Guest, George (Hywel)
Guest, George (Hywel)
Guest, George (Hywel), esteemed Welsh organist, conductor, and teacher; b. Bangor, Feb. 9, 1924. He studied organ with Boyle in Chester and then was an organ scholar under Orr at St. John’s Coll., Cambridge (Mus.B., 1951). From 1951 to 1991 he was organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Coll. He led the choir on various tours, and also appeared as an organ recitalist. He served as asst. lecturer (1953-56) and then as lecturer (1956-82) at the Univ. of Cambridge, and in 1960-61 he was a prof, at the Royal Academy of Music in London. From 1974 to 1991 he was organist at the Univ. of Cambridge. He served as president of the Royal Coll. of Organists (1978-80), the Cathedral Organists’ Assn. (1980-82), and the Incorporated Assn. of Organists (1987-89). In 1987 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. His discriminating reper-tory as a choral conductor ranged from Palestrina to Britten. His years at Cambridge are highlighted in his book A Guest at Cambridge (Orleans, Mass., 1994).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire