Early life and education
Hitel was born in Southend-on-Sea, England, to a British mother and Hungarian father. He started learning music at age six and showed early promise. At fourteen, he became Organist and Choirmaster of St Alban’s Church in Westcliff-on-Sea.
After finishing school, Hitel won an Organ Scholarship to Cambridge University, where he studied with David Sanger, James O’Donnell, and Peter Hurford. After graduating, he became Director of Chapel Music at Robinson College, Cambridge, where he directed the Chapel Choir, conducted orchestral concerts, and led international choir tours.
Career
Norway period
After Cambridge, Hitel worked as an organist and choir director in the Lutheran Church of Norway. His job involved traveling between churches by boat, which gave him a unique perspective on church music in remote communities. During this time, he wrote and recorded two stage musicals.
Waltham Abbey
Hitel returned to England as Director of Music at Waltham Abbey, where he followed in the footsteps of notable predecessors including Thomas Tallis and W. H. Cummings. He expanded the music program and kept busy with services, concerts, broadcasts, and recordings.
His solo career also began to take off during this period. He performed recitals across the UK and Europe, eventually making it to the finals of the Franz Liszt International Organ Competition in Budapest. His performance of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto was broadcast live on Hungarian Radio.
United States appointments
St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Akron
In 2000, Hitel moved to the United States and became Director of Music at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio. He directed separate choirs of men, boys, and girls, and kept busy with tours, workshops, and recordings. He founded a mixed-voice auditioned choir and produced several commercial CD recordings. He also led multiple tours to England, with performances at Hereford Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, and St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Hitel also released Sounds Messianic, an organ recording featuring works by Olivier Messiaen and César Franck. The album was the first commercial recording made on the 4-manual organ at St Paul’s Episcopal Church and is one of the few available recordings of Messiaen’s complete organ cycle Les Corps Glorieux.
Christ Church Greenwich
In 2008, Hitel was appointed Director of Music at Christ Church Greenwich. He runs a busy program with multiple ensembles: the Choir of Men & Boys, the St Cecilia Choir of Girls, the Christ Church Singers, and several other groups. He founded the Schola Cantorum, which includes advanced auditioned teenagers and professional men. He also oversees the St Nicholas Choir (for children in grades K-2), the Christ Church Bell Choir, and the Christ Church Compline Choir.
Beyond music
Hitel became an American citizen in 2009 and ratified his Hungarian citizenship in 2020. When he’s not making music, he enjoys writing, studying Hungarian, visiting art museums and jazz clubs, and recreational running.