One of the capital’s most wonderful buildings
The Guardian
Clergy
Father David Peebles
Rector
I come from Stockton-on-Tees in the North
East of England but have lived all over the
place. University in Bristol, Durham and
Manchester, followed by teaching in Bath and
then a curacy in Crewe, followed by teaching
again in West Yorkshire. I came to London in
1995 and was the chaplain of Queen Mary
College in the East End and also parish priest
of Bethnal Green. In 2001 I became Chaplain
of the London School of Economics and
remained there for ten years until I became
Rector, here at St George’s, in 2010.
I hope to help St George’s become a Parish
Church for all people; so that nobody is
excluded. The gospel is about the whole of
humanity and the utter self-giving of God in
Jesus Christ to us.
St George’s attempts to bring curiosity and fun
as well as solemnity and depth to our Christian
faith. You would be very welcome indeed to
just turn up.
Father Rene Jarrett
Father Rene comes from Sierra
Leone and has been in the UK
since 1988. He has been assisting
in the Edmonton Diocese and
presently is Honorary Assistant
Priest at St George's.
He is also Chaplain to the Sierra
Leone community in the UK.
Churchwardens
Reader
Members
Parochial Church Council
Sam Bardsley started singing as a chorister in his local parish church and has gone on to sing with some of
the finest cathedral choirs in the country. Before commencing study at the University
of York, Sam was a choral scholar at Southwark Cathedral and when not committed
there worked as a freelance singer and conductor with various choirs in London and
the South-East.
When he moved to York, Sam was a choral scholar at York Minster and was fortunate
enough to sing at the annual Royal Maundy service and appear on live broadcasts and
recordings with the Minster choir.
Solo appearances have included lead roles in Dido and Aeneas, Monteverdi operas,
Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and other oratorio.
Whilst in York, Sam studied with Iestyn Davies and David Lowe and currently studies
with Ben Johnson.
Sam has been the organist at St George’s since 2012 and has directed acclaimed
orchestral performances of works including both Mozart and Fauré Requiems and
Bach’s Magnificat.
Choral Young Artists
Anna Golitzin is from rural Northern California, where as a child she learned to sing at a Russian
Orthodox church. She developed a love of renaissance choral music through her
mother, and went on to study Early Music History at the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. During her university years, Anna studied harpsichord and basso
continuo with Joseph Gascho, and performed in baroque operas. One of her
favourite performances was an improvisation based on a poem with her baroque
trio, using ground bass and inventing a melody to fit the text.
Anna followed her love of singing polyphony to England, where she studied with
Robert Hollingworth and Alex Ashworth in a masters in Solo Voice Ensemble
Singing. In London, Anna has sung with various choirs including Robert
Hollingworth's I Fagiolini and Greg Skidmore's Lacock Scholars.
Anna is a primary school music teacher, and deeply enjoys designing a curriculum
of singing and music history for the girls at Falkner House School.
Luke Horner
Irish Tenor, Luke Horner is currently studying for a Masters of Music at Trinity Laban, London. He
is in receipt of the Kathleen Creed Scholarship fund and is studying under the tutelage of Lynton
Atkinson. Previous teachers include Jon Christo and Robert Alderson.
Luke is focusing his career in the direction of solo singing and opera. Recent performances
include the premier production of Ashley Pearson’s ‘Verismo’. This was an exciting new pastiche
of Leoncavallo’s ‘Pagliacci’ and Mescagni’s ‘Cavilleria Rusticana’ where he created the role of
Beppe/Stage Manager/Arlequino with Opera on Location, Sheffield. Other performances include a
touring production of Handel’s ‘Semele’ and Will Todd’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ where
he played the role of Victorian III and understudied the role of The Queen of Hearts with Opera
Collective Ireland.
Previous roles include Nemorino from Donizetti’s ‘L’Elisir d’amore’, Torquemada from Ravel’s
‘L’heure Espagnole’, and Don Basilio/Don Curzio from Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’.
Luke is also an accomplished Oratorio singer. He is a regular Tenor Soloist in Bach’s ‘Magnificat’,
‘Johannes Passion’, Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’, Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe
Solemnelle’, and Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’ with various institutions throughout Ireland and the UK.
Luke is also a highly experienced choral singer. He was a boy chorister at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
before progressing to the back row as both a junior and senior choral scholar. He then spent three
years as a Lay Clerk at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin before moving to London.
luke.horner.tenor96@gmail.com
Helen Southernwood is a Soprano who grew up in Cumbria, singing with several local choirs. At 16,
Helen attended Chetham's School of Music as a first study singer where she studied
voice with Margaret McDonald. After Chetham's, she went on to study Music at the
University of York in 2018. Throughout her degree she has performed regularly
with various ensembles both in and out of York, including the 24 directed by
Robert Hollingworth, Chimera Contemporary Music ensemble, the Yorkshire Bach
Choir, Kantos Chamber Choir and the Charles Wood Festival Singers. During the
pandemic Helen took a year-long internship in Belgium at the British School of
Brussels. This past year having returned from Belgium, Helen has enjoyed being
one of the HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholars, directed by Andrew Earis, with
whom she has recorded several services and workshops for the Church of England
online services and for the BBC as well as performing at St Martins-in-the-Fields in
a joint concert with I Fagiolini and the English Cornet and Sackbut Ensemble. She
also held the soprano choral scholarship at the York Oratory during her final year
at the University. In addition to singing, Helen also has enjoyed producing operas
for the University of York Opera Society and administrating for different choirs within the university,
including The 24.
Recently, Helen has enjoyed performing Catherine Lamb's 'Parallaxis Forma' with Chimera Contemporary
Music ensemble and performing as part of the Rameau Projects production of Castor et Pollux, involving two
performances in Oxford and at Stour Music Festival.
Laura West is a German/British 19 year old soprano based in London, England. She is currently in her 1st
year of undergraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with a
scholarship in September under Marcus Van Den Akker. Until July 2021 she was
enrolled at The Royal College of Music Junior Department, with help from the Peter
Rogers music scholarship, under Jean-Claude Ohms.
Laura has placed in many competitions thus far in her career; Including the Kath
Topping Vocal Award (2021), Woodard Young Musician of the Year (2020), as well
as the first vocalist to place 3rd in the RCMJD performance competition, and recital
competition.
Roles Include Amor, Orfeo Ed Euridice- Gluck (Barefoot Opera) and Frost, Selfish
Giant- John Barber (Garsington Youth Opera).
In 2021 Laura was selected by Roderick Williams to sing in his masterclass; other
masterclasses include Jane Highfield in 2018.
She has also performed at prestigious venues such as; The Royal Albert Hall, St.
James’ Piccadilly, The Royal College of Music Concert Hall, Britten Theater,
Garsington Opera, The Barbican and Rochester Cathedral.
Staff
Hirings & caretaker - Noel
Noel handles all bookings and enquiries regarding hiring the church, upper vestry hall and meeting room. If
you would like book our hall or meeting room please contact him here.
Noel also handles all matters relating to the site, buildings and facilities management of St George’s. If you
have any enquiries regarding our facilities management or site please contact him here.
Finance & accounts - Eva
For all matters relating to accounts please contact her here or via our Contact Us page.
Music
Director of Music and Organist
Rev Luke Gun Hong Lee, DD
Fr Luke was born in 1937 in
Korea and was educated at Yon
Sei University, Australian College
of Theology and Birmingham
University (Ph.D candidate).
He has been a Priest in Korea at
St Benedict pro Cathedral, St
Martin’s Eumsong and St
Michael’s Theological Seminary,
and in Enland at St Thomas
Bloxwich, St Fremund Dunstable
and All Saints Croxley Green
Fr Luke is chaplain to the Korean
Anglican community in London
and would warmly welcome any
Koreans into fellowship,
particuarly at the Korean Service
at St George’s at 1pm on Sunday,
which is followed by a shared
meal.