So who are the Committee?

Here are the Committee members who make the Society work. You can see that we are quite a varied bunch. Would you like to join the Committee or help in anyway to make the Society better? Just contact Andrew Chadney, ourHon Secretary, on the Contact us page and let him know.

Harry Bramma, President

We are proud to have Harry as our President. Harry has been one of the very influential figures in English church music over several decades. His career includes being Organist and Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral and Director of the Royal Schools of Church Music. He is also a composer of church music.

Irene Wolstenholme, Chair

Irene is a chartered accountant by training and currently works for a bank.  She has been playing the organ since school (with a bit of a break when her children were little) and now mainly helps at Christ’s Chapel in Dulwich. This means she can indulge her love of Bach, French classical, English 18th century organ music and Anglican chant!

Norman Harper

Norman won an organ scholarship to Gonville & Caius College Cambridge and prior to starting took the FRCO diploma, winning the Turpin Prize. At Cambridge he studied organ with Peter Le Huray and Gillian Weir, and composition with Peter Tranchell. His career has encompassed school director of music posts, organ soloist and accompanist in the UK and abroad, church appointments and examining for the ABRSM. He has broadcast solo recitals on BBC Radio 3 and recorded CDs of organ music by J.S.Bach, Bruhns, Brahms, Peeters, D’Agincour, Raison, Nivers and contemporary British composers. Most recently Norman was organist and director of music at St George’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Southwark. Under his direction St George’s choirs have broadcast services live on BBC radio and television, and made two CDs. Norman has enjoyed improvising ever since his teenage years, and has put it to good use in both Anglican and Roman Catholic liturgies.

Andrew Chadney, Hon Sec

I have been organist at St Stephen’s Church, Norbury and Thornton Heath since 1993. I retired from the London Fire Brigade in 2013 having completed just over 30 years’ service and am now a freelance organist and piano accompanist, mainly as an RAD-approved ballet pianist playing regularly for several local schools. I am a long-standing member of the South London Theatre and have played for many shows. In my spare time, I am a Kennel Support Volunteer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home which I finds very fulfilling.

Peter Ramell, Hon Treasurer and Membership Sec

I am the Treasurer and Membership Secretary for the Society. I play the piano and organ at a couple of churches in Furzedown, South West London.

Niall Baxter

Niall is one of the organists who accompanies the choir and congregation for services at St. John the Evangelist, East Dulwich. He began playing there in 2015 and enjoys getting his hands and feet on the three-manual Walker instrument. Niall is also Head of Music at Woodmansterne School, Streatham.

Martin Callingham

I am the organist at St Paul’s Church, Furzedown (in Tooting). This church works together with two other Anglican churches and a Baptist church. The worship style varies quite a lot across the churches and St Paul’s has the standard sung Anglican service. At Easter the church provides a choral work on the Wednesday before Easter and seems to be settling in on Stainer’s Crucifixion.

Nicky Jones

Nicky previously served as a committee member for several years and is also a former secretary of the society. Currently his main passions are organ playing and regular performances in amateur ballet productions. He started playing the organ when at school but only began serious study seven years ago with Marilyn Harper, RCO Academy teacher. He is very grateful for the unfailing help and advice so generously and regularly given by Marilyn and by John Webber, Director of Music at St John’s, East Dulwich. Nicky currently deputises on a regular basis at St John’s, East Dulwich and at St Augustine’s, Honor Oak Park.

Alan Langridge

Alan Langridge read music at the University of Leeds where he studied organ and harpsichord with Peter Seymour and performance studies with Graham Barber. Further organ studies have been undertaken with Anne Marsden Thomas and Marilyn Harper. He obtained his first Organist and Director of Music post at St Luke Woodside South Norwood at the age of 16 and returned there later for a second stint. During his time in Leeds he was Organist and Director of Music at St Augustine Wrangthorn, St Mark Woodhouse and All Hallows Hyde Park. After a period of postgraduate music studies and church pastoral work, he moved back to London to study for a public sector accountancy qualification, eventually becoming Assistant Director of Finance for a large local authority. He recently took early retirement and is now a freelance organist working across South London. He gained his ARCO diploma in 2021.

Bridget West

Bridget West took up the organ at Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, before continuing her music studies at the University of Bristol. Since then, she has played at churches in north and south London, including eight years as the Assistant at St John’s, Upper Norwood. She is usually to be found at St Alban’s, South Norwood, now. Bridget works at the Church Times, edits the alumnus magazine for Christ’s Hospital, and was the festival co-ordinator of the Croydon Performing Arts Festival for several years. She has served on the committee of the Southwark and South London Organists’ Association, and is a member of the Society of Women Organists, including its adjustable-benches-campaign working party. Recitals include St John’s, Upper Norwood; Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich; All Saints’, Warlingham; and St John’s, East Dulwich.

Sam Gover, Web Editor and Vice-Chair

I took over looking after the soclety’s website from Martin Callingham in 2020. I am an amateur organist only in my spare time, although I used to play regularly in my youth at St Mary’s, Woolhampton, the parish church adjoined to Douai Abbey in Berkshire. After a long break I came back to the organ a few years ago, and with the help of Marilyn Harper am working my way through the RCO’s Certificates of Accredited Membership.