of Thanet

Clifford Lister began his musical education as a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, later winning a Choral Scholarship to The King's School, Canterbury, and subsequently studying singing with Kenneth Bowen at The Royal Academy of Music.

Whilst at the Royal Academy of Music he was a lay-clerk at Canterbury Cathedral, later joining Westminster Cathedral, where he sang until November 2007. The Cathedral Choir regularly records for Hyperion, (indeed the recent recording of the Frank Martin Mass for double choir won the Gramophone disk of the year award.): such a high profile choir is also often to be seen and heard regularly in both radio and television broadcasts.

 Clifford also enjoys a varied career as a soloist, recitalist, and consort singer with Cappella Nova.

Recent tours with various groups have included trips to the USA and Brazil, and solo concerts in Hanover,Budapest and most recently in Bahrain. Nearer home he is a regular soloist with many Choral Societies in the South East, and has sung a wide variety of works. In fact, of the mainstream oratorio repertoire the only role he has yet to sing is that of the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion.

When not performing, Clifford is actively engaged as a singing teacher, both at Kent College in Canterbury and Northbourne Park School in Deal. He also teaches privately both in Kent and London.  This would be enough to keep the average person occupied during the week, but Clifford now also conducts the Seventy Chamber Choir of Thanet as well as Thanet's other premier chorus, the Thanet Festival Choir.

If he ever has a spare moment then a round of golf is a favoured pastime; endeavouring to lower that handicap to nearer the age of some of his younger pupils, at least two of our members will testify that in order to fulfil this ambition he must play more frequently or stop teaching pupils of school age!