Choral Conducting Masterclasses
My successful Choral Conducting Masterclass series has taken place in venues in Durham, Surrey and London. I also run bespoke Masterclasses by invitation and welcome approaches from organisations.
2025, St Nicolas’s Church, Guildford, Sunday 21st September 2025, 10.15am - 5.30pm, with live Evensong at 4.30pm
This masterclass, designed for Intermediate/Advanced conductors, happily and quickly sold out! It’s purpose was to guide conductors to successfully lead sacred repertoire with organ, including Psalms and Preces & Responses, in a live Evensong setting. Members of Harlequin Chamber Choir were the capable and responsive ensemble for conductors to work with providing a safe and supportive environment. Simon Gregory provided supportive and artistically robust playing, Father Neil presided and each conductor led a specific part of the Evensong service. Repertoire included: A Good Night, Rodney-Bennett; Abendlied, Rheinberger; Preces & Responses, Rose; In Peace Eternal, Willis; Psalm 63, Bairstow; And I saw a new heaven, Bainton; Collegium Regale, Howells.
“Thank you so much for the Conducting Masterclass last weekend - it was a wonderful day of conducting and so lovely to work with you and the choir! I am very grateful for all your guidance - it was a great opportunity to conduct the choir and I learnt a lot over the course of the day.”
Saturday 23rd June, 2018, Abinger Hammer Village Hall, nr. Dorking, Surrey
A plethora of new and well-known works were on the menu for all those joined us for this Intermediate-Advanced level masterclass. Holmbury Choral Society hosted the day, which featured Cecilia McDowall's A Fancy of Folksongs, Sarah Deere-Jones' Carmina Iocunda, Holst’s folksongs and other gems. Generous podium time including discussion on body language, gesture, vocal technique and rehearsal techniques was shared throughout the day, and everyone seemed to enjoy the event, including the picnic on the green!
Saturday 27th May, 2017, Brancepeth Castle, Durham
This event was a huge success with positive feedback from all involved. Due to demand, a further Masterclass took place on Sunday morning to accommodate those interested in taking part. In all, 14 conductors and 5 observers worked with Holmbury Choral Society and guests in the castle ballroom. Conductors received half an hour's podium time each with the choir. Repertoire was a varied mix including works from Mendelssohn's Elijah and by Gjeilo, Faure, Durufle, Lauridsen, Runestad, Copland and Seiber.
Holmbury Choral Society and conducting masterclass participants at Brancepeth Castle, County Durham
“I’d just like to say how much I enjoyed the day. Great location, great music, much more than capable singers who love what they do, sociable company... It was great to meet you and to discover, unsurprisingly, that all I’ve read about you is true. You have a great approach to your teaching. You are enthusiastic, encouraging and gently persuasive in the way you obviously know what you want to say, what the conductor needs to engage with and how to get the best out of them. It was also obvious that you tailored your responses to each individual separately, trying to use what they already have as a basis for development rather than having a general, generic agenda.”