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PRESIDENT - MARCUS FARNSWORTH
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Baritone Marcus Farnsworth, the Choir’s President, is now much lauded for both his singing and his conducting. Marcus studied at Manchester University before going to the Royal Academy of Music in London, and won the 2009 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Song Prize at the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Competition. He now sings all over the world (his most recent engagement overseas was Beijing), and is renowned both as a recitalist, and for his work as founder and Artistic Director of the Southwell Music Festival. Last year he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, a singular honour for one so young. |
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VICE PRESIDENT - Sasha Johnson-Manning
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Sasha Johnson-Manning first came to our attention of St George’s Singers when, in 2001, we commissioned her to write a piece for the choir. Sasha’s three-movement setting of Psalm 91 made her an SGS favourite. In later years we asked Sasha to write a Christmas piece. She chose Wendy Cope’s The Christmas Life, performed in December 2005. When Stephen Williams left the choir in 2006, he was presented with the gift of another of her commissioned works, a setting of Dryden’s A Song for St Cecilia’s day. Our librarian, Gwyneth Pailin also received a commission. On a special birthday, her husband, David, asked Sasha to set Blake’s Divine Imageand this was performed at Christmas in 2008. Most recently, the Choir collaborated with the Wittingham Lives Project to commission War's Embers for performance at the RNCM marking the 100th annivesary of the end of the Great War.
As a composer Sasha specialises in writing for voices and held the position of composer-in-residence of the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus of Missouri for eight years, culminating in a Requiem for St.Louis. Sasha has composed for Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Lynne Dawson, Claron McFadden and the London Baroque. Sasha became a Vice President of the Choir in 2018. |
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VICE PRESIDENT - STEPHEN WILLIAMS
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Director of Music at Uppingham School Musical Director of St George's Singers, 1996-2006 |
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MUSICAL DIRECTOR - NEIL TAYLOR
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Neil is a sought after and renowned choral director, organist, piano accompanist, teacher and coach, based in the North West of England.
After winning a Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, he held appointments at St Albans and Norwich Cathedrals, and was Organist and Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral from 1997 to 2016. During his time in Sheffield, the cathedral choir toured both at home and abroad (including Germany, Holland, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the USA) and broadcast frequently on BBC Radios 2 & 3. His CD Recordings include Music for a Millennium, a Classic FM Magazine CD of the Year Award Winner, and nine CD recordings with the cathedral choir, all to high critical acclaim.
As solo organist, he has played at many of the major venues in the UK, and has worked with the Hall , Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.
He is Music Director of St George’s Singers, Manchester, The Sheffield Chorale, and Artistic Director of the Keele Bach Choir; he appears frequently with the BBC as Musical Director and Organist on BBC Daily Service and Sunday Worship.
In his spare time he enjoys reading and walking. A keen cook, he is also an enthusiast of real ales and good wines. |
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ASSISTANT MUSICAL DIRECTOR - Robert Brooks
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ACCOMPANIST - PETE DURRANT
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Pete Durrant is the accompanist of Keele Bach Choir, Stafford Choral Society, St George's Singers and is the conductor of Leek Choral Society.
Pete Durrant grew up in London, where he was a chorister at Westminster Abbey. During his time at the Abbey he toured worldwide and sang at many high profile events, including the funeral of Princess Diana. In 2004 he moved north to study music at The University of Manchester, where he learned piano with Tom Scott. He was awarded the Proctor Gregg prize for performance at the end of his second year. In 2010 he went on to complete a Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Jeremy Young and Colin Stone. As well as his choral commitments, Pete now works in the RNCM and University of Manchester as a full time accompanist and is in demand as a piano, vocal and theory teacher in the south Manchester area. In the past Pete has been the accompanist of Manchester University Chorus, and has accompanied the BBCSO Chorus, the Halle , Halle Youth and Halle Children's Choirs under Sir Mark Elder amongst others. Pete was also the conductor of The University of Manchester's chamber choir Ad Solem in 2010 as well as Keele Bach Choir in the second half of 2016.
In his spare time, Pete enjoys exercise and is currently training for Ironman UK in July 2017; a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run to finish! |
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ASSISTANT ACCOMPANISTS - TIM KENNEDY, JULIA MAYALL
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