Chaplain: The Reverend Canon Roger Hall MBE
After growing up in Shropshire, the Reverend Canon Roger Hall MBE attended school in Liverpool before training for the priesthood in Lincoln. Having spent his curacy back in Shropshire, Canon Hall joined the British Army as a chaplain in 1987. He spent most of the first twelve years of his army career as an operational chaplain, serving in places such as Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor. For two years, Canon Hall was chaplain to the Household Division and the Guards Chapel, which he describes as both 'an interesting and demanding time'. After that posting, he returned to Germany as Senior Chaplain before being appointed Assistant Chaplain General, which led to four years in Edinburgh. During his time as an Army Chaplain, in 1993 he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service and in 1997 he was appointed MBE.
In 2007, having resigned his Commission, Canon Hall became a chaplain to the late Queen and Chaplain to HM Tower of London. As well as his role at HM Tower of London, he was Chaplain to Bacon's College (a city Academy) until 2019, and is still Chaplain to five livery companies, the East India Club and the Order of Gallantry. He is Patron of Veterans’ Voluntary Service (VVS) and was a Trustee of Chapter 1 - a national housing trust based in the City of London.
He was married to Barbara for 47 years and they had three grown up children and six grandchildren. Barbara sadly died in February 2025. Canon Hall supports Liverpool Football Club, skis and loves good food, wine, books and music. He drives a mature Morgan. Travelling and interesting conversation also come high on his list of priorities.
Assistant Priest: The Reverend Cortland Fransella
The Reverend Cortland Fransella grew up in Croydon before going up to Cambridge University to read Modern and Mediaeval Languages, after which he served in HM Diplomatic service for 40 years. In 1998, towards the end of his diplomatic career, he was ordained, spending the next 14 years in parish ministry in North London before moving to the Tower in 2012. In 2019 he was appointed a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to HM Queen Elizabeth II and is now a Deputy Priest in ordinary to HM King Charles III. He is Honorary Chaplain to 714 Squadron (Wood Green and Hornsey), Royal Air Force Air Cadets.
Since 1998 he has acquired an MA in Philosophy and Religion from the then Heythrop College, University of London and a BSc and MSc in Psychology from the Open University.
He and his wife Laura live in North London and spend a lot of time going to the theatre and to classical concerts. Their family live nearby and they enjoy looking after their two grandsons. Cortland volunteers for an educational charity called IntoUniversity which aims to level the playing field for children from disadvantaged backgrounds who aspire to go to university or into other further education. Both he and Laura, who used to work for the Open University, are passionate advocates of life-long learning.
Master of Music: Colm Carey
Colm Carey is one of a handful of distinctive concert organists who have set out to promote the instrument in a fresh way, widening its appeal through imaginative programming and stimulating outreach work. That he has emerged as a respected and acclaimed performer is testimony to his dedicated mission not only to champion the instrument's remarkable breadth of repertoire but also to devise projects involving exciting performing and recording collaborations with other musicians.
Born in Dublin, Colm studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Winning top performing awards with distinction at both institutions, his numerous appearances, both live and recorded, in the UK and Ireland formed strong foundations for his subsequent solo performances in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA.
As a recording artist, Colm has produced a number of solo and chamber CDs, and he was the featured organist on Paul McCartney’s classical album, Ecce Cor Meum, which premièred at the Albert Hall in London (available on DVD) and the Carnegie Hall in New York. His interpretation of Bach’s The Art of Fugue has been admired for its originality and scholarship.
Since 2003 Colm has been Belfast City Organist. As well as giving recitals on the Mulholland Grand Organ in the Ulster Hall, he has performed many concerti – including Poulenc, Parker, Handel, Haydn, Rheinberger, Jongen, Leighton and Guilmant - with the Ulster Orchestra. In 2005 he presented four programmes on the history of the organ for BBC radio. Under his stewardship the Ulster Hall runs an outreach programme to introduce the organ to new audiences and through further collaboration the international PIPEWORKS Festival held the final of its competition in the Ulster Hall in June 2014.
In addition to his role as Belfast City Organist and his freelance work, Colm is Master of Music of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London. Under his direction the choir provides music for the weekly services in the Chapels as well as for special events – including the visit of the Queen in 2014 – in the two historic Chapels Royal. He has toured with the choir to South Africa, Italy and Ireland, and as well as releasing a CD of music inspired by the Psalms of David the choir has broadcast on several occasions, most notably to all the countries in the Commonwealth on Christmas Day 2011.
You can follow Colm Carey on Twitter here: @ColmCareyMusic .
Assistant Master of Music: Hugh Rowlands
Hugh Rowlands is a pianist, organist and conductor based in London. He is Assistant Master of Music at HM Chapels Royal, Tower of London and Deputy Director of Music at Haileybury College.
As a soloist, he has given recitals at major venues in the UK, including Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, and St George’s Chapel Windsor. Hugh has worked with a broad range of leading groups and performers, appearing across the UK and Europe, including at Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Centre, and the Paris Philharmonie. Recent engagements include collaborations with Alamire, the London Contemporary Orchestra, and Icelandic duo, Jònsi and Alex. He has recorded on the SOMM and Albion labels, and performed on BBC Radio 3. His first solo recording of the Klais organ at Haileybury will be released in 2024. Hugh is a member of the James McVinnie ensemble. They have performed at the Barbican Centre, Saffron Hall, Bold Tendencies, and most recently the Southbank Centre.
Hugh is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. He has held organ scholarships at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, King’s Voices, King’s College, and the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Read more at:Hugh Rowlands – Pianist, Organist, & Choral Director
Others:
Chapel Administrator: Debbie Corbett
Finance Officer: Richard Cushing
Chapel Music Friends: Rosemarie McGurk
Safeguarding Officer: Dan Hawkins, Tower of London Operations Manager