About us
Wellington Choral Society is an amateur choir, established in 1940 but with its roots in the mid-nineteenth century. For more information about the history of the Society and its predecessor, the Wellington Harmonic Society, use the following link:
> History
Our members are mainly drawn from Wellington and the surrounding parishes. There are currently around eighty members and our repertoire runs from the baroque and classical periods to the present day. We perform two main concerts each year with professional soloists and orchestra, in late November and late March, and these are usually held in St John’s Church, Wellington.
> History
Our members are mainly drawn from Wellington and the surrounding parishes. There are currently around eighty members and our repertoire runs from the baroque and classical periods to the present day. We perform two main concerts each year with professional soloists and orchestra, in late November and late March, and these are usually held in St John’s Church, Wellington.
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The Society is privileged to have Elizabeth Watts as its Patron. Elizabeth was born in Norwich and studied music at the Royal College of Music, graduating in 2005 with distinction. In 2006 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Award and went on to win the Lieder Prize at the 2007 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. She is now much sought-after as a world class performer in opera, oratorio and lieder.
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Our Music Director is Laurence Blyth. Laurence read music at the University of Exeter and holds an MA in choral conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. At RWCMD his studies with Simon Halsey, Adrian Partington and Neil Ferris were supported by the Busenhart Morgan-Evans Foundation and the EMI Music Sound Foundation. He also conducted in masterclasses with Edward Caswell, Peter Broadbent, Sarah Tenant-Flowers, John Butt, Robert Dean and the composer Eric Whitacre.
He directs three amateur choirs in Devon and Somerset, is a member of the professional choir at Buckfast Abbey and active as a freelance soloist and conductor. More ... |
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Alison Pink, our accompanist, studied piano and horn at the Royal College of Music and went on to teach in London and the Home Counties. She has been an examiner for Trinity Guildhall for over 20 years and a pianist at the Royal Ballet School, and has also accompanied soloists such as Cleo Laine, Michael Thompson and James Watson. For many years she tutored the brass of the National Youth Wind orchestra and she currently tutors and conducts as part of the National Children’s Orchestra.
In addition to teaching and playing the French Horn, she is a well known accompanist in the area and in 2007 she founded the Taunton Children’s Orchestra with Vivienne Price. More ... |
Members of the Committee
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Non-Committee posts |
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TRUSTEES/OFFICERS:
Chairman: Adrian Cross Secretary: Julie Harland Treasurer: Odile Gayon-Knowles TRUSTEES: Concert Secretary: Rosemary Saunders Assistant Publicity Officer:Ann Holland |
Accompanist: Alison Pink
Librarian: Kate Lambert Minute Secretary: Michaela Dearness Newsletter Editor: Liz McDowell Advertising Manager: Jilly Rumble (+ Fundraising and Sponsorship) Staging Manager and Graphics: Julian Dakowski Publicity: Lucy Watson |
Policies
Wellington Choral Society has several important policies in place:
> WCS Complaints Policy
> WCS Data Protection Policy
> WCS Equal Opportunities Policy
> WCS Potential Conflict of Interest Policy
> WCS Privacy Policy
> WCS Reserves Policy
> WCS Safeguarding Policy
> WCS Complaints Policy
> WCS Data Protection Policy
> WCS Equal Opportunities Policy
> WCS Potential Conflict of Interest Policy
> WCS Privacy Policy
> WCS Reserves Policy
> WCS Safeguarding Policy