Welcome Simon Bland

We are pleased to welcome Simon Bland on a seminary placement from July 10-August 4. Simon will be active in all aspects of parish life and will preach on Sunday, August 2.

I am a seminarian at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, soon to enter my second and final year, where I am also the College’s Senior Student. God-willing, I shall be ordained a Deacon in June 2027. Previously, I taught for 12 years at boarding schools in England, most recently at Haileybury College, where I was Director of Music until 2024. For ten years concurrently, I was Director of Music at St Pancras Old Church, one of London’s most ancient churches, which (like St Timothy’s) exists within the Anglo-Catholic tradition. 

My life as a musician began early, and in 2008, I was appointed as Hereford Cathedral’s first organ scholar. Following that, I studied Music at Cambridge University, where I was also the organ scholar at Trinity College. It was through my work at Hereford and Cambridge that I first visited the United States, and my love for the country, for discovering new places and meeting its people, remains undiminished. In my spare time, I love travelling (particularly to Italy), hiking and cycling, reading, and spending time with friends old and new. It is an honour to be at St Timothy’s for a month, on my first (though I hope not last!) visit to North Carolina, and I am grateful for the warmth of welcome already received. I am looking forward to all the opportunities I shall have to get to know you and learn from you!