Salisbury Cathedral’s Director of Music has been recognised for his music.

David Halls was awarded Pride of Wiltshire Award for his services to music in the county during an online awards evening.

Reading the citation during a special visit to the cathedral the Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sarah Rose Troughton said:

“His (David’s) wicked sense of humour combined with his passion for his subject and his generosity of spirit has meant that many have benefitted from his experience and knowledge…

“A member of the Salisbury Diocesan Choral Festival Group, he regularly conducts Diocesan Choir Festivals and is an Organ Consultant to the Diocese of Salisbury. He conducts Salisbury Musical Society and the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and has toured extensively with the Cathedral choir, taking Salisbury and its music to the world. He is the only person we know to have conducted a choir on board a flight from San Francisco to Heathrow.”

David’s second award was runner up in the RCO Composition Competition 2020 (25 years category) which was won by Paul Trepte, former organist at Ely Cathedral.

The RCO Composition Competition 2020 is a national competition open to organists and composers across the country.

David said: “I am delighted to receive both awards and to see music making in the county and Cathedral foregrounded in this way. Composition and music are not isolated professions. They require collaboration, and depend on the skill and generosity of others. I am fortunate to be able to work with exceptionally talented professionals and brilliant amateurs, and to have made so many friends as a result of my music making.”