Page 16 - Church Music Quarterly September 2018

SERVING THE RSCM
BRIAN GILL, CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL 2010–18
When Brian Gill joined the RSCM Council in 2010, he was still in full-time employment as a senior judge in Scotland. While leading the Council, Brian was promoted to the top post in the Scottish judiciary – Lord President of the Court of Session – and held this influential position at the time of the Scottish independence referendum. In addition to casework and appeals, much of his time in the judiciary was spent in reforming the civil court system, which was in real need of modernization.
His experience at the top of the legal profession was perhaps not an obvious match with the RSCM – which aims always to operate within the established framework of corporate and charity law, and certainly does not seek to enter into contentious litigation! However, Brian’s training as an advocate has been immensely helpful in bringing clarity
of thought to Council discussions. Moreover, his ‘hobby’ as a parish organist in Edinburgh, and his profound
IAN CHURCH
Christian faith and Catholic upbringing have brought additional and relevant experience, as the RSCM expands beyond traditional Anglican roots.
For most RSCM members, Council does not affect day-to-day activities – and nor should it. Its role in setting long-term strategy, and supporting senior management, is best done with considered discussion and debate, away from the limelight. Brian’s innate ability to seek wide-ranging views on key agenda items, and then summarize discussions, was hugely useful as Council implemented new management structures and systems, including three new Heads of Department in Education. In particular, renewed RSCM support for clergy training and ministry was emphasized by the decision to take
on a priest (full-time) as Head of Ministerial Training.
A key Council concern is always
to secure sufficient funding to ensure that the planned mission of the RSCM can be delivered, and in this respect the support and encouragement of Liz and Terry Bramall has been crucial. Brian describes them as ‘two of the best people I have ever met’, and the funding from their trust during his time at
the RSCM has been instrumental in enabling key educational projects to
be set up, and delivered. Legacy support has also been an important recent contributor to RSCM funds, together with generous responses to Brian’s appeal letters.
A continuing theme of Council discussions has been our location at Sarum College in Salisbury Cathedral Close, with the lease expiring this year. However, having established good
working relationships with the college staff at Sarum, and a realization that much can be achieved by closer working, Council agreed that we should negotiate a new lease – which Brian signed at the June Council meeting. The revised arrangements envisage
a long-term partnership, with joint educational courses being hosted at Sarum, and an option for additional space and facilities.
During Brian’s tenure, the RSCM has run two International Summer Schools: one in York in 2013, and the other in Liverpool in 2016. These provided an opportunity for singers and musicians from the UK and overseas to learn together through workshops and seminars, and also to worship in a variety of musical styles. He recalls
in particular the Passion Service at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral when ‘with only ourselves in the building,
we followed the Way of the Cross while singing the most compelling music:
an unforgettable evening of emotion and faith’.
Other significant services that
Brian has attended include the annual Celebration Day, when the RSCM gives awards to those whose work in church music should be particularly recognized. The most recent Celebration Day services, at York in 2016 and at Canterbury last year – where Liz and Terry Bramall were given a special award – are particularly memorable.
As Brian comments elsewhere in this issue of CMQ, leading the RSCM has been a great privilege. It has also been
a privilege for the RSCM to have enjoyed his skilled leadership through the
last eight years. Thank you, Brian!
16 CMQ