About
Manchester Singers is a professional a cappella vocal ensemble whose repertoire includes music from the Renaissance to the contemporary. The group brings together young singers trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. Founded by Rachel
Maby and Aimee Presswood in January 2015, they are directed by Robert Brooks, who also studied at the University of Manchester. The group performs regularly in diverse concert settings throughout the North West and further afield, also appearing as guests at festivals and other events.
The group's first concert was at Bury Parish Church in March 2015. Since then, they have been invited to perform at the Manchester International Festival in July 2015, The Sixteen's Sounds Sublime festival in July 2015 and 2016, and in a collaborative concert with Arch Sinfonia celebrating musical settings of Shakespeare. In October 2015, they appeared at the Brighton Early Music Festival in a public masterclass with Eamonn Dougan, Associate Conductor of The Sixteen. In February and May 2016, they ran two composition workshops with students at the RNCM, and premiered four new pieces at a concert at the Chorlton Arts Festival in May. They will be doing further RNCM composition workshops in 2017. Their most recent project was a performance of Handel's Dixit Dominus and Vivaldi's Gloria with the Vine Ensemble on 26 November 2016 at St Ann's Church in Manchester.
Read more about past performances here.
Robert Brooks Musical Director
Robert Brooks is a singer and conductor based in Manchester, directing ensembles across the North West and Scotland such as the Preston Cecilian Choral Society, the Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, and the Manchester Singers. His musical education began as a treble and later head chorister in the choir of New College, Oxford, participating in several tours, radio broadcasts and CD recordings (appearing as a soloist on 'Messiah' and 'The Art of the Chorister').
Having graduated from the University of Manchester, where he conducted the university's chamber choir Ad Solem and was part of the Genesis 16 training programme, he is currently singing with the National Youth Choir Fellowship Octet - an elite group of young singers selected each year from across the U.K. As well as ensemble work, Robert gives regular song recitals around the Manchester area, and has also appeared as a soloist with several local choral societies in performances of Faure's Requiem and Handel's Messiah.
Helen Lacey Soprano
Helen currently studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Sandra Dugdale where she is a member of the RNCM Baroque Soloists and the RNCM Chamber Choir. In her first undergraduate year was awarded the Elsie Thurston Prize and the Kath Topping Award. In 2014 Helen was a finalist in the John Kerr Award held at Finchcocks Musical Museum.
Recently Helen has performed as Cobweb in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RNCM), as Joan in Kurt Weil’s Street Scene (RNCM) and as Zorah in Ruddigore (Manchester Universities Gilbert & Sullivan society). This summer Helen will perform in Eugene & Onegin and Macbeth at the Dorset Opera Festival. On the concert platform, Helen has enjoyed performing in a variety of choral works as a soloist including, Britten's Te Deum with NYCGB at the Royal Albert Hall, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb (Broadcast on Radio 3 with NYCGB), Schubert’s Mass in Ab, Rutter’s Requiem, and Handel’s Dixit Dominus.
Prior to her undergraduate studies Helen was a member of Glyndebourne Youth Opera. She was also a finalist of the BBC Young Choristers of the Year broadcast on Radio 2 in 2011.
Léonie Maxwell Soprano
Léonie began her professional singing career as a chorister at Wells Cathedral. As well as singing the daily services she performed solos with Emma Kirby, Jools Holland, and with the Cathedral Choir in Handel Messiah and Pergolesi Stabat Mater. She appeared on a number of broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and on recordings for Hyperion and Regent, including CDs of music by Leighton and Bednall; the latter being a Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Whilst studying languages at Manchester University she was a member of the University Chamber Choir, and this included taking the solo role in Tippett A Child of Our Time.
Léonie currently studies with Sarah Rhodes from the Royal Northern College of Music. She is a regular member of the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service Singers. Highlights of her solo work include Flora in Britten The Turn of the Screw in a Covers Performance with The Manchester Opera Ensemble, Haydn Nelson Mass with Chester Bach Singers, and Beethoven Mass in C with Salford Choral Society. She has also been coached by Janice Kelly and Linda Ormiston to perform roles in opera scenes from The Magic Flute, The Cunning Little Vixen and Little Women.
Upcoming projects include performing as Sorella Cercatrice in the Manchester Opera Ensemble performance of Suor Angelica and solo roles in Leighton Crucifixus Pro Nobis and Brahms German Requiem with the Chester Bach Singers.
Joseph Judge Countertenor
Joseph is a Countertenor, Conductor and Teacher based in the UK. Recently appointed Director of the Hallé Choral Academy, he holds a number of posts in the North West, and was one of the eight inaugural Fellows of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (2015/16). Joseph is in demand as a soloist, and continues to sing and work with many leading ensembles, including Armonico Consort and Westminster Abbey Choir. He directed the vocals session for the PlayStation IV advert, The King, and is the founder and director of Turton Consort, whose performances have included a highly acclaimed recital of Monteverdi Madrigals Book IV.
Lorna Day Mezzo-Soprano, Manager
Lorna studies voice at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Jane Irwin. In 2014 she won the German Lieder, English Song and Vocal Recital categories at the Alderley Edge Music Festival and in 2016 she won the RNCM Elsie Thurston Prize. Her solo experience includes the role of Phoebe in Gilbert and Sullivan's Yeoman of the Guard and the alto solos in Vivaldi's Gloria, Duruflé's Requiem, Mozart's Requiem and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. She has sung with many choirs around the UK, an is also an alumnus of the 2013 - 2014 Genesis Sixteen programme, run by Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan from The Sixteen. She has sung in the RNCM Opera Chorus in the production of Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne, and in 2017 will sing in the production of Handel's Theodora. Lorna enjoys singing with the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service singers and playing the flute alongside her studies at the RNCM.
Simon Billot Tenor
Jersey-born Tenor Simon Billot is now in his fourth year at the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Peter Alexander Wilson after several years of working in Information Technology within the financial services industry. Experience as a stage performer has been harnessed with chorus roles in The Merry Widow and L’elisir d’amore, as well as spirited portrayals in the opera scenes of Le nozze di Figaro (Basilio), Lakmé (Gérald), HMS Pinafore (Ralph Rackstraw) and The Sorcerer (Alexis). His musical theatre roles have included Call Me Madam (Kenneth Gibson), Babes in Arms (Valentine White) and Kiss Me Kate (Paul).
Simon has been privileged to take part in masterclasses with Ryland Davies, Lynne Dawson and Susan Roper as well as several valuable sessions with the vivacious Nicky Spence. He was also delighted to receive a commendation from Linda Richardson in the RNCM James Martin Oncken Song Prize in 2015.
From working as a dynamic assistant animateur with Blackburn Cathedral’s ‘SingTogether’ Outreach Project, Simon aspires to continue further work in making music accessible to children through delivering vocal workshops in conjunction with choral direction and pursuing other educational fields.
Dean Parker Tenor, Education Manager
Dean, originally from Southampton, graduated from the University of Manchester in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music and continues to study singing with Richard Strivens. During his time at university he performed a number of roles including Don Curzio (Le nozze di Figaro) and Toby (Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd). Since leaving university, Dean has participated in workshops and masterclasses led by Mary King, Annabel Arden, and Fergus Sheil as part of WNO’s youth opera programme and portrayed the Duke of Dunstable (Patience) and Frederick (Pirates of Penzance), for which he won the best male voice award, at the 2015 International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. As a choral singer, Dean has sung with Ad Solem, Armonico Consort, The Hallé Choir, Vox Cantab, and recently with the Manchester Chamber Choir, BBC Philharmonic, and EXAUDI in the premiere of Mark Simpson’s The Immortal at the 2015 Manchester International Festival. He also has a keen interest in education and teaches music in Primary Schools across Greater Manchester.
Peter Edge Baritone
Peter is currently in his final year of undergraduate study at the RNCM, tutored by Quentin Hayes. In 2010, Peter won the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Vocal Solo category, as well as becoming Chester’s People to People Vocal Scholar for the third consecutive year in 2015. Peter's recent roles include Pooh-Bah in The Mikado, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana and Snug in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Peter also performs regularly with choirs and sang with Harry Christopher’s Genesis Sixteen.
Gary Allen Bass
Gary graduated from the University of Manchester with a MusB (Hons) degree. He studies voice with Andrew Heggie. Starting choral singing with the Berkshire Youth Choir, Gary joined the National Youth Choir of Great Britain in 2010. He began singing with the chamber choir in 2013, and in 2015 started leading the Bass Two section. Other choral experience includes Manchester Chamber Choir, the Rodolfus Choir, the Manchester Oratory Choir, Canzonetta, Exeter College Oxford, and more. At University, Gary was also involved in the administration of Ad Solem, the University chamber choir, the Cosmo Singers, and University Chorus. Gary has enjoyed masterclasses with Henry Herford, Lynne Dawson, Mark Wildman, and Judy Bellingham.