St Cuthbert’s has maintained a high standard of music making since the beginning of the 20th Century. Under incumbent Director of Music Alexander Pott, and Organist, Samuel Ali, both the liturgical music programme and externally organised events continue to flourish.
The Choir of St Cuthbert’s Church is one of the finest professional choirs in London, with an established reputation for choral excellence.
There have been a number of distinguished Organists associated with St Cuthbert’s including Leonard Priestly, David Bruce-Payne, Simon Lindley and Michael King. Douglas Coates, who served as Director of Music and Organist from 1948-1972 built up a Choir of 27 Men and Boys and held an enviable position in the London Church Music scene. Sir Lennox Berkeley, the famous British composer’s Missa Brevis had one of its first performances at St Cuthbert’s, after the work’s premier.
Bruckner Praeludium in C and Bruckner Locus Iste, performed by Seb Gillot and the Choir of St Cuthbert’s Church
Alexander Pott is an organist, conductor, and academic. As well as being Director of Music at St Cuthbert’s, Earl’s Court, he works as a freelance organist and in 2025 released a CD of ‘The Eule Organ of Magdalen College, Oxford’ on the Convivium label, receiving excellent reviews. Fanfare Magazine concluded that ‘Pott is a superb organist’, whilst Choir & Organ Magazine described the recording as ‘particularly inspired… warmly recommended’. Previous projects include performing all of Bach’s organ works over two terms, raising over £10,000 for charity in the process.
He is also a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the music of Frederick Delius, a specialism which feeds into his performance interests, notably through The Delius Singers, a choir he founded and directs in Oxford. Working with children’s choirs has always been an important strand in his work, and having previously been both Assistant Organist and Acting Director of Music at Magdalen College, Oxford, he is delighted to be the Director of the Nave Choir at the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy, where the best choristers from the UK’s cathedrals and chapels sing together for a week.
His studies took place at Christ Church Oxford, Westminster Cathedral, and New College, Oxford, supplemented by support from the Musicians’ Company and the Eric Thompson Trust, and his academic training has been supported by the Delius Trust.
Full details at alexanderpott.com
Samuel joined St. Cuthbert’s in April 2024 and is the church’s principal organist and custodian of its famous Hunter organ.
Samuel is also Associate Organist at St. Pancras Old Church and College Organist at Haileybury School. As a soloist, he has performed across the UK, in Paris, Moscow and Slovakia.
Samuel studied organ performance at the Royal College of Music with David Graham, Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin and Andy Dewar, before which he completed undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Darius Battiwalla. He was awarded scholarships to both institutions and was previously Organ Scholar of Rochester Cathedral.
The church is proud to maintain a professional quartet of singers, all of whom are distinguished musicians in their own fields. The choir’s repertoire ranges from sixteenth-century polyphony to more contemporary music and it regularly premieres new works. The Choir of St Cuthbert’s is known for its consistency of high standards, its versatility, and its virtuosity.
The main focus of the choir’s work is providing music for the liturgy each Sunday, on Feast Days and other special occasions. The choir sings an impressive array of sacred choral music at these services. In addition, every other Sunday at 6.15pm, Choral Evensong is sung by a single cantor, though the full choir sings on special occasions.
The choir can be hired for weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other events. Please be in touch with the Director of Music (directorofmusic@saintcuthbert.org)
The St Cuthbert’s Choral Scholarship Scheme was established in 2021 by Director of Music Quintin Beer to provide a platform for early-career singers preparing to enter the professional choral world. It is one of the few side-by-side schemes in London, in which scholars sing every Sunday alongside professional singers and a professional organist.
Unlike many schemes designed to support amateur choirs, this one focuses on one-to-a-part singing, sight-reading, and consort work – the skills needed for the professional circuit, including deputy auditions and ensemble work.
Hosted in the extraordinary Arts and Crafts surroundings of St Cuthbert’s Church, the scheme celebrates the same values of craftsmanship and artistry embodied by the building itself.
Applications for scholarships for the academic year 2026-27 are now closed. Scholarships for the year 2027-28 will be advertised in spring 2027.
The latest service music list can be found at the bottom of this page, under ‘Resources’.
The musical life of St Cuthbert’s is greatly enriched by its fine 4 Manual, 54-stop Organ by Alfred Hunter of Clapham, installed in 1900.
The organ was enlarged and electrified by Compton in the 1950s, and in 2003 the Console was totally refurbished with Solid State Technology and a Piston Capture system being installed. This refurbishment was marked with a recital given by Jane Parker-Smith. However, much of the interior of the organ is in serious need of refurbishment, including the replacement of many worn and dilapidated components that have not been updated since the organ’s original installation.
It is hoped that we can raise sufficient funds in due course for a complete overhaul of the instrument to restore the organ to working order and its former glory. For more information on the organ restoration project, click here.
