Katherine Dienes

Katherine Dienes (born 1970) is a New-Zealand-born organist, conductor and composer. She is currently Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedralcite web
title = Katherine Dienes-Williams
url=http://www.guildford-cathedral.org/biog1.html
accessdate = 2008-01-01 ] and is the first woman to hold the most senior musical post in a Church of England cathedral. Her husband is Patrick Williams, and they have a daughter, Hannah Dienes-Williams, born in 2001.

Early career and education

Dienes was born and educated in Wellington, New Zealand, and studied for a BA in Modern Languages and a BMus at Victoria University, Wellington. She was organ scholar at Wellington Cathedral from 1988 to 1991 when she was appointed Assistant Organist there. She also acted as Assistant Conductor of the Wellington Youth Choir and appeared as a soloist with Wellington Youth Orchestra.cite web
title = Katherine Dienes - St Mary's, Warwick
url = http://www.stmaryswarwick.org.uk/music/information/bios/katherine_dienes.shtml
accessdate = 2008-01-01 ]

Dienes came to England in 1991 to take up the post of organ scholar at Winchester Cathedral and Assistant Organist at Winchester College.

Appointments

Katherine Dienes' first posts were at Liverpool Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral.

Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick

Dienes was appointed Director of Music St Mary's, Warwick, in 2001 where she directed and trained the choir of gentlemen and boys, the girls' choir, and Collegium, an adult concert choir based at the church. With the choirs of St Mary's she made a recording of Advent and Christmas music, "A Spotless Rose", on Regent Records (REG CD 236).

Guildford Cathedral

In September 2007, Dienes was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral. She assumed the post in January 2008, taking over from Stephen Farr and becoming the first woman to hold the senior music post at a Church of England cathedral. [ [http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=51355 Quiet revolution in the south] ]

Compositions

Dienes has composed a number of sacred works, mainly for upper voices, as well as some secular compositions. Treble Clef Music Press publishes her treble voice repertoire in the United States of America. She was commissioned to write an Easter anthem for the Kapiti Choir, New Zealand, an Easter treble voice anthem and Magnificat for Treble Clef Music Press, and a Mass setting commissioned by Norwich Cathedral.

References