St Mark's Church, Fitzroy

250 George Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065

Office: (03) 9419 5051

 

Christopher J. Luke

Organist & Director of Music

 

Christopher J. Luke was born in Melbourne in 1972. His calling to church music came at the age of 7, when he became a chorister at St Augustine’s Anglican Church, Mentone. He remained at Mentone for nearly 20 years eventually holding the position of Organist. He has also held positions of Organist and Director of Music at All Saints’ Anglican Church, Preston, and Sub-Organist at St John’s Anglican Church, Toorak. From 1997 to 2004, he sang with the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne under the direction of Dr June Nixon, AM.

 

In 1990 he enlisted in the Australian Regular Army as a clarinet player in the Australian Army Band Corps. During his ten years service with the Army, he held Band postings in Canberra and Wagga Wagga and at the Defence Force School of Music in Melbourne where he was employed as an Instructor. He won numerous awards for his training and military service including the Army Apprentices School Officers Mess Award for “outstanding achievement during training in respect of regimental training and personal qualities”, the A.A. Sillcock Award for “leadership ability, musical proficiency, personal qualities and potential advancement in the Defence Force” and the Australian Army Band Corps Association Award for “outstanding personal endeavour and accomplishment as a serving musician”. In 2006, he was awarded the Australian Defence Medal in recognition of his service with the Australian Regular Army.

 

His interest in arranging and composing began at the age of 20. In 1996 he composed the fanfare Parliament ‘96 for the arrival of the Governor-General and the Prime Minister at the Opening of Federal Parliament in Canberra. It has subsequently been used for the Opening of Federal Parliament in 1998 and 2008. In 1996 he also composed the fanfare Jubilant Jazz for leading Australian jazz musician James Morrison and the Australian Army Band Kapooka Fanfare Team. In 2005 he composed the fanfare A New Beginning for the arrival of the Governor of Victoria at the opening of the Mentone Grammar Sports and Function Centre.

 

Commissions have included Symphonic Fantasia – Suomi for Canberra Musicians Inc. (1997), Labore et honore for Mentone Grammar School (1998) and Fanfare for St Patrick for the opening of the 1862 Nicholson Organ at St Patrick and the Holy Angels Catholic Church, Mentone (1999). In 2008, he shared the top award in the inaugural New Organ Music Awards hosted by the Society of Organists (Victoria) Inc. with his composition Marche Héroïque.

 

In 1999 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Music) degree majoring in composition and performance from the University of New England and in 2005 was awarded a Licentiate Diploma (with Honours) in Composition from the Australian Society of Musicology and Composition. In 2008 he graduated from Monash University with a Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Music Education). He is currently working on a Fellowship Diploma in Composition from Trinity College, London.

 

Christopher has been Organist and Director of Music at St Mark’s Anglican Church, Fitzroy since 1999 where he is the custodian of the 1938 Harrison & Harrison organ. During that time he has successfully established the annual St Mark’s Concert Series, the St Mark’s Choral Scholarship Programme and has played for over 1000 services. He has produced two compact disc recordings and he is regularly heard on the Sunday morning programme Organ and Choral Music on 3MBS-FM. He and his wife Amelia were married at St Mark’s in September 2004, where he composed the opening organ voluntary to accompany the procession of his beautiful and loving bride. They were blessed with their first daughter, Bethanie, in November 2005 and their second daughter, Elliana, in May 2008.

 

Christopher is the Head of Woodwind at Mentone Grammar and serves on the Pipe Organ Committee of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

 

To email the Director of Music, please copy and paste the email address at the base of this web page.