Parry Wood Organ Scholar, Sungjoon Park

Sungjoon Park is the Parry-Wood Organ Scholar at Exeter College, Oxford and is responsible for running and directing the choir for their busy schedule of 3 services each week. Alongside his duties as an organ scholar, he is a third-year undergraduate student at the University, reading Music.

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His exposure to choral music began from an early age, as a chorister of King’s College Choir, Cambridge from 2012-17. As a member of the choir, he was taught under the directorship of Sir Stephen Cleobury and the organ scholars, singing six services per week, and travelling abroad for tours. After King’s, Sungjoon attended The Perse Upper School, having been awarded a music scholarship. There, he continued to sing in choirs, and continued his piano education with Andrew Bottrill. During this time, Sungjoon pursued solo performance, becoming a prize winning pianist. Most recently, he concluded a successful two-week tour to Sweden and Germany with Exeter College Choir, performing concerts in Uppsala Cathedral, Katerina Kyrka, The German Lutheran Church, and Peterskirche, Görlitz.

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Having also learnt the violin, cello, and flute, Sungjoon’s understanding of music is broad and encompasses a variety of genres. He is currently taught the organ by William Whitehead, and as an aspiring conductor, is taught conducting by Benjamin Nicholas (Merton College, Oxford), Nicholas Cleobury, and Patrick Russill.

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Graduate Organist, Michael Koenig

As a doctoral candidate in Music and Global History at the University of Oxford, Austrian-born organist Michael Koenig also holds the Graduate Organist’s position at Exeter College. Previous musical affiliations included St Paul’s Knightsbridge, All Saints Fulham, St Alban’s Anglican Church, Copenhagen and Holy Trinity Jesuit Church, Innsbruck (Austria). Michael is a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (RCO) and a recipient of the Silver Medal of the Musicians’ Company.

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After earning degrees in organ performance and music education as a student of Otto Bruckner in Graz and Michael Radulescu in Vienna, Michael completed over two dozen extended trips to Kenya and Nigeria as a visiting organ teacher and recitalist. This experience not only inspired him to pursue an MA degree in African Studies at Copenhagen University and an MA degree in World History and Cultures at Kings’ College London but also formed the background for his current doctoral research. Furthermore, since 2021, Michael has been the programme coordinator and producer of the RCO’s Organ Show, a series of lively video webcasts about various aspects of organ music and organ building inspired by the BBC’s The One Show.

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Junior Organ Scholar, Tom McLean

 

Tom McLean is a first-year music student at the university, and the Junior Organ Scholar at Exeter College, Oxford.

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Tom was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, having earned a music scholarship. There, he enjoyed musical pursuits not only on the organ, but notably trumpet and classical saxophone – he has achieved his Associateship of the Royal Schools of Music on both with distinction. At RGS, Tom also sang in choirs, allowing him to sing evensongs at Chichester, Winchester, and Christ Church Cathedrals in addition to Keble College Oxford, and Clare College Cambridge. He also founded and directed a madrigal ensemble which allowed him to learn much about both choral direction and conducting more generally.

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Tom started playing the organ in 2019 and has studied under Richard Moore, Philip Scriven, as well as piano under Jan Newman, and conducting under Peter Hugh White. Tom is a Colleague of the Royal College of Organists and has passed his ABRSM Grade 8 examination with Distinction. He was also organ scholar at St John the Baptist Church West Byfleet for two years. In 2023 he won both the Bach and Solo classes in organ performance at the Godalming Festival of Music and Drama. A particular highlight of his organ playing thus far would surely be performing the Poulenc Organ Concerto with Southern Pro Musica, conducted by Sam Orchard.

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