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The Organists

Guildford Cathedral has an Organist and Master of the Choristers, a Sub Organist and an Organ Scholar.

The Organist and Master of the Choristers is responsible for planning and producing all music at services in the cathedral. This involves the recruitment and management of the lay clerks, boy choristers and girl choristers of the Cathedral Choir. During choir practices and services, the organist is usually seen conducting the choir.

The Sub Organist assists the organist and master of the choristers and takes over in her absence. During services the sub organist can usually be seen playing the organ.

The organ scholarship is held for one academic year by either an undergraduate gap year student or a postgraduate student. The organ scholar assists the organists, acts as music librarian and holds the position of organist to the Guildford Cathedral Singers.

Asher Oliver

Photograph of Asher Oliver

Sub Organist


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Guildford Cathedral

Asher Oliver has been the Sub Organist of Guildford Cathedral since April 2023. Originally hailing from the North-West, his musical education began in earnest as a chorister at Manchester Cathedral alongside a place at Chetham’s School of Music, where he later studied the organ with Christopher Stokes.

After a gap year as organ scholar at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Asher studied for a Music degree at Trinity College, Cambridge alongside which he held an organ scholarship. Working closely with the college choir there, he took part in tours across Europe, the United States, and Canada, and features as an accompanist on CDs of choral music by Gerald Finzi and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Upon leaving Cambridge, Asher moved to London, to take up the organ scholarship at St Paul’s Cathedral, and subsequently spent two years as Assistant Organist at York Minster.

A keen continuo player, Asher regularly took part in performances of Bach Cantatas and Oratorios whilst a student, highlights of which include a project working with players from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under the direction of John Butt, as well as a performance of Bach’s Matthew Passion, for which he worked closely with English tenor and evangelist, Nicholas Mulroy.