Jamie HITEL the biography
Jamie
HITEL
(links in
green)
Jamie
Hitel was born in
Southend on
Sea, Essex,
England, an indirect result of the Hungarian
uprising of 1956 (when his father escaped the
Communist regime for a new life in the
UK
).
Southend is perhaps primarily known for
having the
Jamie's early musical education began
at the age of 6, and it wasn't long before
he was taking part in local musical
festivals. At the age of 14 he
became Organist and Choirmaster of
St Alban's Church, Westcliff, a post
he held for 4 years.
Southend on Sea was also where Jamie
made his first appearance as pub pianist,
appearing regularly at the grand piano in
the famous back bar of
The Grand
Hotel.
After leaving
school Jamie won an Organ Scholarship to
Robinson College,
Cambridge University
where he studied
organ with David Sanger, James O'Donnell
and later Peter Hurford. As Director
of Chapel Music, his responsibilities
included directing the Chapel Choir,
conducting orchestral concerts, and
leading several international choir
tours. He also appeared regularly
with the University Light Entertainment
Society.
In his spare
time,
Jamie played piano at The Cow and
Calf - a traditional corner pub
serving real ales, subsequently
demolished.
After graduating,
Jamie Hitel went to
Norway to work
as organist and choir trainer in
the
Norwegian Church
for three
years. His first parish,
Sandøy,
consisted of four islands in the Norwegian
Sea. Travel between the islands was
by boat, usually in appalling
weather. Jamie's second job in
Norway was divided between the parishes of
Ørskog and
Stordal, two
communities close to the most visited
fjord in Western Norway.
It was
whilst
in Norway that Jamie wrote and recorded
two
musicals,
That Pig, Morin, and A Stranger
Love.
In 1992
Jamie Hitel became Director of Music
at
Waltham
Abbey,
where his eminent predecessors included
English church music composer
Thomas
Tallis.
During this time he developed and expanded
the music program, maintaining a full
schedule of services, concerts, broadcasts
and recordings. After so long away
from Essex, Jamie once again became
involved with the local community, serving
both as elected councilor for the
Labour Party
In 1999 Jamie was
a finalist and diploma winner at the
prestigious Franz Liszt International
Organ Competition in Budapest.
In November 2000 Jamie became Organist and
Choirmaster at
St Paul's Episcopal Church
in
Akron, Ohio, where he directed the
Choir of Men & Boys and the St Cecilia
Choir of Girls. The choirs traveled to
England in the summers of 2004 and 2008,
where they performed at Hereford
Cathedral, Windsor Castle, Exeter
Cathedral, and Waltham Abbey.
Jamie's solo
organ CD
Sounds Messianic, featuring the
work of
Olivier Messiaen and César Franck, was
released in fall of 2003. It is the first
commercially available CD of the organ at
St Paul's Episcopal Church - click
here for reviews.
In 2008, Jamie was appointed Director
of Music at
Christ Church Greenwich, Connecticut,
where he directs the Choir of Men &
Boys, the St Cecilia Choir of Girls, the
Canterbury Choir, and the Christ Church
Consort.
In
his spare time, Jamie enjoys running, has
completed two marathons, and is looking
forward to completing a third in
2010.
