St Thomas Church, New York has announced Daniel Hyde as its new Organist and Director of Music. He succeeds John Scott, who died of a heart attack last August, aged 59. 

As perhaps befits a church famed as being very much in the spirit of the Anglican choral tradition, Hyde (like Scott before him) is an appointment made from within the heart of that world. Hyde is currently Organist at Magdalen College, Oxford - or to give him the full title, 'Informator Choristarum, Organist and Tutorial Fellow in Music' - a post he took up in 2009. He was previously Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, and prior to that an organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge. As organist, he performs widely, both as a recitalist as well as together with ensembles as diverse as the BBC Philharmonic, the Britten Sinfonia, the BBC Singers and Phantasm. 

The Rector of St Thomas, Rev Canon Carl F Turner, said: 'The Search Committee has served the Church well and considered a large number of applications from around the world. The process was thorough and demanding, and I am delighted that there was a unanimous decision to offer the post to Daniel Hyde. Dan is a remarkable musician who already has an international reputation, a strong faith and a working knowledge and love of the liturgy of the Church, and we believe that he will be a worthy successor to John Scott. It is clear that Dan will fit well into our parish life, and we very much look forward to welcoming him this summer.'

Under Hyde, Magdelen College struck a recording deal in 2014 with Opus Arte, the fruits of which have included Buxtehude's Membra Jesu nostri and a disc of works by Matthew Martin. Of that recording, reviewed in May 2015, Gramophone wrote: 'The Magdalen choir certainly make an exceptional sound, and Daniel Hyde’s direction is notable for his attention to inner detail and clear sense of architecture'.