Lincoln is delighted to welcome Oliver Walker as its first Director of Music. This new, part-time position places music at the heart of the Lincoln experience, and will provide support and encouragement for our organ scholars and choir, as well as the performance of music of all kinds at Lincoln. We are very grateful to the donors who have made this new role possible, just in time for our 600th anniversary celebrations.
As Director of Music, Oliver brings to Lincoln a wide-ranging career as a choral conductor, organist and music educator, with experience spanning cathedral and collegiate music, schools, professional and amateur choirs, festivals and large-scale choral performance.
Oliver studied music at Keble College as an Organ Scholar, and later completed an MA in Choral Conducting at the University of Birmingham. His professional career began as an organist at Wells Cathedral, and since then he has combined conducting and organ playing with a particular interest in education and the development of young singers. He was Director of Music at Repton School from 2016 to 2024, having previously been Director of Choral Music at Solihull School, and is currently the Organist and Choirmaster for Bruern Abbey Schools (a mainstream independent school for neurodiverse children).
Oliver’s current portfolio also includes his role as Director of Music at Douai Abbey, and musical directorship of Solihull Choral Society, Jubilate Chamber Choir (Oxford) and Newbury Spring Festival Chorus. Musical projects have included preparing choirs for performances in St Peter’s Basilica (Rome) and Thomaskirke (Leipzig), collaborations with Gary Barlow, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the RSC, and directing several BBC Radio broadcasts. His commitment to community music-making earned him a Solihull Civic Award in 2012.
A key strand throughout Oliver’s career is his commitment to the work of living composers, bringing them into contact with the choirs for whom they have written. He has commissioned and premiered new choral music by some of the UK’s leading composers including Jonathan Dove, Sir James MacMillan and Judith Bingham. A current project includes the Douai Triptych, a series of works for Douai Abbey by composers such as Kerensa Briggs and David Lang.
Music at Lincoln
“I am hugely excited to be joining Lincoln at such an important moment in the College’s history. The opportunity to contribute to the musical life of the College, and particularly to its outstanding chapel music, is a real privilege. A particular priority will be the College’s 600th anniversary, and I want music to play a central part in those celebrations with a programme that fanfares Lincoln’s choral tradition, while also looking firmly towards the future with exciting musical opportunities for our students. I am particularly excited about working with Emily Howard on New Old Worlds, her specially commissioned 600th anniversary piece that will premiere on Founder's Day on 13 October 2027.”
Outside music, Oliver enjoys spending time with his family and their array of animals, which includes horses, cats, dogs and chickens. He is passionate about opera and modern art.
