hill
Peter le Huray†

Peter Hurford OBE

Francis Jackson CBE

John Jordan

Nicolas Kynaston

Henry Ley†

Simon Lindley

H Lowery†

Sir David Lumsden

Sir Stanley Marchant CVO†

Roy Massey MBE

Sir William McKie MVO†

Sir Sydney Nicholson MVO†

Margaret Phillips

S W Pilling†

William Prendergast†

Dr Arthur Pritchard†
Harold Rhodes†

John Scott LVO

Richard Seal

Gordon Stewart

Sir George Thalben-Ball CBE†

Alan Thurlow

Professor Ian Tracey

Dame Gillian Weir DBE

Allan Wicks CBE