Chaplain: The Reverend Canon Roger Hall MBE
After growing up in Shropshire, the Reverend Canon Roger Hall attended school in Liverpool, after which he took up training for the Priesthood in Lincoln. Having spent his curacy back in Shropshire, Canon Hall joined the British Army as a chaplain in 1987. For the first twelve years of his army career, Canon Hall spent most of the time 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 this posting, he returned to Germany as Senior Chaplain before being appointed Assistant Chaplain General, which led to four years in Edinburgh.
In 2007, having resigned his Commission, Canon Hall became a chaplain to the Queen and Chaplain to HM Tower of London. As well as his role at HM Tower of London, he is also Chaplain to Bacon's College (a city Academy), five livery companies and the East India Club. Canon Hall is also a Trustee of Chapter 1 - a housing trust based in the City of London.
Married to Barbara with three grown up children and four granddaughters, Canon Hall supports Liverpool Football Club, skis and loves good food, wine, books and music. 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 widely acclaimed as an exciting, innovative and distinctive performer.
Born in Dublin, Colm studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and subsequently at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, winning the top performing awards, with distinction, at both institutions.
Colm’s studies laid the foundation for a career as a concert organist which took him all over Europe, as well as to the USA, Canada and Australia. From 2003-16 Colm was Belfast City Organist and, in addition to giving numerous recitals on the Mulholland Grand Organ in the Ulster Hall, he performed many concertos. As well as numerous broadcasts of his performances, Colm has recorded a number of CDs, as soloist, chamber musician and director. 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, and his interpretation of Bach’s The Art of Fugue (his first CD) has been admired for its originality and scholarship.
Latterly Colm Carey’s career has focused on choral conducting. As Master of Music of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London, Colm directs the choir for the weekly services in the two historic Chapels Royal. Under his leadership the choir has gained a reputation for performances that are full of vitality and character. 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, they have broadcast both live and recorded for Radio and TV. Under his direction the choir performs regularly in concert, with a wide repertoire ranging from medieval music to pieces commissioned by, and dedicated to, Colm and the choir.
Colm’s interest in assuring imaginative and stimulating programming has led to the formation of Odyssean Ensemble - a flexible group of musicians brought together by him to explore, through innovative projects and collaborations, the notion of music being a journey that challenges the listener and stimulates the mind, body and senses. Odyssean Ensemble has carved a reputation for its lively and characterful live performances, and its début recording was released to 5* reviews both in the UK and abroad.
Colm has many interests outside the world of music including literature, the visual arts, rugby and tennis, cooking and fine wine! He recently gained a Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling Skills and is a Verified Reiki Practitioner (www.ccreikihealing.com).
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