Wednesday 7th May 2008
At 16, Paul Manley is a young musician who, as well as preparing for his GCSEs in the summer at Ranelagh School, is also the regular organist at St Andrew’s, Caversham in Reading. He tells us:
‘I started playing the organ properly when I was 10 years old, though my first experience of playing a church organ came earlier, when I was about three, and Gary Turner, the then director of music at St Peter’s Church, Earley, in Reading (the church where I grew up), let me loose on the keys. You might guess I enjoyed it as I’m currently studying for my Grade 8 exam.
When I was 11, I started playing the hymns for baptisms, and the present director of music, David Price, allowed me to play the occasional voluntary at the end of Sunday services.
Then, I began playing for services twice monthly at St Margaret’s Church, Mapledurham, and I’ve been the regular organist at St Andrew’s now for four years.
During Holy Week, this year, I was very privileged to accompany a local choir performing Stainer’s Crucifixion, conducted by my teacher, Graham Ireland.My favourite composers at the moment are Sir Michael Tippett, Messiaen and Shostakovich. And obviously I like the organ music of Bach.
In the future, I hope to gain an organ scholarship to university to study music or possibly physics. I would love to become an organist at a cathedral; I think that it would be the ultimate career to be surrounded by beautiful music in a beautiful place.’