Crothers, John

Composer

b Belfast, N Ireland 1948. Belfast Royal Academy; Queen’s Univ Belfast; Univ of Ulster, Coleraine. MA, Dip Ed, DASE, CELTA, Cert L Fr (Paris IV, Sorbonne). Church organist since early 1970s. Teaches French and German; co-ordinator for Japanese studies. Member of the Church of Ireland; Organist and Director of Music at St Martin’s Belfast and Chairman of RSCM in Ireland until moving from Lisburn, Co Antrim, to live and work in Paris, 2002. He has played in churches of many traditions. He was made Chevalier des Palmes Academiques by the French Govt in 1994, for services to French culture in N Ireland. Chairman of RSCM Ireland; founder/director of RSCM Ireland Singers. Conducted the Hymn Society’s ‘Act of Praise’ in Christ Ch Cathedral Dublin, 2000. Some of his descants appear in Descant Collections (Ulster Soc of Organists and Choirmasters, 1994); his first published hymn tunes are in Praise!, and he has also written texts and featured on recordings. Nos.55, 74.