John Dexter - Director

John Dexter was born in Guildford, Surrey. He was educated at Guildford Grammar School, Jesus College Oxford, University of London, and the Royal College of Music where he studied orchestral conducting with Norman Del Mar. From 1975 to 77 he was Organ Scholar in St Paul's Cathedral and Assistant Organist in Holy Trinity Brompton.

As a schoolboy he studied conducting with the composer Edwin Roxburgh; he conducted the Guildford Singers; he sang a specially commissioned solo work for Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother. At the age of 16 he was awarded his first diploma, ARCO.

As a student he was Assistant Conductor of Schola Cantorum Oxford, Conductor of the Kodaly Choir, occasional organist and conductor of the BBC Singers' Radio 4 morning live morning service; he worked as a free-lance rehearsal accompanist under Martindale Sidwell, John Elliott Gardiner, Ian Humphris, John Poole and Barry Rose; he accompanied and conducted the choir of St Paul's Cathedral for services and recordings, featuring on three LPs, two as organist and one as producer. He was awarded Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Associate of the Royal College of Music and Licenciate of the Royal Academy of Music.

He held the position of Organist and Master of the Choristers in St Patrick's Cathedral Dublin from 1977 to 2001. He has recorded for Guild Records, Pinewood Records, Polygram and BBC Radio 3; he has conducted the Guinness Choir, Third Day Chorale, RTE Chamber Choir, RTE Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of Cecelia, Hibernian Orchestra, the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in part of a concert in the Point Theatre featuring St Patrick's Cathedral Choir with Placido Domingo, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra in various concerts including Sir Peter Pears's seventieth birthday concert (1980) in which Pears sang Britten's Nocturne.

He has conducted BBC Songs of Praise twice, BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong more than 15 times, as well as films, ads, documentaries and concerts.

He is currently Music Teacher in St Patrick's Cathedral Grammar School, Conductor of the Goethe-Institut Choir, Chorus Master of the Dublin County Choir and the Founder and Conductor of John Dexter Harmony.

As a composer, most of his work has been in the area of arranging and adapting music for St Patrick’s Cathedral, for JDH and for his Family Ensemble. The Goethe Institut Choir commissioned a new work Hilariter from him for its 40th Anniversary Concert in the National Concert Hall in December 2005.

John Dexter lives with his wife Alison and their seven children in Ballinteer.

"There is nothing to beat the sound of boy trebles. They still provide the soprano line in the world’s finest choirs – King’s College Cambridge, Westminster Cathedral, Vienna Boys, Regensburg Cathedral, to name just a few that top the CD charts in classical music. They have been traditionally associated with church music, but when they branch into folksong arrangements, barbershop, contemporary Irish or pop close harmony the results melt the heart."  -- John Dexter

The Dexter Family Ensemble

Róisín and Aisling Dexter were the first to bring public attention to this musical family with their duet performances in the National Concert Hall in December 1995, on RTE TV “Live at Three” and “Kenny Live”. All except Eoin are members or former members of the Dublin Youth Orchestras: Róisín (now Róisín Judge) and Aisling – violin, Patrick and Eoin – cello, Seán – horn, Eilís – viola, Neil – double bass. Róisín was awarded diplomas in both Music and French after studying for two years in the Conservatoire in Lyon. Aisling is a graduate of the College of Dance in Monkstown and Springs Dance Apprentices in London. Patrick and Neil are former choristers in St Patrick’s Cathedral where their father John was Organist for 24 years. Seán recently recorded the theme song for the recently released children’s Christmas movie Niko and the Way to the Stars. In October 2008 Eoin sang the part of Ygniold in Opera Theatre Company’s touring production of Debussy’s Pelleas and Melisande. In December Eilís sang the echo soprano part in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Part 4 in the National Concert Hall. For the last five years the ensemble has given a Christmas concert on two consecutive nights in December in Airfield, Dundrum.