About Roy
Roy Woodhams is an experienced and distinguished organist offering professional services for recitals, church services, weddings, funerals and reheasrsals. Ordained priest and Associate Rector of Holmbury St Mary, Roy has combined a lifelong commitment to music with his vocation in ministry, playing the organ from an early age and serving for many years as Director of Music, recitalist and choral conductor. Trained at the Royal College of Music, he brings musical excellence, sensitivity and deep liturgical understanding to every performance.
Roy was born and brought up in East Kent where he spent his early working life. He was educated at the Dane Court Grammar School in Broadstairs, The Royal College of Music (RCM) and the University of London Institute of Education. He first studied organ and piano with the late Harold Millsted, then at the RCM he studied organ with the late John Birch, piano with the late John Russell and theory of music with the late Robert Ashfield. Alongside a career in teaching, he was Director of Music at St. John’s Parish Church in Margate, and was at that time well known throughout south-east England as a recitalist, accompanist and choral conductor.
In 1993, after a period of study at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Roy was Ordained in the Church of England. He has held posts in Kent, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, and is currently Associate Rector in the Leith Hill Benefice, and Assistant Archdeacon of Surrey. He is also an Honorary Canon of Guildford Cathedral and has just relinquished the post of Area Dean of Cranleigh. He is an Organ Adviser for the Diocese of Oxford, and as time permits, he continues his musical career as recitalist, accompanist and conductor.
Roy is married to Kate, a Primary School Teacher, and they have two daughters, Beth who is a Scientific Manager (the Operational Evaluation Team) at the Meteorological Office in Exeter, and Martha, who, having graduated as a Choral Scholar from Kings College London, is now is Head of Global Operations for Tarisio (a venue for selling fine stringed instruments and bows).
Roy’s other hobbies include cooking, walking, railways (though he claims not to own an anorak) and travel.
Services
Organist
Professional organist available for services, weddings, funerals and recitals, offering thoughtful repertoire selection, confident musicianship and a wealth of experience drawn from decades of church and concert performance.
Pianist / Accompanist
Experienced rehearsal accompanist and répétiteur, available for choirs and soloists, as well as providing musical entertainment for events and gatherings.
Conductor
Formerly Director of Music at St John’s Church, Margate, where he led and developed the choir for many years, Roy continues to feel at home leading choral ensembles. He is available to step in for ad hoc rehearsals and performances.
Trip Leader
Leader and administrator of regular tours to the Iona Community, offering informed and engaging guidance into the island’s spiritual, historical and musical heritage.
If you are interested in joining the next trip, please enquire here.
Guest Speaker
Engaging speaker on the relationship between music and liturgy, faith, worship and church life, combining theological insight with lifelong musical experience.
Testimonials
“I would like to complement your organist on his intelligent and sensitive accompaniment of the choir, and his accomplished management of the Willis organ. His playing was delightful, providing the right amount of support for the singers, and his voluntaries were splendid.”
- Canon Precentor of Hereford, Canon Andrew Piper
"Roy stepped in at just a few hours' notice to conduct our performance of motets by Bach and Brahms, when our conductor was unexpectedly unavailable. He led us with confidence and clarity, and we avoided a complete disaster! Thank you, Roy, for supporting us without hesitation. Our audience were thrilled."
- The Strand Consort
“Roy has kindly played the organ at several local Churches for services that we have been involved with, and we have had the pleasure of hearing him play on numerous occasions. He is an extremely skilled and proficient musician with a very extensive repertoire. Roy is ‘user-friendly’, very professional, and always reliable. We would not hesitate to recommend his organ playing services.”
- Gail Woodford, Woodford Family Funeral Service, Cranleigh