Boris Ord

Boris Ord (9 July 1897 – 30 December 1961), born Bernhard Ord, was an English organist, composer and musical director best known as the choir master of King's College, Cambridge.

Ord was born in Clifton, Bristol to Clement and Hohanna Ord. He was educated at Clifton College, later winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. He studied the organ under Sir Walter Parratt. In 1916 he served with the Artists' Rifles and then later as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps.

In 1919 Ord became organ scholar of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. In 1923 Ord was appointed a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge until his death in 1961. In 1929, Ord was appointed organist and choirmaster of King's College, Cambridge and also of the University. In 1941 Ord rejoined the air force as a flight lieutenant, during which time Harold Darke was deputised as choirmaster. He returned to King's after the end of World War II. In the 1950s he began to decrease his workload. In 1957-58 Sir David Willcocks (also educated at Clifton College) took over as organist.

His setting of Adam lay ybounden, which is his only published piece of music, was once a fixture in the order of service of the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's. It now occasionally alternates with the settings by Peter Warlock and Philip Ledger. A distinguished choir master, he was described by Sir David Willcocks as the man who taught him everything he knows about training a choir.

Ord died at Cambridge in 1961 at the age of 64.

Preceded by Arthur Henry Mann

Director of Music, King's College, Cambridge 1929–1957

Succeeded by Sir David Willcocks

References

• Wilkinson, L. P., "Ord, Bernhard (Boris) (1897–1961)", on the website of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription or UK public library membership required), http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/35326 
• King's College Archive Centre, Cambridge, The Papers of Bernhard ('Boris') Ord, BO