Chapel Music
The University of Glasgow Chapel Choir and University Organist
The University of Glasgow Chapel Choir provides music for services and events in the chapel and elsewhere, as well as giving concerts and recitals throughout the academic year, such as the weekly "Choral Contemplations" series in the first and second terms. It also records and tours nationally and internationally, has recorded several CDs, and is available for weddings and memorial services.
There are thirty-two regular members (a mixture of volunteers, paid choral exhibitioners and professional lay clerks) plus around ten associate singers who join us for concerts and some other events. All are auditioned regularly and receive free singing tuition.
The choir is directed by Katy Lavinia Cooper (Director of Chapel Music) and accompanied by Kevin Bowyer (University Organist).
The Chapel Organ was built by Henry Willis III in 1927 and was most recently refurbished by Harrison & Harrison of Durham in 2005. Please see Chapel Organ Specification (PDF).
Lunchtime Concert: Simone Seales
Join us for a free lunchtime concert from cellist Simone Seales!
Music in the University
Date: Thursday 12 February 2026
Time: 13:10 - 14:00
Venue: University Concert Hall
Category: Concerts and music
This event is free! Booking is via Eventbrite: please follow the link below to reserve your space.
Originally from Florida, Simone Seales is a Glasgow-based cellist and performance artist. They focus on free improvisation, live looping, poetry and devising music for theatre. Through their collaborative and creative process, they prioritise connection, play and silliness, while exploring sound as a way to embody and express emotion.
Simone is passionate about exploring sound and how it can be embodied and reflect emotional states of being. Their creative influences come from Black feminist leaders such as Audre Lorde, Assata Shakur and bell hooks. Within Simone's creative work, they centre Blackness, sexuality, intersectional feminism and anti-racism. They believe Western Classical musicians are capable of making meaningful social change.
Recently, Simone was commissioned by the 2025 Edinburgh International Book Festival to create a live performance of their poetry-music album Dearest, performed with Mele Broomes, ahead of the album’s debut release in November 2025.
Simone is currently Musician in Residence for Paraorchestra.
They have received commissions for Edinburgh International Book Festival and Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, and performed across Celtic Connections, Deep Time at the Fruitmarket, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Blues and Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Lincoln Center and Southbank Centre.
Collaborations have taken place with authors Cecilia Knapp and Gemma Cairney, multidisciplinary artists Laura Fisher, Mele Broomes and Thulani Rachia, and musicians Aidan O’Rourke, All Men Unto Me, LAU and Young Fathers.
www.simoneseales.com/ | @simone.cello
