LYC people

Ben is increasingly in demand to lead one-off singing days and courses, working for the Red House, Aldeburgh, the Roman River Music Festival, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, the Rodolfus Foundation and YK Pao School, Shanghai. He also conducts two choral societies in South London and is the conductor elect of the University of Essex Choir from October 2020. He ran the Singing Outreach Programme for Westminster Cathedral, working with 12 primary schools over London, from 2014-19.

Ben studied music and German at Durham University, University of Vienna, King’s College London and as a postgraduate in vocal studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Alongside his conducting, he is seen regularly on the oratorio and recital circuit and has sung with the BBC Singers, the Sixteen, Stile Antico, Tenebrae and the Eric Whitacre Singers among others. In 2019 he performed a solo recital as part of the Aldeburgh festival.

She held the post of vocal director for In Harmony Opera North (Classic FM’s Music Education Project of the Year 2014) and spent several years establishing the Opera North Children’s Chorus. Rachel has also worked as a conductor with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain for over a decade. Something of a choral entrepreneur, Rachel has founded a number of choirs in and around London, including LYC in 2012 with Suzi Digby OBE. In 2014 Rachel was made Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, in recognition of her contribution to choral music and work with young people. Rachel is passionate about using choral music to inspire young people from all backgrounds and dedicates her career to this mission.

As well as being conductor of the London Youth Chamber Choir, he is Music Director of the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, the Peace Proms and Principal Conductor of the National Youth Training Choir. He is a guest presenter for BBC Radio 3’s “Live in Concert” and “Choir and Organ” programmes and features as a choral music expert for the BBC Proms TV broadcasts.

He has held conducting positions with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, the Irish Youth Choir, the Ulster Youth Choir and the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir and has presented seminars on conducting and teaching strategies for organisations such as Cambridge University, the Association of Swedish Choral Conductors, Cornell University New York, and music education hubs across England.

He is a Junior Artist in Residence for ARK schools, Musical Director of Billericay Choral Society and in 2019 was the vocal animator for Garsington Opera’s Youth Opera. In 2020 he will be working with Welsh National Opera as Youth Opera Musical Director in Southampton.

Jamie is a selected artist with Making Music and as a soloist has performed at The Barbican, Snape Maltings, and Shakespeare's Globe, and is a chorister and regular soloist in the Choir of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London. He regularly tours Europe as an ensemble singer including as baritone and vocal percussionist deputy with The Swingle Singers. His work for television includes vocal coaching and arranging for the BBC, and numerous film soundtracks.