SPOTLIGHT ON... Priscilla Mace, Honorary Treasurer to SWO

What is your typical working week?

Unlike many Spotlight respondents, I am not a full-time musician: I am a chartered accountant, working as a tax director in London. I specialise in UK corporate tax and international tax matters, advising on a complicated international tax landscape with constantly evolving rules.

At present, I’m a freelance organist, typically deputising every few months. I stepped away from having a parish organist role during the pandemic and after a decade of playing continuously, this helped me to take a step back and enjoy playing again without the pressure of weekly services.

What prompted you to learn the organ? Did you enjoy support from family and friends and what were the challenges in those early years?

I had piano lessons from an early age, but it was never a real passion. A family friend encouraged me to try the organ so I had my first lesson with Anne Marsden Thomas aged 15 which it was an absolute delight. Coordinating your hands and feet, while pulling out stops and turning pages, challenged me more than the piano. Plus, I was a fairly quiet teenager and I loved having a powerful instrument with which I could make lots of noise. It’s something I still enjoy, and I’ve been told on more than one occasion when deputising that I tend to play significantly more loudly than regular organists; I personally see no problem with this!

When I first started learning, I was very fortunate in having support from family, teacher and local church organist Francis Bassett. Finding time to practice was tricky as the local church was used in the evenings for various groups. Balancing 10pm practice sessions with early starts for school could be challenging but I had a lot of opportunities to play during services and, through the Junior Organ Conservatoire. I eventually progressed to hold an organ scholarship under the wonderful organist Christopher Morris. I learnt a huge amount from Chris, including how to run a choir, which was invaluable in growing my confidence and skills and helping me secure an organ scholarship at St Edmund Hall, Oxford.

While I was born and brought up in the UK, I have an Indian ethnicity, and people are often surprised when I tell them I’m an organist. My family have a Christian faith background (not uncommon for individuals from South India) and I grew up going to church on Sundays so I was already familiar with church music. My great-great-grandfather was an organist and so my parents were pleased when I took up and persevered with the organ. A highlight for me was playing for evensong at my grandparents’ church in India many years ago.

What were your early ambitions as an organist?

My original ambition was to be a parish organist. I enjoyed running a local choir and playing the organ every Sunday, until the pandemic. This break proved helpful: organ playing is a "hobby" for me, but I realised I had lost its joy, as it consumed too much of my limited free time. Being a church organist means more than playing on Sundays: one must also choose music, rehearse a choir, and prepare voluntaries. Deputising currently works better for me, but I hope to return to a regular commitment at some point in the future.

How did you choose finance as a career?

Coming from an Asian background, I was encouraged to enter into a profession. Maths and economics were my stronger subjects at school and accounting seemed like a natural fit after university as it would buy me three years to consider the future while ensuring a professional qualification. I stayed in tax as I liked working through legislation to understand how to apply tax law in different scenarios, while balancing commercial decisions.

How have gender imbalances in finance and organ-playing influenced your decisions?

Finance is a wide-ranging sector and while there are gender imbalances in some areas, the tax world is much more diverse.

Comparatively, the organ world has always been more male-dominated – or perhaps there is that perception, based on the coverage that is given to organists. It’s fantastic that that is changing, and there is a larger push towards featuring more female composers at concerts and creating more inclusive environments for female organists.

What has perhaps been more difficult to navigate in the organ world compared to my working environment is the lack of diversity. Congregations can sometimes be wary of newcomers. That changes once I’ve “proved myself” as a musician but it can be an obstacle to finding somewhere to play in the first place.

Is it getting easier for women to succeed in finance?

Yes, definitely! I can only speak for the tax world but diversity is welcomed and actively encouraged. I have seen many women in high-level positions in finance.

Networks are very helpful – both for articulating the challenges you face and understanding how to navigate them. I’m co-chair of the Asian Affinity Network at my workplace and I find it incredibly useful to have a network of like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds to me.

Can SWO learn from this?

One key difficulty with playing the organ is finding somewhere to practice. I’ve experienced organists who let me use their instrument (and indeed put me on their roster of deputies) and others who are less enthusiastic. As an occasional organist I don’t have a strong network of organists to share views on where to practice or find out about odd jobs. Using the SWO network to support women to find opportunities could be a valuable function.

I’m really pleased SWO has launched the adjustable bench campaign. It’s something that benefits all players alike – and it shouldn’t just be seen as a problem just for female organists. Younger organists (both male and female) and shorter men must also suffer from the same issue – and I think it’s helpful to reframe this as an issue that affects (almost) everyone rather than one that is specific to women. I’ve faced issues with non-height adjustable benches myself and I was fortunate that a carpenter in my last congregation spotted my copious stacks of hymnals propping up my bench and built some blocks specifically for me. It made such a difference to me personally and it was a lovely gesture, but it shouldn’t have been necessary.

Are there women-only spaces in the financial world?

There are a lot of women-only spaces in the financial world – and in some ways, you’re spoilt for choice with the number of networks available. They typically provide opportunities for attendees to meet, build networks and share their experiences.

SWO is unique in that it is the only organisation dedicated to the advancement of women organists. It’s so important to encourage a new generation of female organists and to support those who are already in the organ world. The Directory of Women Composers is particularly wonderful as a way of exposing players (and listeners) to new or underplayed music. I’m enjoying being part of SWO and contributing (albeit in a small way) to such a valuable and important network!

Priscilla, we are very delighted that you are contributing your financial skills to SWO – thank you!