Longwood Debut
Currently Director of Music at the historic St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Philadelphia, USA, oversees all music making at this beautiful landmark in the city’s suburbs. A robed adult choir supported by four professional section leaders, a children’s choir Chorister program, and a robust series of concerts throughout the year, make St. Martin’s an incredibly musically active church, whose mission, outreach, and social activism are at the heart of the music ministries.
Winner of multiple prizes, organist and conductor Whiting began his studies at the age of 16 with Nigel McClintock at Croydon Parish Church (now Croydon Minster) in London, UK. Five years later, in the summer of 2011, he was awarded the Associateship diploma of the Royal College of Organists.
Whiting previously graduated from the Royal College of Music (RCM) as a scholar on the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Science, where he was generously funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council Studentship and supported by the Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Award. Returning to the RCM in 2016, Whiting received a distinction in the one-year fast-track Master of Music degree course, achieving an ‘excellent’ category distinction grade in his final organ recital, and receiving the renowned Harold Darke Prize 2017. Whiting studied organ with both David Graham and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, conducting with Peter Stark and Howard Williams, and has also undertaken historical performance projects with Jane Chapman and Lawrence Zazzo.
Graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where he studied organ performance with William Whitehead, Daniel Moult, and Ann Elise Smoot, Whiting was three times winner of the Geoffrey Singleton Prize for organ performance (2010, 2011 & 2012), and twice winner of the Cardnell Organ Prize for ‘talents as an organist’ (2011 & 2012). Whiting also studied at Trinity’s Junior Department where he was awarded the Hambourg Award for Improvisation.
Passionate about teaching,Whiting was awarded the Licentiateship diploma of Trinity College, London in Instrumental/Vocal Teaching with a high distinction and works as a teacher of organ, piano, conducting, and theory/history. He has held posts such as Head of Music at Elmhurst Independent School for Boys, London and works as an animateur for music and the arts.
