​​Edward Taylor - Musical Director​​

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Edward Taylor is currently Assistant Organist, and Director of the Cathedral Consort, at Carlisle Cathedral. He is also in demand as a concert organist.

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Edward holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Leeds and is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. He has studied the organ with Nicolas Kynaston, David Sanger, Simon Lindley and Henry Fairs and has attended many master classes. Edward also studied at the Strasbourg Conservatoire in France with Parisian organist, Christophe Mantoux. 

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As director of the Cathedral Consort, Edward has directed the choir on television and radio, has organised and led two successful international tours to France and Mallorca. He also directed the choir in their debut CD 'God is gone up with a triumphant shout'.

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Edward is active as a choral conductor and specialises in choral workshops for children, youth choirs and 'Come and Sing' events for adult choirs. He has conducted many large scale works with orchestra in his roles as Musical Director of Penrith Singers and Dumfries Choral Society.

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Edward is the Musical Animateur for Carlisle Cathedral's Sing Out programme, working with over 750 children each year. He also runs 5 primary school choirs across Cumbria and in 2009 he co-founded the Carlisle Cathedral Children's Choir, Carlisle Cantate.

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Edward has appeared on several CDs, accompanying the Girls' Choir of Ely cathedral and the Leeds Liturgical Choir. He recorded his debut solo organ CD with priory Records, which was released in early 2017. Since 2020 he has also been recording live videos of organ music for his YouTube chanel @Edward Taylor Organist. There are about 160 to date.​

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Avril Tisdall - Accompanist

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Avril grew up in Carlisle, where she was a former piano pupil of Dr F W Wadely: she was awarded her LRAM whilst still at school.

 

A regular trophy winner in the piano classes at Carlisle's Music and Drama Festival and other festivals in the north.

 

Avril went on to study piano at the Royal Manchester College of Music, under Derrick Wyndham and Dennis Murdoch, and violin under Rudolf Botta. She graduated with special merit in performance.

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A career in music education followed; having spent 15 years in primary schools as a music specialist, she became an advisory teacher for primary music in Wigan and then deputy head of Knowsley MBC’s performing arts service.

 

The last 16 years of her career were spent lecturing in music education at Edge Hill University, and included a few years as an Ofsted Inspector. She has always loved accompanying, beginning with her school and church choirs, then staff and student recitals at Edge Hill. More recently, since returning to Carlisle,  she has become the regular accompanist for Solway Singers and an official accompanist for Carlisle & District Music and Drama Festival, of which she is also the Chair. 

 

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Jordan English - Organist

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Jordan's musical education began as a chorister at Carlisle Cathedral, later returning as Organ Scholar. 

His formal higher education commenced at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he graduated as a prize-winning undergraduate. During this time, he studied under the tutelage of prominent organists Jeffrey Makinson and Thomas Trotter. Jordan then pursued a postgraduate degree at the Royal College of Music in London. His studies focused on the French symphonic repertoire, particularly the music of Marcel Dupré and Jehan Alain, under the guidance of celebrated French organist Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin and Professor David Graham.

 

Jordan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and continues his advanced study of improvisation privately with Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin in Paris.

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Jordan currently serves as the Assistant Organist at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. In this role, he accompanies the cathedral choir for all services, tours, and recordings.

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He maintains a high profile as a performer, giving recitals nationwide and at the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jordan is also a frequent broadcaster with the BBC, regularly featuring on radio and television through his work with St Giles' Cathedral Choir. Additionally, he plays continuo for the choir’s popular annual candlelight concert during the city’s Hogmanay festivities.

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His recent engagements include performing at events of national significance, such as the Scottish funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and for King Charles III during the Honours of Scotland ceremony at St Giles’ Cathedral in July 2023.

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