Neil Moore – Musical Director
A WARM WINCANTON WELCOME
Hailing from Belfast Northern Ireland, Neil Moore developed a passion for music at the age of 8 when he joined his local parish church choir. He was inspired by two music teachers at school and went on to The City of Belfast School of Music gaining a grounding in the rudiments of music and orchestral playing (clarinet).
Neil read music at The University of Glasgow where he conducted the wind band and orchestra. He also set up the now firmly established Music Club Choir. Whilst in Glasgow he sang tenor with St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. Upon graduating he travelled east to Edinburgh to complete a PGCE and also sang tenor/countertenor with Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, under Matthew Owens. Following this he entered the classroom for a number of years and also sang with Hereford Cathedral Choir with which he appeared in the Three Choirs Festival, made several broadcasts on television and radio, recorded several CDs and toured the US extensively. During this period he also took a choir to the final of BBC Choir of the Year in 2008.
Since coming to the Bath area in 2011 Neil has quickly got stuck into its musical life singing with several choirs and directing Bath Cantata Group, Beckington Village Choir, Oakfield Choir, Frome, Midsomer Choral Society and until recently Colerne Military Wives Choir. Wincanton Choral Society can now be added to his impressive list. In 2013 he helped establish the professional vocal octet Vox8. He’s also a director of Musicians South West in which he plays clarinet and saxophone and sings.
Neil says: “I am delighted to have been appointed Musical Director of Wincanton Choral Society. On the programme this year are two of the most popular works there are in the repertoire, both for those singing and those listening: Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation. I’ve greatly enjoyed the couple of rehearsals I’ve taken and look forward to getting stuck into the Handel in September.”
Jacquelyn Bevan is a freelance chamber pianist and accompanist.
She studied piano with Dennis Dance at the Guildhall and Music at Bristol University, spending15 years as a Director of Music in secondary schools and lecturer in FE and HE before becoming a full-time pianist in 2000. Based near Bath, Jacquelyn plays with a number of chamber ensembles, including Trio Paradis, Bath Baroque and Bath Consort and runs a number of chamber concert series.
She plays regularly with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the BSO Touring Chamber Ensemble. Jacquelyn is accompanist and lead piano mentor for South West Music School and a founder Director of Musicians South West CIC who bring live music performances to new audiences.
In 2014 Jacquelyn was awarded an Arts Council grant to tour Women of WW1 to 40 South West venues with Trio Paradis and earlier this year received National Lottery funding to set up a dozen new series of Trio Paradis daytime café concerts on the Mendips. Details at www.trioparadis.com.