Andrew Bryden

Andrew Bryden was appointed Director of Music of Ripon Cathedral in November 2003 having previously been Assistant Organist and Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral Choir School since 1998.

He read music at Aberdeen University as an organ scholar, specialising in performance and editorial techniques, and studied organ with Roger Bevan Williams, George McPhee, Timothy Byram-Wigfield and David Sanger. Following cathedral and church appointments in Aberdeen and Sheffield Andrew was appointed Organ Scholar of Canterbury Cathedral in 1994, and combined this with the post of Organist and Head of Academic Music at St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury.

As an accompanist and recitalist he has played at many of the major venues in the United Kingdom, and has undertaken tours to Holland, Germany, Austria and North America. He has been broadcasted on both BBC and independent radio and television and has made a number of CD recordings on the Priory, Cantoris, Regent and York Ambisonic labels.

As Director of Music, his work with the Choirs of Ripon Cathedral has received widespread acclaim. In addition to being responsible for the provision of music at the daily services, Andrew has introduced and overseen a number of initiatives to promote and publicise the Cathedral’s music programme.