Director of Music
Mr Matthew Haynes
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Matthew Haynes was appointed as Director of Music in September 2009.
He studied music at the University of Huddersfield where he was awarded a first class honours degree, amongst his other accomplishments. Matthew is also a Choral Animateur with a musical outreach project (sponsored by the Diocese of Leicester and Leicester Arts in Education) negotiating access to many schools, so as to enthuse pupils to sing. He has other part-time roles as a teacher, voice and instrumental coach and conductor.
Matthew was a former chorister here for six years, along with his brother, Simon, when their father, Richard, was the organist. Matthew knows and loves St James the Greater, and well understands the role of music here, both for the choirs and for the congregation.
Associate Director of Music
Mr Michael Rule
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Michael Rule's association with choral and organ music began in 1999 when he joined the choir of St James the Greater, Leicester and commenced organ lessons with Thomas Moore.
Whilst studying at Bath Spa University (Food Science and Music), he sang in the choir at Bath Abbey and was appointed Assistant Organist at Christ Church, Bath. During his university years he took time out to extend his early music and organ studies at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick where he also directed the college's Chamber Choir. He has had the pleasure of studying and working with prominent musicians including Nigel Perrin, Peter King and Roger Heaton and has been part of musical tours and television and radio broadcasts in Britain and Europe. He has sung or played at St. Paul's, Leicester, Birmingham, Carlisle and Truro Cathedrals, York Minster, Bath Abbey and concert halls in Bath, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Bristol.
Alongside his appointment as Associate Director of Music (August 2010), Mike is Director of Music for the Leicester University Chamber Choir (September 2009) and is Lead Teacher:Technology at a Leicester Secondary School (September 2007).
Assistant Organist
Miss Roxanne Summerfield
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From 2008-2011 Roxanne was Organ Scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge, where she read Music, graduating with a first class degree and the prestigious Canon Greville Cooke prize. During her time at Cambridge University, Roxanne accompanied and directed Christ's College Chapel Choir on three international tours (USA, Europe and Australia) and played for three recordings on the Regent label.
Roxanne is an experienced performer on the organ, having appeared frequently in concerts and recitals in Cambridge, including directing a full-scale performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in Cambridge's University Church. She held the position of Secretary in the Cambridge Organ Scholars' Forum. Roxanne has studied organ with David Sanger and Colin Walsh, and has attended masterclasses with Jennifer Bate and Stephen Farr.
In her gap year Roxanne held the post of Organ Scholar at Lincoln Cathedral, where she was also Musical Director of the Lincoln Cathedral Chamber Choir. She was educated at Lincoln Minster School, where she held academic and music scholarships. While still at school she was the founding director of the Lincoln Minster School Chapel Choir, and also won the Hedy King Robinson prize for excellence in music theory, awarded by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
From September 2011 Roxanne took up the post of Assistant Organist at St James the Greater, Leicester, and also pursues a career as a freelance performer and teacher. She was appointed an ARCO in Februrary 2013.
Organ Scholar
Miss Catherine Farmilo
Catherine is "very excited" to be Organ Scholar at St James the Greater. But she is under no illusions: "The organ is really difficult to play. I shall feel pleased if I can manage it."
She is an accomplished musician, having played the piano since the age of seven. Then there came a point at around the age of nine or ten when she tired of classical music and took to jazz. Having started on the clarinet she transferred to the saxophone. She is now at grade 8 standard on both piano and sax.
Catherine is very happy to be joining the organ team at St James's. She is hugely encouraged that Roxanne came to the organ at the same age as her: "So she knows how stressful it is to start and Roxy is a very good teacher". Catherine explains that she had dropped serious playing of the piano for about a year but then resumed, taking lessons with Roxanne. As for the idea of Roxanne being her role model as an organist, Catherine says the problem is aspiring to her standard of playing - "because she's so good!"