Exeter Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, Timothy Parsons is to take up a new role as Director of Music at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds in May 2021.
Mr Parsons has held his current role at Exeter Cathedral since 2016, where he both plays the organ for the Cathedral Choir’s schedule of services and concerts, and directs the Cathedral’s adult voluntary choir.
The move is seen as another step forward in the musician’s promising career, which began as Chorister at Guildford Cathedral, before progressing to Organ Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a starred first class degree in Music in 2014. His new position at St Edmundsbury Cathedral will be his first as Director of Music – a challenge which Mr Parsons fully embraces:
“I am thrilled to have been offered the post of Director of Music at St Edmundsbury and I am looking forward hugely to throwing myself into the life of the Cathedral there.”
“At the same time, my partner Cressida and I will be very sad to leave Exeter after our wedding in April. It has been a great privilege to make music in this magnificent building, working with such wonderful colleagues and choristers, and we have made many great friends in the community. We look forward to keeping in touch!”
The mixed emotions are shared by Exeter Cathedral’s Director of Music, Timothy Noon, as his protégé’s career progresses:
“It has been a great delight to work with Timothy Parsons over the past four years: he is a wonderful musician and an outstanding colleague.”
“Everyone connected with music at Exeter Cathedral will be devastated to see him move on, but this is a very well deserved promotion, and we all wish Timothy and Cressida every possible success as they begin this next exciting chapter in their lives together in Bury St Edmunds.”
The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter was among the first to congratulate Mr Parsons, and his new employers:
“St. Edmundsbury Cathedral has made a great appointment with Timothy Parsons. Not only is he a first class musician and totally reliable, but he is a lovely person, and he and Cressida have been immensely popular and valuable members of our Cathedral community.”
“Although we had hoped to keep him for ever, we knew someone would be keen to snap him up, and we are delighted that St Edmundsbury has done so. We know they will welcome him and appreciate him hugely.”
For The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, Mr Parsons was an obvious choice, despite the high level of competition for the position:
“Timothy stood out in an outstanding field of applicants. His energy, enthusiasm, musicality and vision for the future of cathedral music impressed not only the appointment panel but also staff, volunteers and members of the cathedral congregation.”
Mr Parsons is due to leave Exeter Cathedral in April 2021, and is expected to begin his new role at St Edmundsbury the following month.
Photo by Emma Solley