The choir of St Peter’s Cathedral is among the oldest of its type in Australia. At the laying of the foundation-stone in 1869, a choir supported the singing, and the earliest known photograph of a surpliced choir singing music in the as-yet unfinished first part of the Cathedral dates from 1873.

Newspaper reports of the opening of the first part of the Cathedral in 1876 reported on “the surpliced choir of 42 men and boys” whose musical contributions included “the chanting of the Te Deum”. The choir was under the direction of Mr Arthur Landergan, a New Zealand organist and choirmaster who was organist at Christ Church North Adelaide from 1874-79.

Organists and Choirmasters

1876-1891 Arthur Boult
1891-1936 John Millard Dunn
1936-1955 Horace Percy Finnis
1955-1962 Jack Vernon Peters
1963-1964 Lyall von Einem (Acting)
1964-1994 David Swale AM

Arthur Boult was the first to hold the formal position of Organist and Choirmaster from 1876-1891. By occupation a land agent, and a gifted amateur musician, he was widely acclaimed for having set the Cathedral Choir on a firm footing of a very high standard.

John Millard Dunn was a pupil of Boult, and by the age of 15 was already accompanying ‘the full service’ at the Cathedral. He was a brilliant organist, playing the masterworks of Bach in recital at the age of 17. He played the then-new Bishop organ at the consecration of the first part of the Cathedral on 1 January 1878. He succeeded Boult in 1889 and remained in his post until 1936.

Horace Percy Finnis was a priest and musician. Born in Tasmania, he was educated in Melbourne and in addition to his priestly duties was successively organist of St Andrew’s, Brighton, and choirmaster at St John’s, Toorak, both of which made music of Cathedral standard. He came to Adelaide in 1918 to St John’s, Halifax Street, and in 1927 was appointed Precentor and Bishop’s Vicar at the Cathedral. When J.M. Dunn retired in 1936, Finnis took on the additional role of Organist and Choirmaster until his retirement in 1955.

Jack Vernon Peters (1920-1972) was another New Zealander who had been appointed as the organ teacher at the Elder Conservatorium in 1953. He already had a reputation for his brilliant playing, especially Bach and the mighty works of composers like Max Reger, and as an extemporiser. He was a natural successor to Canon Finnis in 1955. He was, however, entirely unable to compromise on musical values and this, along with his dependency on alcohol and occasional unreliability, led to his dismissal in 1962.

In 1963 and 1964, local musician Lyall von Einem was the Acting Organist and Choirmaster.

David Swale was a Cambridge graduate (and organ scholar at Gonville & Caius College) who migrated to Australia to teach music at St Peter’s College in 1962. Born in York, he had been a chorister under Sir Edward Bairstow at York Minster, and was among Bairstow’s last organ pupils. He was appointed to the Cathedral in 1964. In addition to maintaining the Cathedral repertoire across the liturgical changes of the later part of the 20th century, he introduced much new music, including early music, the Italian baroque (his research specialisation), and contemporary Australian music. He oversaw the division of the roles of Director of Music and Organist in 1994. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1984 for services to music.

Directors of Music

1994-1996 Peter Leech
1997-2019 Leonie Hempton OAM
2020- Anthony Hunt

Peter Leech graduated in music (musicology) from the University of Adelaide and quickly established a reputation as a gifted choral conductor. In addition to overseeing the transition of the Cathedral Choir to a mixed-voice ensemble (the first metropolitan Cathedral in Australia to do so), he established the first of a number of chamber choirs or consorts that performed on special occasions, considerably extending the Cathedral’s musical impact. He has gone on to become one of England’s most prominent choral conductors.

Leonie Hempton graduated in music (piano) from the University of Sydney. Following graduate study in piano and accompaniment in the UK, she returned to Australia and worked for many years as a repetiteur and accompanist for opera, theatre, and with singers and instrumentalists. On relocating to Adelaide she taught music at Marryatville High School, and in 1997 was appointed Director of Music at the Cathedral. She further expanded the Cathedral’s music with the creation of upper voice ensembles and a choir dedicated to Gregorian chant. Under her direction the Cathedral Choir recorded a number of CDs and considerably expanded its public profile. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the community through music in 2014.

Anthony Hunt joined the Cathedral Choir at the age of 7. He graduated in music (piano) from the University of Adelaide, taking First Class Honours in piano and organ. He received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he completed a Master of Music in opera accompaniment. On returning to Australia was Assistant Chorus Master, and later Chorus Master, at Opera Australia. He relocated with his family to Adelaide in 2020 to become Head of Music at State Opera South Australia, a position he combines with his work at the Cathedral. Under his direction, the Cathedral Choir has attained its largest membership on record, and performs regularly with ensembles including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Baroque.

Cathedral Organists

1994-1999 David Swale AM
1999-2015 Shirley Gale OAM
2015-2017 Josh van Konkelenberg
2017-2024 David Heah
2024- Andrew Georg

Following his retirement from the position of Choirmaster in 1994, David Swale remained as Cathedral Organist until 1999. David’s first studies in organ were with Sir Edward Bairstow at York, and following Bairstow’s death in 1946, he continued his studies with Bairstow’s Assistant, and successor, Dr Francis Jackson. Jackson. He won an organ scholarship to Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, from which he graduated in music and arts. In addition to his gifts as a conductor and performer, he was a renowned teacher and mentor, an activity he carried on in retirement as Organist Emeritus. until his death in 2019.

Shirley Gale studied in Adelaide with teachers including J.V. Peters and David Swale, and was organist at a number of the major churches locally, and later Assistant Organist at the Cathedral, before her appointment as Cathedral Organist. She was awarded the medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to music in 2019. She accompanied the Cathedral Choir on most of its recordings in addition to local and international tours.

Josh van Konkelenberg graduated in music (piano) from the University of Adelaide, taking First Class Honours in composition (2010) and conducting (2019). He went on to complete a Master of Music in organ and improvisation at the Royal College of Music (receiving the Walford. E. Davies Prize for Dux of the Organ Faculty) while concurrently undertaking a PhD in composition at the University of Adelaide. He was appointed Cathedral Organist in 2015, leaving the position to take up the directorship of Co-Opera when it gained recurrent funding.

David Heah was a member of the Cathedral Choir from childhood, taking piano lessons throughout his school years, and later organ with David Swale during his University studies in Engineering. In addition to his considerable gifts as a musician, he project-managed the restoration and rebuild of the Cathedral Organ in 2017/18.

Andrew Georg graduated in music (piano) from the University of Adelaide, and had organ scholarships both with the Cathedral and Pilgrim Church. Over the years he has established a reputation as one of Adelaide’s most versatile organists. is active as an accompanist and pianist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera South Australia, and as a liturgical musician. In addition to accompanying the majority of the choral services in the Cathedral and deputising for the Director of Music, Andrew plays in concert and recital and supports the teaching of Music Foundation Organ Scholars.