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Biography
Anthony Hammond was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and began to study the organ when he was a pupil at Oswestry School. He was only the second person in the history of the school to gain a post-Grade 8 professional music qualification while still a pupil, when he became an Associate of the London College of Music at age 17. Before leaving school, he was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Oswestry Parish Church which boasts a fine organ by William Hill and an excellent choral tradition.
In September of 1996, he took up the post of Organ Scholar at Chester Cathedral, remaining there until August 1998. This was followed by four years at the University of Bristol during which he was Organ Scholar at St. Mary Redcliffe Church. He is a holder of a Bachelor's Degree with First Class Honours and a Master's Degree with Commendation in music from the University of Bristol, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and winner of the Dixon Prize for Improvisation. In July 2002, he was appointed Sub-Organist of Bristol Cathedral, and in July 2003 he moved to Cirencester Parish Church as Assistant Director of Music. In June 2006, he was promoted to the post of Organist & Director of Music.
He has studied the organ in England with Roger Fisher and David Briggs, both internationally renowned recitalists, and in Paris with Dr. Naji Hakim at the church of La Trinité. There his studies have focused on the interpretation of music from the French repertoire and improvisation, which is his passion. He is writing a doctoral thesis at the University of Bristol on the improvisation technique of the great Pierre Cochereau.
He combines his duties at Cirencester with freelance work as a soloist and accompanist, research work, and teaching. He has recorded four solo CDs including a disc of improvisations and a disc of Elgar organ music at St. Mary Redcliffe to be released in the autumn of 2008, and has accompanied two choral recordings. In July 2007 he directed the new recording of Cirencester Parish Church Choir, a disc which also features him as a solo performer playing Marcel Dupré's monumental Symphonie-Passion.
Recent recital venues have included St Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco, Southwark Roman Catholic Cathedral, St Michael’s, Cornhill, London, Sheffield Cathedral, Portsmouth Cathedral and Bath Abbey. He has also performed as soloist and accompanist at venues in France and the U.S.A.
