Musical staff
Grace Rossiter
Music Director
Richard Harvey
Accompanist and Organist
Grace has been Music Director of Finchley Choral Society since 2007. FCS has thrived since her appointment, performing both favourite works including Bach Christmas Oratorio, Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil, Orff Carmina Burana and Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, as well as lesser-known choral gems including Holst Hymn of Jesus, Kodaly Missa Brevis, Jonathan Dove The Passing of the Year and the premiere of Richard J. Harvey’s On the Beach at Night commissioned by the choir in 2011. Keen to develop and challenge the choir, Grace has conducted FCS performances in the Wye Valley and on tour in the Netherlands in 2012. She mounted a joint concert of British choral music with the Finchley Children’s Music Group at St John’s, Smith Square in 2013. In 2014, she invited leading vocal ensemble EXAUDI to work with FCS on contemporary choral repertoire workshopping pieces by John Cage, Stephen Chase, Alvin Lucier and Howard Skempton. Later that month both groups performed a programme
of contemporary settings alongside Scarlatti’s Dixit Dominus at
St Giles, Cripplegate.
Richard was born and brought up in the West Country where he accompanied the local church choirs in their annual performances of Messiah and Elijah. He received his musical education at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studied organ with Alan Harverson and harmony with Dr Eric Thiman. While there he was awarded the Margaret and Sydney Lovett Prize for church organ accompaniment.