Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason is an author, lecturer, champion for music and mother of seven children, all of whom are acclaimed classical musicians.
We were very pleased that Kadiatu agreed to become our President in January 2022.
Our Music Director - Richard Laing
Richard is music director of Nottingham Harmonic Choir, Leicester Bach Choir and Leamington Chamber Orchestra, principal guest conductor of Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, associate conductor of Chandos Symphony Orchestra, an external examiner at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, no. 3 first violin with the English Symphony Orchestra and reviews editor of The Wagner Journal. He frequently undertakes choral preparation, off-stage conducting and pre-concert talks for orchestras such as the Hallé and the BBC Symphony. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Jonathan Allsopp is Assistant Director of Music at Southwell Minster; in this role, he is the principal accompanist to the Cathedral Choir. He also directs the Minster Chorale, the Cathedral's adult voluntary choir. He is Musical Director of the Derbyshire Singers and Southwell Chamber Choir, and is accompanist to Nottingham Harmonic Choir. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and holds the Level 3 qualification in Wine from the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust.
Our orchestral collaborators
We are pleased that we regularly perform with Orchestra Da Camera, Sinfonia Viva and Thoresby Colliery Band. Over recent years we have also been delighted to have the opportunity to perform with the Hallé, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble and the Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra.
Our vocal soloists
The choir performs with a wide range of high quality professional vocal soloists. We are privileged to have built good relationships with a number of excellent soloists who perform with us regularly, such as April Fredrick and Christopher Turner.
All our soloists are of a high calibre, many are prize winning and have held scholarships at prestigious music colleges. In recent years we have worked with Cathy Bell, Katie Tretheway, Edward Grint, Rachel Nicolls, James Oldfield, Rhonda Browne and Angus McPhee, singing a variety of demanding repertoires, including Handel's Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem and works by Vaughan Williams, Vivaldi, Brahms, Rütti and Mozart.We aim to showcase upcoming soloists and music college students as well as local talent, wherever possible. Some of our concerts include pieces with short vocal arias which are performed by members of the choir.
