I am a graduate of Exeter University where my first study was piano. My main musical activities now are choral singing and directing.

Singing

Over a period of ten years I sang as a deputy (or ‘dep’) with the choirs of Bristol Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral and The Serlo Consort and full time with the chamber choir The Exultate Singers.

In March 2011 I moved to London and am now on the dep lists for a number of professional church and cathedral choirs, as well as singing with chamber choirs Pegasus and Coro.

My singing teacher is Berty Rice.

Directing and conducting

I direct my own choir, Cantores Literati and have been a regular deputy for choirs including the Cabot choir and Exultate.  In 2009 I took a diploma-primer course in choral conducting with ABCD.

In March 2010 I conducted a week-long run of fully-staged performances of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story with Bristol Amateur Operatic Society.

More recent MD experiences include Jekyll and Hyde with Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, and most recently Pirates of Penzance with PB Theatricals in Buxton, Derbyshire.

Playing

Between 2007 and 2010 I was the accompanist and ‘repetiteur’ for the Bristol Cabot Choir and deputised as their conductor a few times a year.

After a nine-year break, in 2009 I resumed piano lessons with Olena Shvetsova which gave me some grounding in pianistic technique for the first time in my life!

Teaching

Over the years I have taught piano and theory from Grades 1-8 to students ranging from 4 to 40. I still enjoy the opportunity to teach, train and educate but don’t have regular students.

Workshop leader

In June 2011 I led my first workshop. It was for the RSCM and on the subject of Sightreading and Musicianship.