SENIOR CHOIR
Musical Director: Co-Founder Joanne Gardner.
In 2006 Joanne was presented with the Mayor’s Award for her outstanding contribution, dedication and encouragement to the Spelthorne Young Voices to whom she offers her services on a voluntary basis.
SYV produce & perform two main concerts a year at St Peter's Church, Staines. With a broad repertoire of music, the Senior Choir sing in two-part and three-part harmony, mostly of a secular nature but all from memory. Aside from performing in and around the borough of Spelthorne, usually by request, for Civic Services, concerts, charity events etc SYV have also performed with other youth choirs on tour in the USA and Tuscany (including performances opposite the former site of the World Trade Centre and Florence and Pisa Catherals) and Disneyland Paris.
The senior choir have also performed with other adult choral groups, symphonic wind bands, orchestras and have recorded backing vocals at Shepperton Studios.
More recently the senior choir have taken part in their first competition with BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year and their current goal is to expand the lower voice section.
Senior Choir Accompanist: Ben Woodley
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JUNIOR CHOIR
History of SYV Junior Choir:
Due to SYV's ever increasing membership, it became necessary to form a Junior Choir in order for SYV to meet the needs of all it's members. With assisted funding from Surrey County Council Local Committee of Spelthorne, the Junior Choir opened it's doors in September 2006 with 12 members and has since grown to 35 members. The aims of the Junior Choir are to inspire young singers and to provide them with excellent vocal and musical skills that they can carry forward when they move upto join the Senior Choir. Rehearsals consist of musical warmups and group vocal tuition that are fun as well as educational.
Music Director: Rachel Staunton
In January 2009 SYV welcomed the new appointment of Rachel Coward as Jnr Choir Director having been handed the musical baton by our previous director Neil Ferris.
Rachel's interest in music sparked at a young age as a chorister at St Nicolas Church Newbury. After singing in The Berkshire Youth Choirs, and later The National Youth Choir, she became a Choral Scholar at Royal Holloway College, University of London, where she graduated with a first class honours degree in music. Under the direction of Patrick Russill and Paul Brough, Rachel went on to study on the prestigious conducting course at the Royal Academy of Music, gaining a postgraduate diploma.
Rachel currently conducts The Genesis Chorale in Woking, Song Squad Children's Choir and is currently involved with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) is Assistant Conductor for the Training Choirs and is looking forward to being Assistant Conductor to Mike Brewer OBE on the main NYCBG Tour to America and Canada in Summer 2009. Rachel is keen in the field of music education and recently received an award to set up Cadenza, a music education workshop company.
Junior Choir Accompanist: Camilla Jeppeson
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