Nicholas O'Neill (born 1 April 1970) is an English composer,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and choral director.

Biography

O'Neill attended

The King's School, Gloucester The King's School is a co-educational private day school in Gloucester, in the county of Gloucestershire, in South West England. It traces its heritage to a monastic school founded in the 11th century in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral. I ...

, and was a

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

under the direction of John Sanders. O'Neill went on to study music at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, where he was Organ Scholar, first under John Harper and then under Grayston "Bill" Ives. O'Neill holds the posts of Composer in Residence to the Parliament Choir and to the Academy of Saint Cecilia. He is also President of Cantores Salicium, and associate director of Music at St. Mary Abbots Church, Kensington. He was Organist of St. George's Cathedral, Southwark, until the end of 2010 and was Chorus Master to the Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir for a decade. His music has been performed and broadcast internationally, his ''Missa Sancti Nicolai'' being chosen as the Mass setting for the BBC1 live television broadcast of Midnight Mass in 2011. His Christmas carol ''Sweet Was The Song'' was recorded by the BBC Singers in 2011 and featured in their ''Carols For Breakfast'' series, and his arrangement of ''This Joyful Eastertide'' featured as the Anthem on BBC Radio 4's

The Daily Service ''The Daily Service'' is a short Christian service broadcast every weekday morning between 09:45 and 10:00 on BBC Radio 4 Extra. History In 1926, British novelist Kitty Cordeux began a persistent letter-writing campaign urging the BBC to ...

in 2013 with the Choir of

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

. He was subsequently invited to compose ''Flyht'' for Exeter College's 700th anniversary celebrations. ''Flyht'' was recorded by the college choir and released on EM Records. Other notable works include ''From Damascus'' for the

London Oratory School Schola The London Oratory School Schola is a choir for Roman Catholic Church, Catholic boys of the London Oratory School established in 1996 by John McIntosh (educator), John McIntosh CBE. The current director of the Schola is Charles Cole. The choir's ...

, ''Mermaid'' for Surrey Arts, ''Why Should We Not Sing?'' for the

Lloyd George Society The Lloyd George Society is an organisation connected with, but not formally affiliated to, the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats. It is named after David Lloyd George, the Welsh Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister ...

., and ''against the pull of silence'' for string orchestra.

Awards

In the summer of 1992 his ''Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis on E'' was unanimously awarded first prize in the Norwich International Festival of Contemporary Church Music Composition Competition. In the following year his ''Quartet In Three Movements'' won the Gregynog Young Composers' Award, and his ''Ave Verum'' shared the Schola Cantorum's International Composition Competition Award in 1994. His ''Festive Voluntary'' was awarded the 2012

American Guild of Organists The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educa ...

Marilyn Mason Award for Organ Composition, in 2019 he won the commission competition for the 50th Anniversary Mayfield Festival, writing his ''Cantata Of Saint Dunstan'', and his ''Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis on Bb'' was awarded the Saint Fin Barre Cathedral, Cork Composition Prize early in 2020.

References

External links

Nicholas O'Neill's website

Nicholas O'Neill's blog

''Missa Sancti Nicolai''

''Sweet was the Song''
{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Nicholas 1970 births Living people 20th-century British classical composers 21st-century British classical composers Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford English classical composers Classical composers of church music English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians 21st-century British male musicians