Born in England, Giles Bryant holds both the Associate and Choirmaster's Diplomas of the Royal College of Organists, and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (honoris causa). He was National President of the Royal Canadian College of Organists from 1990-92.

Dr. Bryant was organist and choirmaster of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Toronto. After working with Healey Willan on cataloguing his works, in 1968 he succeeded Willan at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. In 1979 he was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at St. James' Cathedral. He has also served as Director of Music of Upper Canada College, and Cranborne Chase School in England. He has been organist of Massey College in the University of Toronto, and held a similar position at Trinity College. He has been Musical Director of the Toronto Diocesan Choir School and was Head of Choral Music at Royal St. George's College in Toronto. He has also served as Music Director of the Conservatory Singers and the Repertory Chorus of the Royal Conservatory, and taught summer courses at the Conservatory each year. He was the founder-conductor of the Clerkes and the Sine Nomine Singers, and has conducted the Festival Singers of Canada and the Toronto Concert Singers. In 1990 he became Chorus Master for the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1989 he conducted a choir of 1500 singers in Skydome, Toronto, for the Sesquicentennial of the Diocese of Toronto. He is greatly in demand as lecturer and clinician on choral subjects, and has adjudicated choirs extensively in Canada, England and the USA.

He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Sacred Letters by Wycliffe College for his services to Anglican Church Music, and an honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters by Trinity College.

When he retired from Royal St. George's College and St. James Cathedral in 1999, he became Organist and Choirmaster at All Saints Church, Peterborough. He is both Organist and Master of the Choristers Emeritus of St. James' Cathedral, and a Lay Canon of the Diocese of Toronto.