An Announcement from the Dean and Churchwardens (November 22)

Dear Friends,

We are delighted to announce that we have engaged a new Music Director for St. James Cathedral, Mr. Tom Bell, beginning January 1, 2021. As mentioned in previous communications, the role of Music Director will now include directing both choirs as well as functioning as the Organist, along with the eventual assistance of an Organ Scholar. Tom comes with a depth of wisdom, experience and faith that will serve us well in years ahead. He is excited about and committed to rebuilding a music program at the Cathedral that will honour our beautiful tradition and bring glory to God. Here are a few words from Tom by way of introduction:

It will be a joy and a privilege to serve St. James Cathedral as Director of Music. One of the many God-given strengths of the Cathedral community is its love of music. It has been central to the worship, prayer and lives of many generations at St. James, and I look forward to carrying this inheritance into the future with you. I am also excited to discover new music for the diocese, city and beyond.

I have been genuinely touched in my visits to the Cathedral by the generous warmth of your welcome. I am very much looking forward to knowing you more fully in the coming months, and introducing my wife +Susan (whom many of you will know), and our children Emily, Nicholas, Andrew and Olivia.

Tom’s early musical education was as a boy chorister at Salisbury Cathedral, England, where in addition to singing for the daily choral services, he played the flute, violin and piano. Following his later musical studies at Durham University, Tom taught music in Oxford and London. During this time, he directed professional instrumental and choral ensembles specializing in early music. He later immigrated to Toronto, Canada, where he has lived and worked for nearly thirty years.

Tom has been Director of Music at several Anglican churches including St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle, Toronto; St. Jude’s, Oakville; and for the past ten years at St. Paul’s Bloor Street. Tom is also an experienced teacher, particularly of children. He directed the Mississauga Children’s Choir for sixteen years; under his leadership the choir won the CBC choral competition and toured internationally.  He has also taught music at the Toronto French School for over twenty-five years.

Tom’s choral compositions are published world-wide by G.I.A., Oxford University Press, Boosey and Hawkes, Alliance, Hinshaw, and others.

We are grateful to the Music Director Selection Committee, which included the three of us as well as Sybil Wilkinson (long-time member and part of the Parish Choir), Joyce Badley (Executive Director), and The Reverend Canon Geoffrey Sangwine (a Diocesan Liturgical Officer, Regional Dean, trained musician and Canon of the Cathedral who was raised here and sang in the choir for many years).

Finally, there are not enough words to describe our gratitude to David Simon, our current Organist. David is tremendously gifted and has gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping us manage a music program during the pandemic. We wish him well in his future endeavours.

With prayers for your safety and gratitude for your ongoing support, we remain,

Yours in Christ,
The Very Reverend Stephen Vail, Rector of St. James Cathedral & Dean of Toronto
Jayne Hobbs, Rector’s Warden
Don Solomon, People’s Warden