Who's Who
Simon Earl - Musical Director
Simon Earl was appointed Musical Director of The Grange Choral Society in 2022. Simon has been the Director of Music at Christchurch Priory since 2015. His principal role at the Priory is the training, recruiting and developing of the choirs.
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Brought up and educated in Surrey, he received his formative musical training as a chorister and later Assistant Organist at his local parish church whilst receiving organ lessons from John Belcher. He held Organ Scholarships at Southwell Minster, Newcastle Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral and St John's College Durham. He read for a degree in Music at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, continuing organ studies with David Sanger. Between 2011 and 2015 he was Assistant Director of Music at Wakefield Cathedral, where he accompanied the weekly cycle of services and toured, broadcasted and recorded regularly with the Cathedral Choirs.
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Simon maintains a busy recital schedule, is an Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is regularly invited to lead and accompany choral events in the UK and abroad.​
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Christopher Dowie - Accompanist
Christopher Dowie is well known in Dorset and further afield as an accompanist, conductor, organist and composer. He was Organ Scholar at Hertford College Oxford and then, after a period as Director of Music of two Surrey schools, he was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Wimborne Minster in 1977, a post which he continues to hold until the end of October 2005.
For about thirty years Christopher played various keyboard instruments for the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and he was also Accompanist and Assistant Chorus Master of Bournemouth Symphony Chorus. He founded Wimborne Choral Society and Wimborne Chamber Orchestra in January 1978 and conducted his final concert with them in November 2024.
In his "retirement" Christopher continues to work as a freelance musician playing for a number of local choirs as well as playing for services at three churches near Blandford Forum, while still hoping that one day he'll have time to write that organ concerto and some other pieces which have been lurking in the background for a number of years.