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.
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 is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music London and has served as an assistant organist at the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas Galway since 2012. In addition to his work within the Schola Cantorum, Ronan is also a qualified Music Therapist and a trained Austin Vocal Psychotherapist. He is involved in a number of music for well-being initiatives across Galway and provides music therapy to Adult Mental Health and Palliative care services in the region. Ronan also supports the training of future Music Therapists as a member of the course team on the Music Therapy Master’s programme at the University of Limerick.
Choral Associate
Dorothee (Dottie) Knauer is a Galway-based music educator and soprano. She specialises in vocal coaching and teaching music theory within the St. Nicholas’ Schola Cantorum, both to choristers and the adult choir members. Dottie holds a First-Class B.A. Honours in Music and Mathematics and an M.Sc. from Maynooth University, an interdisciplinary foundation informing her approach to score literacy. As a music course coordinator at Galway Technical Institute (GTI), Dottie designs music and sound production programs with student-centred support. For the Schola Cantorum, Dottie cultivates young voices, and mentors university choral scholars. Dottie also performs with the Galway ensembles Cois Cladaigh, Galway Baroque Singers, and the adult ensembles of the Schola Cantorum of St. Nicholas Collegiate Church.
Organ Scholar –
Music Librarians- Maria Tuohy and Maureen Rabbitt
All enquiries, please contact Mark Duley at organist@stnicholas.ie
