Malcolm Archer

Malcolm Archer (born 1952) is an English composer, conductor and organist.

He was formerly Organist and Director of Music at Bristol Cathedral, at Wells Cathedral and at St Paul's Cathedral and Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College.

Malcolm Archer was educated at King Edward VII School, Lytham before studying at the Royal College of Music (as a Royal College of Organists scholar).

He was later organ scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge.

His organ teachers included Ralph Downes, Gillian Weir, and Nicolas Kynaston and he studied composition with Herbert Sumsion, Bernard Stevens and Alan Ridout.

Malcolm Archer's first posts were at Norwich Cathedral as Assistant Organist (1978–1983), and Bristol Cathedral (1983–1990) which he left to spend time living and working in the US.

He directed the choir for several important state services, including the service to celebrate the 80th birthday of Elizabeth II, for which he composed a special anthem.

Archer married Alison (an artist and musician) in 1994, and they have a son (b.1997) and a daughter (b.1999).

Archer was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Wells Cathedral in 1996 where he directed and trained the Cathedral choir for its daily services in the cathedral, as well as being the musical director for Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society.

In April 2000, he and choir members participated in a tour to North America, which included concerts in Ottawa, Ontario; Albany, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Lancaster, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; Chattanooga, Tennessee and Augusta, Georgia.

He has made several recordings with the choir, including with the labels Hyperion Records and Lammas Records.

Malcolm Archer took over as organist and Director of Music at St Paul's from John Scott in 2004.

In August 2007 he took up a position as Director of Chapel Music and Organist at Winchester College, where he was in charge of the Winchester College Chapel Choir and the College Quiristers as well as teaching composition and the organ.

Recordings with the choir include Stanford's choral music, Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, Three Wings (Warner Classics) and Mozart's Requiem, accompanied by the London Mozart Players.

He left Winchester College in 2018.

Archer has had over 250 compositions published.

His major works include ‘Requiem’, ‘Vespers’, ‘Three Psalms of David’, ‘The Coming of the Kingdom’, the musical, ‘Walter and the Pigeons’, the one-act opera, ‘George and the Dragon’, ‘Sinfonietta’ for orchestra, ‘Concerto for Trumpet and Strings’ and ‘Sonata for Cello and Piano’.

His choral works include:

• A Hymn to the Virgin

• A Hymn to St Cecilia

• Alleluia, Who Is This Who Comes in Triumph?

• A New Commandment

• At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners

• Ave Verum Corpus

• Before the End of the Day

• Bless the Lord

• Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

• Bread of Heaven On thee We Feed

• Brightest and Best

• Christ Be Beside Me

• Christ Is Our Cornerstone

• Christ Who Knows

• Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies

• Come My Way

• Creator of the Stars of Night

• Dance My Heart

• Exsultet

• Give Us the Wings

• God Be in My Head

• God Who Made the Earth