James O’Donnell

[ocarina]

https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-news/james-o-donnell-secures-role-at-yale-university

[DracoM]

Great for him, great for Yale - HUGE loss IMO for the Abbey.
Did it all maybe ultimately stem from the 'incidents' at the Drome perhaps?

[Subtuum]

Great for him, great for Yale - HUGE loss IMO for the Abbey.
Did it all maybe ultimately stem from the 'incidents' at the Drome perhaps?

Wabbey’s a pretty happy ship, mate.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Great for him, great for Yale - HUGE loss IMO for the Abbey.
Did it all maybe ultimately stem from the 'incidents' at the Drome perhaps?

Isn’t landing a Professorship at Yale the academic equivalent of winning the National Lottery ? with the added benefit of there being nothing naff about it ?

[ardcarp]

Presumably there is a bit more dollar involved!
It's an unusual career-move...so good wishes to him.
The only similar one I can think of is John Churchill, organist of St Martin in the Fields from 1949 -67, who became Prof of Music at Toronto University.

[cat]

Presumably there is a bit more dollar involved!
It's an unusual career-move...so good wishes to him.
The only similar one I can think of is John Churchill, organist of St Martin in the Fields from 1949 -67, who became Prof of Music at Toronto University.

David Hill perhaps? Adjunct Professor at Yale now, previously DoM at Winchester and SJC.

[Lizzie]

As long as they don't raid Winchester!

[DracoM]

Isn’t landing a Professorship at Yale the academic equivalent of winning the National Lottery ? with the added benefit of there being nothing naff about it ?

Absolutely....but this Forum has heard a deal of the behind the scenes stuff to just prompt a few idle thoughts?

[ardcarp]

Talking of idle thoughts, we shall all be speculating about who will step into James O'D's shoes at the Abbey.

[BBMmk2]

Yes, a huge loss for us. I was greatly saddened, hearing this news.

[cat]

What a fantastic director James O’Donnell has been, he certainly won't be easy to replace.

Talking of idle thoughts, we shall all be speculating about who will step into James O'D's shoes at the Abbey.

Just been thinking about this. I presume they will want to appoint someone with extensive experience but who still has a big chunk of their career ahead of them, and would be happy to decamp their family London. If choosing from existing cathedral and collegiate DoMs this is I think a surprisingly small list. Perhaps they will choose someone younger than I expect?

There is of course one other person who immediately springs to mind who certainly has the experience and is at least ten years from retirement...

[Petrushka]

Also entering calculations, in nominating a successor, is the near certainty that the candidate will be called upon for the biggest and most important service that the abbey will have done for 70 years!

[ardcarp]

What a fantastic director James O’Donnell has been

...and at Westminster Cathedral too. Towards the end of Essential Classics (of all things) there was a stonking performance of Tallis's Salvataor Mundi.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016rs0

About 2hrs 44 mins from start.

[Lordgeous]

Maybe Martin Baker could take over again? The DOMs seem to go from Abbey to Cathedral & vice versa!