Adrian Paul Lucas, b. 1962 is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

organist, tutor and composer. He became organist and director of music at

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...

in 1996 and artistic director of the

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

. Previously he had been assistant organist at Norwich Cathedral (1983–90) before becoming organist and master of the choristers at

Portsmouth Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is an Anglican cathedral church in the centre of Old Portsmouth in Portsmouth, England. It is the cathedral of the Diocese of Portsmouth and the seat of ...

(1990–96). Lucas was born in Essex in 1962, attended Southend High School for Boys and graduated from

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, where he was organ scholar from 1980 to 1983 under Dr George Guest. During this time he toured regularly with the chapel choir in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He also recorded a number of discs whilst at St Johns, including repertoire by Allegri,

Gibbons Gibbons may refer to: * The plural of gibbon, an ape in the family Hylobatidae * Gibbons (surname) * Gibbons, Alberta * Gibbons (automobile), a British light car of the 1920s * Gibbons P.C., a leading American law firm headquartered in New Jersey ...

, and Titelouze. Whilst at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, he taught piano and organ for the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

and was a member of the music staff at both

Norwich High School Norwich High School is a public high school located in Norwich, Chenango County, New York, U.S.A., and is the only high school operated by the Norwich City School District. The ''Norwich High School'', (abbr. 'NHS'), is located on Midland Drive in ...

and

Norwich School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as a ...

. He was musical director of the

Wymondham Choir Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich off the A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through. The parish, one of Norfolk's largest, includes rural areas to t ...

(a 50-strong freelance choir of men and boys) with whom he toured, performing in many English cathedrals as well as a concert tour in and around

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

. He also co-presented the radio programme Norfolk Arts for the local radio station

BBC Radio Norfolk BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Norfolk. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Forum in Norwich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 1 ...

. During his time at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, he was responsible for the building of the new Nicholson & Co (Worcester) Ltd organ (1994), as well as directing the cathedral choir in the drumhead service to commemorate the 50th anniversary of

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

. During this time, he also conducted the choir for numerous broadcasts on both TV and radio and recorded their first ever CD with

Priory Records Priory Records is a record company in the UK founded in 1980, and devoted mostly to church music and organ music. Important projects have included the complete Psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant, all of the Magnificat and Nunc d ...

. Whilst at Worcester Cathedral, he made several recordings with the cathedral choir, as well as launching the Great Cathedral Organ series for Regent Records. In 2008 a major project was completed when the new

Kenneth Tickell Kenneth Hugh Tickell (25 August 1956–24 July 2014) was an English pipe organ builder and organist who, over 32 years, built several notable organs, including at Eton College, Worcester Cathedral, Keble College and Lincoln's Inn chapel. His last d ...

organ came into service in the quire of the cathedral. His first recording on the new instrument included the

Julius Reubke Friedrich Julius Reubke (23 March 18343 June 1858) was a German composer, pianist and organist. In his short life, he composed the ''Sonata on the 94th Psalm'' in C minor, which is considered to be one of the greatest organ works in the classical ...

Sonata and Louis Vierne's First Symphony. He also conducted the

Worcester Festival Choral Society Worcester Festival Choral Society (WFCS) is an independent, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir of around 150 amateur singers that presents classical choral concerts at Worcester Cathedral, Worcester. The conductor is Samuel Hudson (Worcester ...

At the end of 2011 he left his cathedral post to work as a freelance organist, conductor and composer, as well as starting up his own recording company, Acclaim Productions. On 16 June 2018 he returns to his old school to give a recital on its newly-rebuilt organ.Old Southendian Organ Society

References

Sources

*''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

'', 2008. .

External links

Review: Adrian Lucas conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in Holst's Planets Suite in Gloucester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral Choir on Boysoloist.com

Three Choirs Festival

City of Birmingham Choir

Worcester Festival Choral Society

Worcester Festival Choral Society reviews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Adrian 1962 births Living people Musicians from Worcester, England Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English classical organists British male organists Academics of the University of East Anglia Cathedral organists 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century organists 21st-century British male musicians Male classical organists