Musical Director: Edward Taylor

Colin Marston was born in Otley, West Yorkshire and studied Music at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he was taught by George Guest and sang in the University Choir under David Willcocks. He studied organ with Keith Rhodes (Bradford) and Douglas Fox (Cambridge) and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 22. His studies were completed at Reading University, where he gained a Diploma in Education and was awarded the Education Prize.

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His first teaching post was as Assistant Director of Music and Organist at Brighton College and he then spent nine years as Director of Music at Reading School before moving to Penrith in 1981 as Head of Music at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. A year later he was appointed as Organist and Choirmaster of St Andrew’s Church, a position he still holds. In 1984 he succeeded David Wells as Musical Director of Penrith Singers and the choir numbers began to grow, reaching 90 as the choir celebrated the new millennium with a performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. As well as the usual two concerts each year in St Andrew’s Church, the choir gave concerts in a number of village churches, sang Holst’s The Planets at a concert to celebrate the new century, and sang in a BBC 'Songs of Praise' recorded at Brougham Chapel. Colin retired as Musical Director of Penrith Singers in 2015, but he continues to be an examiner for the Royal School of Church Music, chairman of RSCM Cumbria (latterly RSCM Region One), as well as chairman of Penrith Music Club.