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Serving God in the heart of our community since 1881 St Andrew's Church, Taunton |
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Alan Celebrates 40 Years of Music 15 October 2005 Alan Cook, Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Church in Taunton, is celebrating 40 years as a church organist. The event was marked at a recent Sunday morning service when the Vicar of St. Andrew’s, Rev’d. Julian Smith, presented Alan with a gift from the congregation. Alan can trace his fascination with the church organ back to the age of 8, when he first played a hymn on a wheezy hand pumped harmonium at Highbridge Baptist Church. His first public performance was at St. John’s Church Highbridge in 1965 when, at the age of 14, he was asked at the last minute to stand in for the official church organist at a service of Evensong. Later the same year he played for the Parish Mass and then took over as St. John’s church organist for the next 3 years. In 1970 he became organist at St. Mary’s Church Berrow, where he remained for 26 years until being invited to become Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Taunton in 1996. In his time at St. Andrew’s he has broadened the range of music used in services, being equally at home with well loved classic pieces and newer hymns by writers such as Bernadette Farrell. In addition to playing the organ at St. Andrew’s, Alan is also Choirmaster, and has formed a versatile music group that plays at Family Services. He will shortly be launching ‘Voices Raised’, a choir especially for young people, which he will be running with his wife, Ruth. He manages to fit in all these activities whilst also being Music Adviser for the Diocese of Bath and Wells and working full time. Speaking shortly after his recent presentation Alan said: “music plays an important part in keeping worship fresh. If our music and our worship loses freshness we need to question why we do it. It is important that, from time to time we stop, pray, and review where we are and what we are doing. At St. Andrew’s our music helps us to maintain an ongoing fresh expression of worship, whilst complementing the richness of our liturgy. It is such a joy to be a part of it and to work with the choir and music group who are loyalty personified.” To send an e-mail to Alan please
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Page updated 29/09/2007
