Stephen Tanner

Stephen Tanner  began his musical career as a chorister in the choir of Coventry Cathedral and studied for a degree in music at the University of Huddersfield where he became Organ Scholar at Bradford Cathedral. For many years he was Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral School and Assistant Organist and Director of the Girl Choristers at Exeter Cathedral. His school music department enjoyed a wide reputation for the breadth and quality of its music making with many former pupils, including one of the world’s most recognisable pop stars, going on to enjoy national and international success in the music world. He founded the Girl Choristers’ section of Exeter Cathedral Choir in 1994 and directed it for 22 years. In this capacity he has numerous broadcasts, recordings and foreign tours to his credit.  He was musical director of Exeter Cathedral’s nationally recognised Chorister Outreach Project, working to promote singing in Devon's primary schools and is a former Musical Director of the Exeter Choral Society. For seventeen years he was  an examiner for ABRSM, serving on both the main and jazz panels.

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Stephen directed “Isca Voices” a highly acclaimed choral group of former choristers from Exeter Cathedral Choir who performed a wide range of sacred and secular music. Isca Voices in recent years toured to both Rome and Paris singing in prestigious venues including St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City and La Cathédrale de Notre Dame in Paris. They made a debut recording in 2019. Stephen is accompanist and Associate Director of Music of the Exeter Philharmonic Choir. In 2021 a group was formed from within EPC, the "Pilgrims' Chorus" which makes annual expeditions giving choral concerts whilst walking ancient Pilgrimage Routes for which Stephen is the musical director.  He is Organist and Director of Music at St. Peter’s Church, Budleigh Salterton and is one half of the organ duo Organ2. He has composed and arranged extensively and has won two national composition competitions. In January 2025 Stephen was appointed Musical Director of the St David's Singers for whom he has played the organ for weekend singing services at cathedrals around the country.

Exeter Philharmonic Choir

Stephen is the accompanist and Associate Musical Director of the Exeter Phiharmonic Choir working alongside Musical Director, Howard Ionascu. Recent performances have included Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Rossini’s  Petite Messe Solennelle, Haydn’s Creation, Monteverdi Vespers, Poulenc Gloria and Handel's Solomon. Stephen has directed the Choir in concerts exploring choral jazz repertoire. In 2021 a group was formed from within EPC, the "Pilgrims' Chorus" which makes annual expeditions giving choral concerts whilst walking ancient Pilgrimage Routes for which Stephen is the musical director. Further information about Exeter Philharmonic Choir can be found here.

St. Peter's Church, Budleigh Salterton

Stephen was appointed Organist and Director of Music at St. Peter’s Church, Budleigh Salterton in March 2019. The church has a longstanding choral tradition and in addition to the regular Sunday morning Eucharist, the choir sings a full Choral Evensong once a month. There is a fine, versatile organ by Michael Farley which incorporates the former nave organ from Worcester Cathedral by Harrison & Harrison. The church is an exceptional concert venue and hosts the annual Budleigh Music and Literary Festivals. More about St. Peter's Church and the Raleigh Mission Community can be found here.

St. David's Singers

The St. David's Singers was founded in the early 1970s by Sylvia Pritchard, the then organist of St David's Church, Exeter, who directed the choir until Autumn 1994 when the baton was passed to Mark Perry. Stephen Tanner became Musical Director in January 2025.

The choir consists of about 30 singers who enjoy singing challenging music from a wide range of composers, periods and styles. The choir performs both sacred and secular music, normally a cappella, in and around Devon, usually for charities.

In addition to our programme of concerts, twice a year we sing the weekend services in cathedrals and other major sacred buildings around the country. In recent years the choir has sung at Exeter Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Bath Abbey, Coventry Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Truro Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey. Further information about the St David's Singers can be found here.

Organ2

The organ has a very long and fascinating history and is a wonderfully versatile, colourful instrument. It has an extensive solo repertoire and is widely associated with the church and sacred music not least due to its superb abilities to accompany both congregations and choirs.  

Stephen Tanner and Andrew Downton are both organists who have very wide musical tastes. They have worked together for over thirty years since Andrew was a pupil of Stephen’s at Exeter Cathedral School. They have collaborated with the Exeter Choral Society, which Stephen directed and Andrew accompanied for some years, through the musical direction of the Exeter Cathedral Chorister Outreach Project, which aims to raise the standards of singing in Devon primary schools, jazz concerts with the Exeter Philharmonic Choir and as an occasional concert duo, Organ2.

Organ2 showcases the organ for its ability to combine with other instruments through a programme of duets featuring arrangements of popular pieces from the world of Classical music and beyond.