Andrew Parnell

Andrew Parnell (born 17 February 1954, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England) is an organist and harpsichordist.

As a boy Parnell was a choral scholar at Southwell Minster, where he began organ studies under Kenneth Beard. He won the Organ Scholarship at Christ's College, Cambridge aged 19 and studied under Nicolas Kynaston. He was awarded the Fellowship Diploma of the Royal College of Organists aged 19 and won the Limpus and Shinn prizes in that year's FRCO diploma examinations.

After a spell as Director of Music at St James's Church, Cambridge, he moved to St Albans in 1976 as Assistant Master of the Music to the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, appointed by Peter Hurford. He was also appointed Master of Music and choirmaster at St Albans School. He founded St Albans Cathedral Girls' Choir (originally the Abbey Girls' Choir) in 1996, which is now a regular part of the worshipping community. From 1983 to 2001 he conducted St Albans Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, after 25 years in St Albans, he moved to Norfolk for a few years, but subsequently returned to live in St Albans where he pursued his freelance organist and recording career.

Parnell now resides in Ely, Cambridgeshire, working closely with Ely Cathedral.

Having been acting Assistant Organist at nine cathedrals, he joined the staff at Ely Cathedral as Assistant Director of the Octagon Singers. He is frequently invited to play as soloist or accompanist, and, in 2019 gave recitals at Westminster Cathedral and St Andrew's Hall, Norwich. He currently enjoys his association with Brian Kay and The Really Big Chorus, for whom he has played in the ''Messiah'' from Scratch in the Royal Albert Hall, and has travelled with the chorus on foreign tours.

Parnell directs Ely Choral Society, the Ely Youth Choir and Wymondham Symphony Orchestra.

Parnell's compositions, both sacred and secular, have been performed in venues as widespread as St Paul's Cathedral, St Thomas' 5th Avenue in New York, St Petersburg and Krakow. His Fenland Images, premiered in Ely Cathedral in 2017, was included in WSO's concert in the 2019 Wymondham Festival, in which the orchestra was joined by Ely Choral Society.

He is a trustee of the New School of Organ Studies Provided by Wikipedia