Robert Quinney was born in Nottingham, UK, and began his musical life as a chorister, initially in Dundee Cathedral Choir. He began playing the organ at the age of ten, and was subsequently Organ Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, where he completed his undergraduate and graduate studies. A performing career took him to London, working first at Westminster Cathedral and for nine years as Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey, during which time he performed at several national and international events. After a short period as director of music at Peterborough Cathedral he moved to Oxford in 2014. He directs the world-famous Choir of New College, Oxford, where he is also a Tutorial Fellow in Music. In the faculty of music he gives lectures for the Techniques of Composition and Choral Performance papers, and has taught history topic on the keyboard music of J. S. Bach. Alongside his work at Oxford he maintains a busy schedule as a solo organist, and makes frequent appearances as a guest conductor, notably with the BBC Singers. He is also Director of the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy.
Editions
C. H. H. Parry, Songs of Farewell (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Recordings
With New College Choir:
John Sheppard, Media vita and other works (Linn, 2019).
C. H. H. Parry, Songs of Farewell [works by Parry and Mendelssohn] (Novum, 2017).
John Blow, Symphony Anthems (Novum, 2015).
Solo recordings:
J. S. Bach, Organ Works Vols 1-4 (Coro, 2011–date).
Elgar, Organ Music (Signum, 2012).
The Organ of Westminster Cathedral [music by Dupré and transcriptions of Brahms & Wagner] (Signum, 2004).
As accompanist/continuo player:
Several recordings with the Choirs of Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey (Hyperion, 2003-2012), with The Sixteen, Dunedin Consort and The English Concert.
Compositions
For organ: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren (Musica Baltica, 2022) [part of The Orgelbüchlein Project].
For choir: Short Service (RSCM, 2013).
J. S. Bach, particularly the music for keyboard, and modes of reception of the sacred vocal music; New College Choir makes a termly contribution to the latter field with a performance of a Bach cantata in the context of a reconstructed 18th-century Lutheran Vespers liturgy.
