Peter Hunt - Conductor and Musical Director

Peter is currently Head of Voice at Berkshire Maestros, the young musicians' trust delivering music education for 8000 young people across the county, a post he has held for four years.  He has responsibility for all vocal activity and the three county choirs which have a national reputation.  Previously, Peter was Head of Music at Chipping Norton Secondary School for nine years and, thanks to his hard work, the school gained status as a Performing Arts College from September 2004, putting it firmly at the centre of artistic activity in the Chipping Norton community.  From 2000-2002 Peter was also part-time Advisory Teacher for Oxfordshire's vocal strategy.  In January 2009 he takes up a new post with Maestros as Deputy Head of Service. 

       Peter studied Music at Dartington College of Arts where he was active in promoting chamber choir singing.  Peter has a wide experience of school teaching at primary and secondary levels, and was one of the first Choral Animateurs to be appointed by the British Federation of Young Choirs when their outreach programme began in 1995.  He is a keen and versatile choral singer, a passion that began with high-quality experiences in a chamber choir at school, and he has sung in many groups including the New London Chamber Choir, with whom he toured extensively performing professional programmes. 

       As a choir trainer and conductor, Peter works with all ages and abilities, but regularly with school students.  He was co-founder of the highly acclaimed Oxfordshire Youth Chamber Choir, and has been musical director of adult and children’s groups over many years.  This broad experience of singing work and education has led to publications, and in 1999 he was consultant for the BBC’s re-launch of their successful radio series Singing Together.  He is the inspiration behind a series of publications with Oxford University Press called Voiceworks – a handbook for singing, which have proved to be extremely popular as a support for anyone wishing to develop singing with groups.  Its wealth of eclectic material and useful support teaching notes have made it a significant contributor to the revival of singing in many counties across the UK, and its versatility has led to a total of nine Voiceworks publications.  Peter has also collaborated with Bob Chilcott on a new choral series called Songstream with publishers OUP, which presents new and refreshing music from across the world to young choral singers. 

Peter has conducted the Choral Society for fourteen years, and is impressed with their attitude towards trying adventurous programmes, and the enthusiasm with which everyone works together.  He has loved every minute of it.  Despite recently straining his hemiola through over-use, Peter manages to walk with only a slight limp. 

December 2008

 

Bernard West - Assistant Musical Director 

Bernard began his musical life as a pianist, before adding the cello and the organ to his repertoire, in the latter case being a successful product of "National Learn the Organ Year"; in more recent times he has also been occasionally known to perform on the Renaissance bass racket and the bass viol.

Bernard held a position of organist in Malton, North Yorkshire from the age of 14, before winning an organ scholarship to Girton College, Cambridge.  Whilst reading for his music degree in Cambridge, he was in demand as recitalist, accompanist, repetiteur and conductor for the award-winning college choir and a host of college and University music societies, leading to his involvement in European and South American tours, radio broadcasts and CD recordings.

Bernard settled with his family in the Cotswolds in 2002.  On his arrival, he took over the position of Director of Music at St Mary the Virgin, Shipton-under-Wychwood and has since developed and extended the already successful choir, one of the few remaining church choirs in the area.  Failing to understand the concept of a quiet life, he is in great demand as an accompanist and as a conductor, working with various choirs, choral societies and theatrical groups as well as starting his own successful choral ensemble.  He occasionally finds time to spend with his wife and two sons, in between holding down a full-time job in the exciting world of database management, and recently completed a second degree in an empty moment.  Bernard’s preferred ratio is 3:2. 

December 2008