ARRIVAL OF OUR NEW ORGANIST & CHOIR DIRECTOR CLEMENT CARELSE
After much anticipation, we are pleased to welcome the Reverend Mr. Clem Carelse as St. Peter's Cathedral's permanent organist and choir director! It has been nearly a year since Clem was invited to assume this position and so it is indeed gratifying to know that he was with us on Sunday Sept. 4, to begin his duties and will be with us for many more Sundays to come !
Mr. Carelse and his wife, Christine, have purchased a small home just outside of Charlottetown and became permanent residents along with their five cats as of the end of September.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Additional information about our new organist and choir director:
A native of South Africa, Clement Carelse began his study of the organ and church music at an early age, coming from a family of organists. At the age of thirteen he was the organist at St. John's, Capetown, before emigrating to Canada in 1966. In Canada he studied the organ with Charles Peaker, Mellville Cook and John Sidgwick, and choral conducting with John Sidgwick, Keith Bissell and Frank Thorolfson. He earned a B.A. in Music, Religious Studies and Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton and did additional music course work at York University in Toronto.
Clem has sung in numerous choirs and in 1995 became the Organist and Choirmaster at All Saints', Kingsway. In 2007 he left All Saints' and became the Organist and Choirmaster at St. Peter's Erindale, in Mississauga. As an organist and choir director Clem has toured the UK extensively with his choirs performing in many cathedrals including St. Paul's, London, Ely, Gloucester and Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
In addition, Clem is also an organ builder having replaced the organ at St. Peter's Erindale with a "rescue" Casavant from Verdun, Quebec. In June, 2016 he was ordained to the Vocational Diaconate.
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