Sir Stephen had two young daughters with his wife Emma. Their time was spent between
Cambridge and York (where their youngest daughter is a chorister) and North Wales, where
Emma’s family heralds from. He also spent as much time as possible with his two elder daughters
and their families and very much enjoyed the company of his six grandchildren.
Sir Stephen played his part in serving a number of organisations in his field. From his teenage
years until 2008 he was a member of the Royal College of Organists, serving as a Council
member, Honorary Secretary, President and Vice-President. He was Warden of the Solo
Performers’ section of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and President of the Incorporated
Association of Organists; he was Chairman of the IAO Benevolent Fund, which seeks to support
organists and church musicians in need.
When he died of cancer in November 2019 he was President of the Friends of Cathedral Music and of the Herbert Howells Society, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an honorary fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians and a liveryman of the Musicians’ Company. He was appointed CBE in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to music and knighted in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.