ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2021 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
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Catherine Ennis FISM Right: Catherine Ennis Photo: Clive Barda / ArenaPAL
days of her own career, when female organists were rare and she faced both misogyny and confusion (choristers addressing her as ‘sir’, audience members assuming she had been the page turner when she emerged from organ lofts after her recitals). She was also honest about the challenges of juggling professional commitments with family life.
Eric Wetherell FISM 30/12/1925 – 31/1/2021 ISM member since 1955
Conductor, composer, arranger, producer and pianist Eric Wetherell gained a music degree at Oxford, where he studied with Bernard Rose, Thomas Armstrong and Egon Wellesz, and then studied composition with As a fundraiser and organ consultant, Herbert Howells and orchestration Ennis helped to create four London with Gordon Jacob at the Royal College organs: the Rieger at St Marylebone of Music. Though trained originally as a Parish Church, where she was also pianist and organist, he left the college Director of Music for a time; the Klais to become a horn player in the London at St Lawrence Jewry; the Mander 20/1/1955-24/12/2020 Philharmonic Orchestra and the in the Lady Chapel of Westminster Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, as ISM member since 2002 Abbey; and the William Drake at Trinity well as freelancing with other London College of Music, Greenwich. She The organist Catherine Ennis, who died and provincial orchestras. was a Patron of Orford Organ Project of breast cancer on Christmas Eve, had Later, he became a repetiteur at and a recording which she made a distinguished career as a recitalist the Royal Opera House, Assistant on the Peter Collins organ recently and recording artist. She had been Musical Director with Welsh National moved from the Turner Sims Concert Director of Music at the City of London Opera, Music Director with HTV, Chief Hall, Southampton University, to St guild church of St Lawrence Jewry since Conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Bartholomew’s Church, Orford, was 1985 and played for 35 Lord Mayors. Orchestra and up to retirement was released by Priory Records a few As a teacher, she was involved with weeks before her death. She was also Senior Music Producer for Radio 3. His three London conservatoires and with involved in a project to restore the 1911 profound enthusiasm for jazz also led St Giles International Organ School; to a close involvement with the BBC Hill organ of Shrewsbury Abbey. she gave masterclasses throughout Big Band, for whom he both arranged the UK and abroad and was a frequent Tributes to Catherine Ennis from and produced. In particular, he was a examiner and adjudicator. Passionate colleagues and friends have regular conductor and arranger for the about providing a platform for emphasised her sense of fun, her popular ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ young artists, she was a Trustee of energy and her sheer joie de vivre. on BBC Radio 2 in the early 1970s. Eric the Nicholas Danby Trust for Young In his address at her funeral at her Wetherell was also a keen jazz pianist Organists and a director of the John Hill local church in Shropshire the Revd and played regularly with his quartet, Memorial Recital Series. Richard McLaren, who worked with until recent years. her at St Marylebone Church, spoke Ennis was President of the Royal His compositions covered many for everyone who knew her when he College of Organists (RCO) in 2014 and genres – film music, orchestral suites, expressed his shock and sadness at was awarded the RCO Medal in 2018; concertos for saxophone and for flute, the loss of such a ‘luminous, lively, she was also a past President of the music for wind band, choral works lovely figure’ who was both a gifted Incorporated Association of Organists both accompanied and a cappella, solo performer and a very natural and an enthusiastic supporter of the songs, music for children and jazz. His team player, who was ‘brilliant at Society of Women Organists, which opera The Snow Child was staged at interpreting the liturgy with her was launched at her Royal Festival the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol in 2014. particular combination of discipline Hall recital in February 2019. She had and spontaneity’. a rich fund of stories about the early
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