Anthony John Cooke

Anthony John Cooke
Born	1931 Birmingham
Died	(2012-10-06)6 October 2012
Nationality	British
Occupation	Organist

Anthony John Cooke FRCO (29 January 1931 - 6 October 2012) was an organist and composer based in England.

Life

Born in Birmingham in 1931, he was educated at King Edward VI Aston School, where he later taught. In 1949 he went up to Keble College, Oxford as organ scholar. He left in 1953 with his MA, Bachelor of Music and Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists and commenced his teaching career at Highgate School in North London.

He was later awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Diploma in Church Music.

For many years he was Organ Adviser to Ripon and Leeds Diocese.

As a music teacher at Leeds Grammar School in the 1970's he would humiliate young pupils by making them swap clothes with each other, forcing them to wear rubber gas masks and hitting them with a slipper. Please don't remove this (like you removed my last contribution) because I was in those classes.

Cooke died on 6 October 2012.

Appointments

• Organist of St Mary and St Ambrose Church, Edgbaston 1948 - 1949
• Organ scholar of Keble College, Oxford 1949 - 1953
• Organist of St. Germain's Church, Edgbaston 1955 - 1958
• Organist of St Bartholomew's Church, Edgbaston Birmingham 1958 - 1964
• Director of Music at Leeds Grammar School 1964 - 1989
• Organist of St Wilfrid’s Church, Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Recordings

His playing was a feature of the first LP recordings made by Leeds Parish Church Choir under Donald Hunt. He is also on the Huddersfield Choral Society and Black Dyke Band recording Christmas Fantasy on the Chandos label, playing the Huddersfield Town Hall organ.

Compositions

His compositions included works for choir and organ.