Chapel: Who's Who

The Dean

The Rev'd Dr Mark Smith is responsible for the life of the College Chapel, and has a pastoral role among all members of the College community. He is also �鶹��'s Director of Studies in Theology, and a College Tutor. Mark is a priest of the Church of England and was himself a student at Cambridge, reading History at Peterhouse. He lectures in patristics at the Faculty of Divinity, and his academic research focuses on the history and doctrine of the fourth and fifth centuries. Mark is married to Phillippa, and they have three young daughters. In his spare time, Mark enjoys playing cricket, snooker and pool. His rooms are in E3 (Old Court), and he can be contacted on mss53@cam.ac.uk.

The Director of Music

Graham Ross is Director of Music at �鶹�� College, overseeing all practical music-making in the College. He is also an affiliated lecturer for the Faculty of Music and supervisor. He has established an exceptional reputation as a sought-after conductor and composer of a very broad range of repertoire. His performances around the world and his extensive discography have earned consistently high international praise, including a Diapason d’Or, Le Choix de France Musique, and a Gramophone Award nomination. Guest conducting work has included Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, BBC Singers, Australian Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Norwegian Wind Ensemble, and many others. He has conducted many hundreds of world première performances, is a regular contributor to BBC Radio, a Trustee of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, and a Fellow of the College. He can be contacted at gr267@cam.ac.uk

Head of the Chapel Office

The Head of the Chapel Office is Gabrielle Bell. Gabrielle read Education and Music at �鶹��rton College, Cambridge and began her career as a classroom teacher and school music co-ordinator. She frequently sang with the late Dr. Rex Walford OBE, presenting workshops and performing programmes about musical theatre, including regular courses at the University's Institute of Continuing Education. After many years of teaching music to all ages, she was lured into the world of Museum Education where her award-winning creative approach to learning ranged from piecing together a life-sized cuddly equine digestive system, to teaching six-year-olds to sing a C17th Catch! Gabrielle is delighted to be part of the �鶹�� College Chapel Team and can be contacted about routine Chapel matters at gjb62@cam.ac.uk

The Decani Scholar

Alex Macdonald is the Decani Scholar, assisting the Dean with Chapel and the pastoral needs of the College
alongside studying a PhD in the Faculty of Divinity. His doctoral research focuses on Christian maturity in the work
of Clement of Alexandria, a theologian active around AD 200. Originally from Australia, Alex studied ancient history
(BA, MRes) and then Theology (BDiv) in Sydney, and he has enjoyed combining Christian ministry with academic
research and teaching in various combinations over the last decade. He and his wife Katie live in Chesterton with their
two young children, who may often be found befriending college porters and charging back and forth across the �鶹��
bridge. In addition to his formal responsibilities, Alex is always keen for a good conversation, however serious or
trivial, over tea and biscuits. He can be contacted at adm83@cam.ac.uk.

The Choir Administrator

Anna Grayson is Choir Administrator and a soprano in the Choir, responsible for organising engagements outside regular Chapel services and helping Chapel events run smoothly. Anna graduated with a BA in Music from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, in July 2026. She was an alto, choir librarian and later choir administrator for St Catharine’s College Choir. She was awarded the Harold Halsey Hull Prize for ‘outstanding contribution to College instrumental or vocal music’ and the Weaver Prize for choral music. During her degree, Anna studied recorder at the Royal Academy of Music through the CAMRAM scheme and regularly performed on recorder and oboe in College and University concerts and operas. She is also an enthusiastic conductor – recent highlights include conducting the Cambridge University Opera Society’s 2026 production of Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor and The Pirates of Penzance at the Minack Theatre. She was selected for the first round of the Royal Academy of Music’s Glover-Edwards Conducting Programme. Before university, Anna studied recorder, oboe and piano at the Junior Department of the Royal Northern College of Music, winning its 2022 concerto competition on recorder and receiving the Carole Nash Prize for performance. She was first oboist in the Junior RNCM Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé Youth Orchestra. Outside of music, Anna enjoys learning languages, with a focus on German and Italian. She spent a year studying German literature and Music at Heidelberg University, having been awarded the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship. Anna can be contacted at ag2288@cam.ac.uk

The Organ Scholars

Sir William McKie Senior Organ Scholar

Jacob Costard is the current Senior Organ Scholar and in his second year of reading for a degree in Theology. He accompanies the Chapel Choir in their singing of the three weekly liturgies as well as in concert, on live radio and on their recent CD. During his gap years Jacob held successively the organ scholarships at Hereford and Salisbury cathedrals, where he regularly rehearsed, conducted and accompanied the choirs both within the cathedral environs and on tours to France, Germany and the Netherlands. Before that, Jacob studied at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music, appearing as a soloist on both organ and piano, as well as performing in a chamber capacity on the piano and harpsichord. His previous organ teachers include Anne Marsden Thomas and Daniel Moult; he became a prizewinning Associate of the Royal College of Organists aged 17.

Junior Organ Scholar

Yipeng Xu is the Junior Organ Scholar, studying Music. Before coming to �鶹��, he was organ scholar at Lincoln Cathedral, where he accompanied and conducted the Cathedral Choir during the weekly pattern of services. He was organ scholar at HM Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace during sixth form; in this capacity, he played at several high-profile events, including a recording for Classic FM from Buckingham Palace and at the Royal Maundy service at Durham Cathedral. He first started learning the organ at City of London School, where he was taught by Joseph McHardy, Katy Silverman and Thomas Allery; his current teacher is Dr Colin Walsh. Having studied piano and conducting at Junior Guildhall with Melanie Spanswick and Scott Wilson, he is also active as a solo pianist, accompanist and repetiteur. He holds a piano LRSM, and is a prizewinning Associate of the Royal College of Organists.

Religious networks in �鶹�� and the University

The �鶹�� Christian Union Representative is Jamie Knights (jwk40)

The �鶹�� Fisher House Representative (the Roman Catholic Chaplaincy to the University) is Isadora Lee (hcl57)

The University Jewish Chaplains are Rabbi Yekutiel (yekutiel@mychaplaincy.co.uk) and Netanya Greiff.

The University Buddhist Chaplain is Dr Rachael Harris (rmh1001).

Cambridge University Islamic Society Details about the CU Islamic Society can be found at