Conductors

Eamonn Dougan

Eamonn is The Sixteen's first Assistant Conductor and sings bass within the choir. He has sung with The Academy of Ancient Music, The Hanover Band, The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of Harmony and Invention. Recent performances have included Bach´s St. Matthew Passion, Mozart´s Requiem and Haydn´s Nelson Mass at Symphony Hall, Bach´s St. John Passion at the Chichester festival and Bach´s B minor mass at the Festival de Musique Ancienne de Lyon. His solo recordings include St John Passion and Messiah, and more recently Brahms´ Requiem and motets by Giovanni Grillo. He has appeared on disc and the concert platform throughout the world with many of Britain´s leading ensembles including The Gabrieli Consort, Ex Cathedra, The Cardinall´s Musick, The Monteverdi Choir and is a member of The Sixteen and I Fagiolini.

Equally at home on the operatic stage, recent roles have included a critically acclaimed Papageno (The Magic Flute), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Marullo (Rigoletto) and Mr Gedge (Albert Herring), "the grown-ups" in the London premiere of The Little Prince, and he has also appeared in I Fagiolini´s innovative production The Full Monteverdi.

Alexander Shelley

Alexander is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most creative musical talents of his generation. He was unanimously awarded first prize in the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition and works regularly in the UK conducting orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and London Mozart Players and has appeared in the BBC Proms. Engagements abroad include Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra di Roma e del Lazio. In 2001 Shelley founded the Schumann Camerata in Dusseldorf and has now conducted this young chamber orchestra in over 80 concerts both in Germany and abroad. Recent highlights include a project with the Copenhagen Philharmonic at the Tivoli Festival, his appointment as Dance4 Life Ambassador for Germany and related performances with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.

More about Alexander at http://www.askonasholt.co.uk

Justin Doyle

Justin was the first to be awarded a Conductor Fellowship with the BBC Singers which has led to a continuing relationship with the Singers, including concerts and regular broadcasts. Justin has recently been appointed Artistic Director of Ryedale Festival, and holds the same position with Eastern Opera. He is currently Musical Director of Essex Symphony Orchestra, Dorking Choral Society, The King's Camerata, St Albans Rehearsal Orchestra, the Stondon Singers, Da Chiesa baroque orchestra, and is Director of Music at St Paul's Church Church, Knightsbridge.  His engagements have included broadcasts for BBC Radio3 and other stations throughout Europe and he was recently a prize winner in the prestigious Cadaqués Orchestra Conducting Competition from over 180 conductors worldwide.

Marcus Farnsworth

Marcus is active as a choral director throughout the UK. His fresh and vibrant approach to choral music is coupled with his own extensive experience as a singer and vocal teacher. He is conductor of the Manchester University Chorus and directs three of his own ensembles, Gaudium (chamber choir), the vocal ensemble the Coupland Consort and the Pilgrim Consort. From 2003 to 2005 he was musical director of Ad Solem, the University of Manchester Chamber Choir. Marcus is Assistant Musical Director of the St. George's Singers, and has also assisted with the Rudolfus Choir, the Hallé Youth Choir, the York Chapter House Choir and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus. Since December 2002, Marcus has been a Lay Clerk in Manchester Cathedral Choir and a member of the BBC Daily Service Singers and he sings with the vocal group Ex Cathedra.

Richard Tanner

Richard is Organist and Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral and Conductor of the Blackburn-based chamber choir, The Renaissance Singers. He regularly works with the BBC as organist and musical director on Radio 4's Daily Service and television's Songs of Praise. He has also conducted a number of choral/orchestral concerts with the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

Full details can be found at www.richardtanner.co.uk

Darius Battiwalla

Darius is a noted performer of the organ, piano and harpsichord repertoire, conductor and choral trainer. He is a regular organist for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and has been music director of the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus for the last seven years. He travels extensively as a visiting chorus master, in this country, Europe and Australia.

More information can be found at www.dariusbattiwalla.com

Malcolm Layfield

Since founding the Goldberg Ensemble in 1982, Malcolm has become well known to audiences as its director and conductor. He is also leader of the London Bach Orchestra and has directed them in concerts at the Barbican and the Queen Elizabeth Hall and throughout Europe. He has appeared as guest leader and soloist with many orchestras. As a conductor, he has performed at numerous festivals throughout Europe, South America and the Far East as well as performing in many successful performances with the Goldberg Festival Opera. In addition to performing, he pursues a busy teaching schedule and in January 2001, he was appointed Head of School of Strings at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Martin Bussey

Martin Bussey is Head of Academic and Choral Music at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. He studied as a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge, then at the Royal Northern College of Music and sings frequently with the Choir of Manchester Cathedral. His musical interests are wide, including appearing as a vocal soloist, keyboard player, conductor and composer. His particular interests lie in choral music of the Baroque and in the link between English poetry and music. These he pursues through his direction of the Chester Bach Singers and Chetham's Chamber Choir, and through his own compositions and recitals.

You can find out more about Martin at www.martinbussey.co.uk

Simon Lole

Simon's career in church music has spanned 28 years, culminating in his appointment to Salisbury Cathedral as Director of Music and Master of the Choristers. He left this post in July 2005 to pursue a freelance career in Music and the media. Simon Lole is now well known as a choral director, organist, composer and arranger. He is also a choral workshop leader, festival adjudicator, record producer and broadcaster. Simon is a prolific composer with over 40 published titles. He is also an arranger for radio and TV and his music has been regularly broadcast and recorded. Simon Lole is a regular Musical Director for BBC Radio 4's Daily Service and Musical Director and arranger for Universal Music's new all-girl supergroup, All Angels.

Information about Simon, and a link to his blog, is at www.simonlole.com

Christopher Stokes

Christopher Stokes was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers of Manchester Cathedral in 1996, having previously been appointed Organist of the cathedral in 1992. Prior to that he worked in London, having held posts in two of London's leading churches as Organist and Master of Music at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square and Director of Music at St. Margaret's Westminster Abbey.

Mark Heron

Following a successful career as a performer, Mark now devotes himself to conducting, working with orchestras in Liverpool, London, Finland, Germany, Israel and Norway. His diverse musical interests have resulted in an unusually wide range of work: symphony, chamber and wind orchestras, contemporary music and opera all feature regularly in his schedule. Mark is also committed to working with non-professional and young musicians as well as professionals.

More about Mark at www.markheron.co.uk. Photo courtesy of MPS Studio.

Stephen Williams

Stephen has recently taken up the post of Director of Music at Uppingham School. He appears regularly on television and radio, in particular as a singer with the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service Singers. Stephen has conducted a wide variety of choirs, including chamber, male voice and youth choirs, as well as symphonic choruses. In 1991 he founded the Halifax Choral Society Young Singers and won first prize with the Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choir at the National MVC Championships. He was for some time the Director of the RSCM Northern Cathedral Singers and directed the backing choir for Take That on their UK tour in 1994. He continues to work as assistant chorus master for the Huddersfield Choral Society, the Chester festival Chorus and for the St. Endellion Festival Chorus under Richard Hicox. He is Musical Director of the York Chapter House Choir and is currently guest chorus master for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus. During 2002 he was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship, enabling him to travel to Estonia, Russia, Finland and Sweden to study contemporary choral repertoire.

Gordon Stewart

Former organist of Blackburn and Manchester Cathedrals, Gordon was for fifteen years organist of Huddersfield town Hall, with its famous Father Willis organ. Gordon has broadcast on BBC Radios 2, 3 and 4, Classic FM and BBC television, and has recorded on the Priory, Vif and Lamma labels. Lionel Rogg, Andrew Carter, Dick Koomans, Alan Spedding, John Scott Whiteley and Noel Rawsthorne have all dedicated pieces to him. In addition to organ playing, Gordon was for many years one of the regular conductors of BBC television's Songs of Praise, conducting programmes from all over the UK and in South Africa and Athens. He was for three years Musical Director of the Millennium Youth Choir, with whom he toured in Virginia over Easter 2004.

Find out more at www.gordonstewart.org

John Powell

John's musical activities have always centred around choirs and singers and he now devotes his time to conducting, singing and teaching. Until 1988 he was Head of Choral Music at Chetham's School of Music, then taught singing at Bolton School and directed the school's Chamber Choir. He now teaches privately as well as being a tutor with the National Youth Choir and he is very active as a Festival adjudicator. John was for fifteen years Director of the Bolton Chamber Choir as well as a frequent Guest Conductor with Fleetwood Choral Society. His own chamber choir, the John Powell Singers, is heard regularly on BBC Radio. John also directs choral workshops and conducts Bolton Festival Choir and Bolton University Choir. As a performer, John sang with the BBC Northern Singers, the Britten Singers and currently sings with the BBC Daily Service Singers. John has a strong commitment to contemporary music and has been involved (both as singer and conductor) in numerous commissions. Several of his folksong arrangements for chamber choirs have recently been published.

Paul Leddington-Wright

Paul Leddington Wright is a free-lance conductor, composer, arranger and organist, and is internationally known for leading choral workshops and writing commissions. He was Organist and Director of Music for Coventry Cathedral from 1984-1995. He is a conductor and arranger for BBC TV Songs of Praise and has been conductor of the Saint Michael's Singers, Coventry Cathedral from 1984. He has also been Artistic Director of the International Church Music Festival from 1991.

Paul tells you more at www.paulleddingtonwright.co.uk