Philip Stopford
Philip W J Stopford is an English sacred music choral composer and choir director. He is known for his contemporary a cappella and accompanied settings of traditional Latin and English prayers and hymns, including his setting of "Ave Verum Corpus", titled "Ave Verum"; "Lullay, My Liking"; and of the Coventry Carol, titled "Lully, Lulla, Lullay". Three of Stopford's works appeared in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2014, after he made his first appearance on the chart in 2013.
Stopford began his musical career as a member of the choir of Westminster Abbey, and later graduated in music from the University of Oxford. He has composed numerous other works, including a Te Deum, a Latin Mass, and various Latin canticles. He formerly served as the choral director of St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland, until the post was closed in 2010, causing five of the cathedral's board members to resign in protest. He is currently the director of the Ecclesium professional choir, which has released many CDs of Stopford's original works, and of the smaller Melisma performing group which primarily tours Northern Ireland.
As of 2016, Stopford works at Christ Church Bronxville in the United States.
