Llanrhaeadr

SOME musical magic will be available in a Vale of Clwyd setting next week.

Alan McGuinness, who was recently made redundant as the organist at St Asaph Cathedral, will be performing a recital at St Dyfnog’s Church, in Llanrhaeadr, on Wednesday, September 26.

Alan began studying the organ while he was a pupil at Liverpool’s historic Blue Coat School.

He continued his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he was a prize winner, graduating in 1997 with BMus (Hons).

During this time, his tutor was Margaret Phillips, however he performed in many master classes led by prolific organists of our generation, including Dame Gillian Weir, David Sanger, David Briggs, Ludger Lohmann, Jacques Van Oortmerssen and Naji Hakim, the successor to Messiaen as organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Paris.

In September 1997, Alan became organ scholar at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral and just over a year later he was appointed assistant organist at St Asaph Cathedral.

As well as accompanying the many services held in the cathedral, he was given the task of promoting, establishing and directing a new cathedral girls’ choir.

In January 2004, at the age of 28, he was appointed as the organist and master of the choristers, continuing until August of this year.

He directed the St Asaph Cathedral choirs in both live and recorded broadcasts for national radio and television, and he was the organist for two broadcasts of BBC TV's Songs of Praise from St Asaph.

In 2008, he directed the cathedral choirs for their first CD recording, entitled “A Journey from Advent to Epiphany”, and in April of that year he recorded the first solo organ CD from St Asaph, celebrating 10 years since the restoration of the cathedral organ, also released on the Regent label.

In addition, in February 2008 he directed the choir on the occasion of the visit to St Asaph of The Duke of Kent.

Continuing the royal theme, Alan directed the cathedral choir on the occasion of the visit to St Asaph of The Prince of Wales and the The Duchess of Cornwall in July 2012.

During his time in North Wales, there have been many musical partnerships, including a St Asaph girl chorister reaching the finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year event at St Paul's Cathedral, in addition to six St Asaph choristers being selected to perform solo roles in Mid Wales Opera’s performance of Noye’s Fludde.

He also directed the cathedral choir as part of Russell Watson’s Candlelight Christmas Concert Tour.

Alan has given many organ recitals at home and he has completed a concert tour of New York City and New England, where venues included the Jesuit church of St Ignatius Loyola, St Agnes’ and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

He has also appeared as a soloist for the North Wales International Music Festival and as a staff accompanist for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Organisers are hoping for a good turnout for what promises to be a top notch evening of musical entertainment.

The recital will start at 7pm on September 26.

Tickets are priced at £5 on the door, to include refreshments in the church nave afterwards.

The recital is expected to last for about an hour.