Joan Spencer GRSM LRAM Cert Ed

Recently retired as Head of Music at High Storrs School Joan moved north in 2002, and has been involved in music education across the City of Sheffield and in North Derbyshire since relocating to this beautiful area. Involved in music from an early age she moved from Sunderland to London to study Singing and Piano, and after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music settled in Banstead, Surrey until moving north nearer family with her husband Roland. She has taught music locally at both King Ecgbert School and most recently after twelve happy years at  High Storrs.

Over the years she has gained a reputation as a choir specialist with youth and adult choirs and has worked locally to encourage singing in schools as a music development teacher with both Sheffield Music Hub and Derbyshire Music Service.

For over 20 years she sang with the ISS, a semi-professional choir linked to the Salvation Army and was their assistant conductor for 12 years. During this time she travelled the world extensively touring Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and South Africa and all over Europe.  In addition to concerts, Joan has sung and directed the choir on numerous CD recordings and featured with the group on TV and Radio broadcasts as well as conducting them solo at the Royal Albert Hall.

She is excited to be appointed as the MD of the Dore Male Voice Choir and is looking forward to developing the creative and technical expertise of this well-established group.

Francis Wells  Deputy Music Director

Fran has kindly agreed to join the Choir’s professional team as Deputy Music Director

Francis is a well-respected and talented music director and singer in the Sheffield area.

He came to Sheffield in 1980, having begun his singing career in a church choir near Enfield. He continued to hone his skills at secondary school and university, becoming a much sought-after Baritone. He has sung with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, The Holly Singers under the direction of Harry Christophers as well as many local choirs.

During the 40 years he has lived in Sheffield he has conducted St. James’s Norton church choir, Escafeld Choral, Cawthorne Choral Society, Sheffield Boys Choir, Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir and Dore Male Voice Choir. Each has had its own challenges and successes and has all flourished under the enthusiastic baton of Francis.

Fran is married to Kathryn, an early year’s teacher and singer in her own right, and has 4 children. He enjoys gardening, cooking for cubs and driving around Europe.

   

Jonathan Lazell Accompanist

Originally from Colchester, Jonathan gained a BMus degree from Sheffield University and a LTCL recital diploma from Trinity College of Music London.

He has received tuition from eminent pianists including Christopher Elton and Philip Fowke and has participated in masterclasses with Angela Hewitt, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Noriko Ogawa.

Jonathan has performed solo and duo recitals in Sheffield supporting local charities and is also a pianist and organist for church and chapel services, regularly playing at Upper Chapel, Sheffield and Underbank Chapel, Stannington.

Jonathan is Music Director of the John Wade Singers, an informal choir with high musical standards singing for enjoyment and the benefit of local and wider charities. He is also accompanist of Doncaster Voices choir and an official accompanist for the David Clover Festival of Singing. 

Jonathan is a Music Leader with Sheffield Music Hub, working as part of a team to ensure that every child in Sheffield has the opportunity to engage, learn and progress in music. He is a dedicated piano teacher and has had talented pupils who have gone on to study at Sheffield Music Academy and Birmingham Conservatoire. Jonathan is also an accompanist for three of the Music Hub’s children’s choirs, accompanying performances at principal concert venues in the city. 

As a member of a visiting-cathedral-choir, Jonathan has sung at several British cathedrals including St Paul’s, Liverpool, St David’s, Ripon and York Minster.

He is pianist in a duo performing songs by Flanders and Swann and also has performed the piano duet version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue!

 

P

PRESIDENT: Lesley Garrett CBE

Lesley Garrett CBE is Britain’s best-known soprano, regularly appearing in opera, music theatre, concerts, on television and on CD. For more than 30 years she has enjoyed one of the most successful and idiosyncratic careers of any modern-day, classically trained soprano, winning both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers through the breadth and diversity of her work. Internationally Lesley has performed throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. The Choir is delighted that Lesley has agreed to be our President

 

VICE PRESIDENT: Dr. Vivien Pike

Vivien studied music at the Royal Manchester/Royal Northern College of Music after previously studying medical sciences. She graduated with teaching and performing diplomas and a silver medal. Vivien has wide experience as a recitalist and soprano soloist with many choral societies. She has sung in choirs from the age of 7 and is a former member of the BBC Northern Singers. She is vocal coach for several choral societies.

Over the years as a peripatetic teacher of singing in Yorkshire, she has taught hundreds of young singers, one of the first being Lesley Garrett. Her choirs have won many prizes in national and international competitions and have enjoyed tours to Italy, Germany, Ireland, Australia (representing UK at the first Melbourne International Choral Festival), Canada and USA, Finland and Estonia. Her female choir celebrated 30 years of high standard singing in 2009. Vivien is in great demand for solo singing and choral workshops and has worked with singers in Sweden, Latvia, Ireland, New Zealand and Estonia.

HONORARY MEMBERS: A. Jordon, M. Stobbs, Tom Ogley, Alan Cooke.

CHOIR MEMBERS

1st TENORS	2nd TENORS	BARITONE	BASS
Chris Elliott	Peter Babb	John Baird	Peter Allen
David Elliott	Stuart Barlow	David Bearpark	Eric Barraclough
Stuart Gordon	Mick Bladen	Alan Brignell	Malcolm Briggs
Dennis Harley	Alan Carr	Pat Cassidy	Graham Cheetham
Brian Hirst	Brian Carr	Martin Challis	Bob Clark
Andy Lowndes	Richard Dowkes	Tom Duckworth	Ray Clifford
Brian Parker	Bob Hockey	John Edlington	Paul Cobbold
John Skelton	Nigel Hughes	Alex Gage	Martin Davies
John Stennett	Simon Jones	David Garnham	Barry Fisher
Dave Stone	Konrad Kempka	Mick Hague	John Goodall
Geoff Twelvetree	Roy Phipps	Martin Hayes	Ian Hardy
Ray Vaughan	Chris Smith	John Horobin	David Heslop
Mark White	Roger Young	Wilf Hukin	Thomas E Howe
		Chris Kenyon	Chris Hudson
		Julian McFall	Chris Jones
		Ray Mellor	Johnny Jukes
		Simon Musgrave	Bev Marshall
		Ian Shand	Soon Song
		Stuart Stubbs	Graham Taylor
		Nigel Thomas	John Tyldesley
		Keith Tomlinson
		Norman West