Musical Director

Iestyn Evans

Iestyn was appointed musical director of Hampstead Chamber Choir in 2010. Originally from west Wales he was organ scholar of St Davids Cathedral before going up to The Queen’s College, Oxford where he read music. After graduating he was appointed Organ Scholar of Westminster Cathedral and subsequently of Westminster Abbey whilst completing a postgraduate performance course with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music.

Iestyn is now Assistant Director of Music at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Kensington where, in addition to teaching and accompanying duties, he conducts the school’s orchestra. He has directed them in numerous works, including Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, Borodin’s Second Symphony and, most recently, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.

He was Organist of St Etheldreda’s Church, Ely Place, England’s oldest Catholic Church, for seven years and in January 2007 moved to St James’s Church, Spanish Place where he plays for Mass on Sundays and feast days for the professional choir there. He is also conductor of the Hill Singers Chamber Choir in Wimbledon. His discography includes two CDs by the Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School as well as recordings of works by Georg Schumann and a recording with the choir of St Etheldreda’s .

Iestyn has performed as a soloist and accompanist in Britain and abroad at venues which include St John’s Smith Square; Notre-Dame, Paris; St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York; Brussels Cathedral and St Peter’s, Rome. Amongst his more eccentric performances was a complete cycle of the organ work of J.S. Bach within twenty four hours in 2005 when he raised over £8,000 towards a school music tour to America.