ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE CHAMBER CHOIR

Director Julian Wilkins

Assistant Conductor R. Isaac

Accompanist Elli-Mae

Boulter

McGlone

The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, principally conducted by Julian Wilkins, is a group of auditioned student singers who form an expert and flexible group. Expectations are high as their reputation grows nationally and internationally. They record almost every year for Somm Records, give concerts in Birmingham and further afield, and make occasional broadcasts. The choir is unique amongst all the UK’s conservatoires in having a significant recording presence; they have now made nine CDs in recent years. Their latest disc of music by Richard Rodney Bennett (almost all first recordings), conducted by Paul Spicer, won critical acclaim in Gramophone magazine; it described the choir’s singing as ‘splendidly disciplined and infectiously fervent’, adding, ‘all involved with the making of this CD can be very proud of their efforts’. The choir’s Radio 3 debut came in 2015 when the BBC recorded a concert from the Ludlow English Song weekend.

Soprano: Imogen Clemmow, Sarah Colgan+, Phoebe Curcher, Sophie Henderson*, Nadejda Postolatii, Ciará Preston Myakicheff, Sydney Suffield, Beth Taylor+, Maria Willsher

Alto: Seren Armstrong, Helena Correia, Georgi Davies, Zinnia Smart, Ellen Smith+, Laura Toomey*

Tenor: R. Isaac Boulter+, Thomas Hawkey-Soar, Daniel Marles*+

Bass: Liam Fleet, Esper Goddard, Leo Jaffrey, Phillip Matty, William Sherratt, Matthew Wale

* = soloist + = consort singer

CONDUCTOR & ORGANIST

Julian Wilkins is a versatile, dynamic and inspiring conductor, organist and pianist, working throughout the UK and overseas He directs the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir and Camerata, the University of Birmingham Chorus and University of Birmingham Voices, and the CBSO Youth Chorus and CBSO Children’s Chorus. In addition, Julian is Associate Chorus Director of the CBSO Chorus, preparing them for conductors such as Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Kazuki Yamada, Edward Gardner, Vassily Sinaisky, and John Wilson. As a respected teacher and choral consultant, he is a visiting lecturer at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the University of Birmingham, and is a member of the teaching panel for the Association of British Choral Directors.

Elli-Mae McGlone is currently an undergraduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying under Daniel Moult and Nicholas Wearne. She began learning the piano at the age of 5 later becoming Organ Scholar at Doncaster Minster and, for her gap year, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where she gained experience in service playing, conducting, as well as teaching. Elli-Mae has performed in venues such as Bristol Cathedral, Leeds Minster and St. Lawrence Jewry, London, and recently won the 2023 BOA Leonard Gibbons Organ Competition (an internal competition for RBC organ students).

The Church of St Alban the Martyr Birmingham 12

The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir would like to thank the Clergy and Staff at St Alban’s for allowing them to use the church for tonight’s performance.