Paul Edwards

Paul is a native of Turvey, at the north-west edge of Bedfordshire. He says that his only claim to fame is that he shares a birthday with the American film actor Bruce Willis and with Lady Sarah, elder sister of the late Diana Princess of Wales. He comes from a musical family: his mother is still active as a fine piano teacher, and his grandmother (Christison) was a professional violinist, as is his brother. At the age of nine, he went to St. Paul's Cathedral as a Chorister, where he sang over four and a half years, later spending a similar span of time as a Lay Clerk in the Choir of Peterborough Cathedral. In between, he continued his education at Bedford Modern School, and began the first of a number of positions as a church organist, coincidentally at Great Barford where he now lives.

Among subsequent posts as Organist and Choirmaster, Paul has worked at Weston Favell (Northampton) (1987-1992), St. Paul's Bedford (1992-1999) and All Saints, Kempston. Since Easter 2006 Paul has been organist and choirmaster at All Saints' Church, Turvey, Bedfordshire.

In 1980 Paul gained the Diploma of A.R.C.O., with the Sowerbutts and Durrant Prizes for paperwork, and the L.R.S.M. in Music Theory (1991), followed by the L.T.C.L. for composition in 1992.

He leads a busy life as organist, choirtrainer, teacher of piano and theory, accompanist, and choral singer. He has been an Examiner for the Royal School of Church Music Dean's and Bishop's Awards in the Diocese of Peterborough since 1994, and has made a series of recordings of the historic church organs of North Bedfordshire over the past five years or so (produced by Lammas Records). Another recent project has been the transcribing and editing of six volumes of 18th Century English Organ Music, now published by ANIMUS. He has also worked as a bus and coach driver for 17 years, chiefly for Barfordian Coaches. All this leaves little time or energy for composition, but he has now passed the 400 mark in the list of opus numbers, albeit that these are mainly short works. His output is mainly church music (including around 150 hymn-tunes); but in addition to the anthems, services, and carols, he has composed many songs for voice and piano, organ voluntaries, and small piano pieces. Paul's main interest outside music - incomprehensible to most of his friends - is the history and photography of buses and coaches; but he is also keenly interested in genealogy, church architecture, and natural history, as well as watching cricket. He has a deep love of the English countryside, which is an ever-potent inspiration and influence on his musical compositions.