Upon leaving the Sir George Monoux Grammar School, Walthamstow, at the age of 16, Rose worked in the insurance departments of W. H. Smith & Son and Joseph Rank Ltd.
In 1974, he had been invited to move to St Paul's Cathedral, London, initially as sub-organist, and in 1977 was appointed to the specially created post of Master of the Choir.
Soloists from the choir also provided the original recordings of "Walking in the Air" from The Snowman (Peter Auty), and the closing signature tune – Geoffrey Burgon's setting of the Nunc Dimittis – for the TV series Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Paul Phoenix).
In 1997, with his spouse and three offspring, Rose moved to the village of Draycott in Somerset, from where he has continued his musical work, mainly with choirs in the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
In the 1998 Birthday Honours list, Rose was appointed OBE for his services to cathedral music[3] and in December 2021, he self-published his memoirs, entitled Sitting on a Pin.