{{short description|British organist and music director}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Kerry Jason Beaumont''' (born 5 April 1957) is a British organist and choir director.
==Early life and training== Born in Cambridge, England, Beaumont later emigrated to Canada with his family.<ref name="organix">{{cite web |title=Kerry Beaumont - Organ |url=https://www.organixconcerts.ca/2014/bio.php?id=37 |website=Organix Concerts |access-date=27 August 2024 |date=2014}}</ref> He earned his undergraduate degree from the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and also has a Master of Arts from Durham University.<ref name=organix /><ref>{{cite web |title=Composers |url=https://www.encorepublications.com/composers.shtml |website=Encore Publications |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>
==Career== Beaumont was Director of Music at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pennsylvania, United States,<ref>{{cite news |title=PHILOMEL ENSEMBLE HAS BUSY WEEKEND |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DN&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI%7CDN&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB297B01E37F164&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work=Philadelphia Daily News |format=fee required |date=1985-04-26 |accessdate=2008-03-10 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304142556/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DN&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI |url-status=dead }}</ref> for seven years (1981-1988) before returning to the United Kingdom.
He then served as Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Davids Cathedral in Wales from 1990 to 1994 and at Ripon Cathedral in England from 1994 to 2002<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.churchmusic.org.uk/cathmus/stdavids.php |title=St Andrew and St David |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Anglican Church Music |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923203147/http://www.churchmusic.org.uk/cathmus/stdavids.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> before being appointed Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral, a position he held from 2006 to 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/DIRECTOR%20OF%20MUSIC.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008105129/http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/DIRECTOR%20OF%20MUSIC.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-10-08 |title=DIRECTOR OF MUSIC AT COVENTRY CATHEDRAL |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Coventry Cathedral }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowat |first1=Robert |title=Meet the new director of music at England's Coventry Cathedral |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/meet-the-new-director-of-music-at-england-s-coventry-cathedral-1.5466459 |accessdate=25 April 2020 |work=CBC |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=6 March 2020}}</ref> Upon his retirement from Coventry he was made Organist Emeritus of the Cathedral,<ref>[https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wpsite/blog/2020/10/14/farewell-to-kerry-beaumont/ Farewell to Kerry Beaumont], Coventry Cathedral, 14 October 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2022.</ref> and the following year he was awarded the Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his "outstanding service to music and worship ..., with particular reference at Coventry to outreach, recruitment and nurture of boy and girl choristers to create a cathedral choir with diversity at its heart".<ref>[https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wpsite/blog/2021/04/07/congratulations-to-our-former-director-of-music-kerry-beaumont/ Congratulations to our former Director of Music Kerry Beaumont!], Coventry Cathedral, 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.</ref>
In 2021 he was appointed Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church in Leamington Spa.<ref>[https://www.warwickshireworld.com/news/people/leamington-church-appoints-new-director-of-music-ahead-of-christmas-services-3485591 Leamington church appoints new director of music ahead of Christmas services] ''Warwickshire World'', 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.</ref>
==Recordings and concert performances== Beaumont's recordings as an organist and choirmaster are published by Priory Records,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.priory.org.uk/cgi-bin/ukstore/uk.cgi?keywords=beaumont&ppinc=search |title=Product Listing |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Priory Records |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611190616/http://www.priory.org.uk/cgi-bin/ukstore/uk.cgi?keywords=beaumont&ppinc=search |archivedate=2011-06-11 }}</ref> Herald AV Productions and Cantoris Records. As a member of SOCAN (the Society of Canadian Composers, Authors and Publishers) he has published several hundred recorded compositions through the programme music libraries of Omnimusic<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omnimusic.com/search/advancedindex.html |title=Composer: Kerry Beaumont |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Omnimusic |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303105524/http://www.omnimusic.com/search/advancedindex.html |archivedate=2008-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Parry Music Library.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jetsetrecords.net/php/search.php?L=JP&mode=from_top&select=artist&search_key=kerry+beaumont |title=ARTIST SEARCH - Beaumont |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Jet Set Records }}</ref> Of his church music there are published titles by Encore Publications<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encorepublications.com/publications.shtml#beaumont_k |title=Publications |accessdate=2008-03-10 |work=Encore Publications }}</ref> and Banks Music Publications.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{S-start}} {{Succession box | title=Organist and Master of the Choristers, St Davids Cathedral | before=Malcolm Watts | years=1990 – 1994 | after=Geraint Bowen}} {{Succession box | title=Organist and Master of the Choristers, Ripon Cathedral | before=Ronald Edward Perrin | years=1994 – 2002 | after=Simon Morley}} {{Succession box | title=Director of Music, Coventry Cathedral | before=Rupert Jeffcoat | years=2006 – 2020 | after=Rachel Mahon}} {{S-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaumont, Kerry}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:British cathedral organists Category:British classical organists Category:People from Paoli, Pennsylvania Category:21st-century British organists Category:21st-century British male musicians Category:British male classical organists Category:Curtis Institute of Music alumni Category:Alumni of Durham University