Organist and Director of Music
Mark has been organist at St Nicholas’ since 2006, and founded the Schola Cantorum in 2012. He is one of Ireland’s most well-known choral specialists, and is the founder-director of the chamber choir Resurgam. A busy freelance career includes leading workshops and masterclasses for choirs and conductors in Ireland, the UK, and continental Europe.
Mark is a New Zealander, and studied at Auckland University followed by postgraduate studies at the North German Organ Academy and Amsterdam’s Sweelinck Conservatorium, where he was an organ pupil of Jacques van Oortmerssen. Mark came to Ireland in 1992 and has held several major posts in the country, including organist and director of music at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, chorusmaster to the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and artistic director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
Assistant Director of Music and Head of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum
St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church is thrilled to have appointed Tomos Watkins to our new post of Assistant Director of Music and Head of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum. In creating this new full-time post, the St. Nicholas’ community has not only made a significant investment in its own musical future but added a rich new resource to Galway’s musical infrastructure and the church music scene nationally. He comes to us with a wealth of experience as a choral conductor and music educator.
Tomos is a graduate of the University of Oxford, where he was organ scholar of Pembroke College, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he was awarded MMus with distinction in choral conducting. He has just completed his PhD at
University of College Dublin.
Recent posts held include Music Outreach Coordinator at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, director of the AIB Choir, and conducting tutor for Sing for Pleasure. He is an Ad Astra Scholar, and his work has been published in The Musicology Review.
Assistant Organist – Ronan De Burca
Assistant Choral Director – Dottie Knauer
Organ Scholar –
Music Librarians- Maria Tuohy and Maureen Rabbitt
All enquiries, please contact Mark Duley at organist@stnicholas.ie
