President  -  
Dr. David Flood

Born: November 10, 1955 - Guildford, Surrey, England
The English organist and choral conductor, David Andrew Flood, received his musical training as an Organ Scholar of St John’s College Oxford with additional postgraduate work at Clare College Cambridge.
Appointed Assistant Organist at Canterbury Cathedral in 1978, David Flood served under Allan Wicks until 1986. In addition he was assistant director of the Canterbury Choral Society (1978-85), founder and director of the Canterbury Cantata Choir (1985-1986); Canterbury Music Club 1984-1986 and 1988. From 1986 to 1988 he assumed the responsibility of Organist and Choir Master at Lincoln Cathedral, and was also Musical Director of the Lincoln Choral Society. In 1988, he returned to Canterbury to succeed the retiring Dr Wicks as Canterbury Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers. The choir of Canterbury Cathedral performs every day at the highest standards, with a repertoire of music spanning 600 years. Flood has made a sequence of highly acclaimed recordings with them together with regular TV and radio appearances. The choir continues to tour extensively in Europe and in North America. He was also director of the Canterbury Singers (1996-1999).
Responsible for not only the daily sung services, which are naturally the most important part of his work, David Flood has been involved in many national and international occasions. He was organist for enthronement of Archbishop Runcie in 1980, visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982; was responsible for the music at the enthronements of Archbishops Carey (1991), Williams (2003) and Welby (2013) and the 1998 and 2008 Lambeth Conferences. His reputation as one of Britain’s foremost choir trainers has crossed continents. A much sought after organist, guest clinician and festival conductor, he is in demand both at home and abroad. He has given many organ recitals throughout Europe and is always in great demand in the USA, where he travels two or three times each year. In 2008 he directed the Washington All-State Honor Choir and every year hosts an American Childrens’ Choir Festival involving over three hundred voices.
In 1985, David Flood conducted the Whitstable Choral Society in their summer concert of Songs of Coast and Countryside, at St. Alphege Church Whitstable. When in 1995 he accepted the position as Musical Director of the Whitstable Choral Society, his energy, vitality and extensive musical knowledge were immediately apparent. Under his direction the choir has gone from strength to strength with many enjoyable concerts of the great choral works.
The University of Kent honoured David Flood in July 2002 when he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music and in November 2008 he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship by Canterbury Christ Church University, followed by a Visiting Professorship in 2012. These are in recognition of his work in Canterbury Cathedral and in the wider community. He is also a Visiting Fellow of St John’s College, Durham in 2007. Other awards and honours: honorary senior member at Darwin College University of Kent; FRCO 1976, member of Royal Society of Musicians 1997; Honorary FGCM in 2000

Honorary Vice President -
 Dr. Berkeley Hill

Berkeley took his first regular professional organist post in Swindon (Wiltshire) aged 14, and later studied organ playing with John Webster (University College, Oxford) and Dr Allan Wicks (Canterbury Cathedral). At school he also played the double-bass and gained valuable experience as a member for five years of the National Schools Orchestra under conductors such as Sir Malcolm Arnold, Sir David Wilcocks and Trevor Harvey.
He moved to Kent in 1970 to take up a lectureship at Wye College (University of London) where he soon became responsible for training the college choir and conducting its opera society. In 1972 Berkeley was appointed Director of Music of St. Leonard`s Church, Hythe, a post still held, and where currently he runs three choirs (boys-and-men, girls, and mixed adult). In the 1980s and 1990s the church choir visited many UK cathedrals, deputising for the professional choir, and represented Great Britain in the 1984 International Festival of Polyphonic Music at Loreto (Italy).
In 1976, Berkeley founded the Shepway Singers to be a versatile chamber choir of about 24 semi-professional and good amateur singers. The initial impetus was to mount a performance of Handel’sMessiah in St Leonard’s Church, Hythe, using a choir of about the size the composer intended. Orchestral players came from the London colleges of music and were led by Margot Rusmanis (who happened to be the daughter of a previous organist at St Leonard’s). The musical and financial success of this venture led to the permanent establishment of the choir which now specialises in unaccompanied music (although occasional concerts with orchestra are still mounted).
Berkeley is also Musical Director of Folkestone Choral Society, a role he took over from Mark Deller in 1976 after five years as its accompanist. Since then the Society has tackled the standard items of the choral repertory that use large choirs, orchestras and soloists, typically several times. In addition there have been forays into the less familiar, including Bryan Kelly’s At the round earth`s imagin’d corners and special commissions, such as Michael Lewis’ Gloria to mark the Millennium. Over the years particularly memorable concerts have included Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, Elgar’s The Kingdom and Te Deum by Berlioz. The Shepway Singers has provided the semi-chorus for several performances of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius.
Until 2005, Berkeley’s ‘day-job’ was as Professor of Policy Analysis at Wye and Imperial Colleges (London University), where he remains in an Emeritus position. Berkeley continues to act as a consultant to governments and international organisations on agricultural and rural development policy and economic statistics, and regularly contributes to teams carrying out evaluations for the European Union. He has also written extensively, including student text books, research volumes and numerous conference papers.
In April 2017 Berkeley relinquished his post as Musical Director for the Folkestone Choral Society signing off at the Leas Cliff Hall with the Brahms Requiem, one of his most favoured pieces.
In 2018 Berkeley received the British Empire Medal award for services to music in Kent.
Berkeley said :"I was very happy to accept this award, which I know was instigated by the communities of Folkestone and Hythe. It has been a pleasure to serve them for over 40 years". 

Accompanist  -  
Tim Parsons.

Tim has been organist and choirmaster at Holy Trinity Church, Folkestone since 1993.

He began playing the piano and singing at the age of seven and was taken through his piano grades by Richard Baulch.

Tim started playing the organ under the direction of Berkeley Hill at St. Leonard's Church in Hythe. During his time there he accompanied the Choir on various Cathedral trips including weeks at Lincoln; Bristol; Bath Abbey and Peterborough. In addition to his post at Hythe Tim also directed the choir and played the organ at St. Paul's Church in Sandgate between 1986 and 1992.

Choral Music is one of his greatest interests and with the assistance of Wendy, his wife, Tim enjoys running the choir at Holy Trinity. He has taken the choristers to sing the daily services at many cathedrals including those of Wells; Christ Church, Dublin; Rochester; St. Edmonsbury, Ely and Bath Abbey and they will be singing at Lincoln Cathedral between the 17th and 20th August this year (2006). Tim has also played for and conducted several combined Deanery and RSCM choirs events in Canterbury Cathedral.

The musical life of Holy Trinity is a busy one and Tim organises several areas including the singing tuition, which is based around the Royal School of Music "Voice for Life" programme; the annual choir concert, usually in July; the organ recital series, promoted by "the Friends of the Music", which runs from July to September each summer; and other concerts that take place in the church.  Recording special events and services in the church is another hobby that interests Tim.

In addition to his musical commitments at Holy Trinity Tim is also the regular accompanist of the Folkestone Choral Society and the Shepway Singers, playing the organ, harpsichord and piano.

When not absorbed in music making he manages the marketing needs of a successful Dover business called Ancestors who, among other things, trace family trees.