Meet Stephanie Gaunt: Chichester Cathedral’s New Organ Scholar

Chichester Cathedral is proud to welcome Stephanie Gaunt as our Organ Scholar for the 2024/25 academic year. For over four decades, the Cathedral has provided aspiring organists with a unique, paid placement, supporting talented musicians in the early stages of their careers.

Stephanie's musical journey began at the age of five with the piano, but it wasn't until she was 19 that she discovered her passion for the organ. While pursuing her degree in Music and Sound Recording at the University of Surrey, she found herself captivated not just by recording the organ but by the instrument itself. "I realised that I wanted to be the one playing, not just capturing others' performances," she recalls. Soon after, she began organ lessons at St. John’s Church, West Byfleet, funded by the Surrey Organists’ Association. After just her second lesson, Stephanie knew where her future lay. "I told my teacher right then—I want to be an organist. I thought he would laugh at me, as I was still so new to the organ, but instead he encouraged me to aim for a cathedral organ scholarship.”

Having made good progress with the initial stages of organ playing, she started to regularly accompany services at West Byfleet and other Surrey churches. Less than two years after starting the organ, in September 2023, Stephanie applied for the organ scholarship at Chichester Cathedral. After a rigorous audition—where she performed a piece of her own choice, Bach's Fantasia in C Minor, and demonstrated her sight-reading, transposition and hymn-playing abilities —Stephanie was thrilled to receive the call offering her the position. "It felt like the most important phone call of my life," she says. "During the audition I really enjoyed the beautiful gentle sounds on the Chichester Cathedral organ and was very excited to have the chance to play it for a whole year.”

Since the audition, her rapid progress in mastering the organ was cemented when she earned the Associate Diploma of the Royal College of Organists (ARCO) while completing her degree, which she graduated from in summer 2024. 

In addition to her passion for the organ, Stephanie enjoys dancing, knitting, and composing pop songs in her spare time, though her current focus is firmly on her new role at Chichester. She’s particularly excited about the opportunity to work with children at Prebendal School, where she will assist with school assemblies, music practice, and the development of young musicians. "Seeing the children improve each week is incredibly rewarding," she shares. "They ask such interesting questions and challenge me to explain musical concepts that I take for granted.”

Under the tutelage of Charles Harrison, the Organist and Master of Choristers, and Timothy Ravalde, the Assistant Organist, Stephanie is poised to further hone her skills in a nurturing environment. She is particularly looking forward to the Cathedral's Christmas Carol services, which she attended last year as a visitor and found "magical." By the end of her year with us, she will perform a 50-minute organ recital as part of the Cathedral's lunchtime concert series, where she hopes to include an organ duet with her partner, also an organist—an exciting rarity in concert programmes.

This year-long scholarship will allow Stephanie to focus entirely on playing the organ—a dream come true after years of balancing her practice with her academic and work commitments, often squeezing in late-night sessions, sometimes even at midnight, which had a bit of a spooky charm to it! Now able to devote herself fully to her passion, she adds, "My job is now the organ—no more fitting practice around studies or work!"

The Chichester Cathedral Organ Scholarship has a prestigious history, with alumni such as Ben Nicholas, Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford, and Edmund Aldhouse, Director of Music at Ely Cathedral. We are delighted to welcome Stephanie Gaunt as this year’s scholar; her talent, passion, and dedication to the organ have already set her on a remarkable path, and we are excited to support her as she embarks on this next pivotal stage of her career. She has recently been offered another organ scholarship at Canterbury Cathedral and is due to start in September 2025. Her year at Chichester will be very valuable in helping her prepare for this new challenge.

Support Music at Chichester Cathedral

Chichester Cathedral has a rich musical tradition, and it is through the generosity of our supporters that we can continue to nurture the next generation of musicians like Stephanie. Our Chichester Cathedral Platinum Endowment for Music seeks to ensure that we can sustain and grow our music programme, supporting not only organ scholarships but also our world-renowned choir and numerous performances throughout the year, including the free Tuesday lunchtime concerts.

Stephanie's experience highlights the importance of such support. "Having this scholarship means I can dedicate myself fully to playing the organ—something I’ve dreamed of for years," she shares.

We invite you to help us continue this legacy of excellence by contributing to the Endowment Fund. Your support will enable talented musicians to flourish and allow Chichester Cathedral’s music to inspire future generations.

For more information on how to contribute, please visit our website or contact Alison George, Director of Fundraising, Chichester Cathedral Trust. T: 01243 812480, E: alison.george@chichestercathedral.org.uk