Meet the Team

  • Co-Founder and Musical Director

    Originally from Northern Ireland, Laura has completed her Masters in Choral Conducting at The of Birmingham under the tutelage of Simon Halsey CBE. Prior to her studies at Birmingham, Laura graduated with BA Honours in Classical voice at Leeds Conservatoire where she primarily focused her singing in opera studies, as well as taking conducting as her major specialism.

    Starting as a chorister from a young age, Laura’s passion for choral music prompted her to pursue a path in solo performance. From there, she performed various oratorios, operas and solo recitals. In 2017, Laura was awarded the Margaret Markland Award from the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir and the Diocese of Leeds Choral Scholarship, as well as attaining the position of residential singer for the Leeds Youth Wind Orchestra.

    In addition to her vocal studies, Laura also discovered her love for conducting and, since then, has been working alongside choral societies in West Yorkshire.  Following this, she was appointed as Musical Director of the Leeds Conservatoire SU Chorus which precipitated her invitation to prepare the conservatoire’s chorus for a ‘Side by Side’ rehearsal with Opera North. Laura spent her final year in Leeds working with Ilkley and Otley Choral Societies and was honoured to be the guest conductor for their 75th anniversary concert. Simultaneously, she assisted various conductors around England,  both in an orchestral and choral setting.

    Laura is currently the Musical Director for various choruses around England including Divertimento Voices, Daventry Choral Society and HCS Voices- the training choir of Huddersfield Choral Society. Alongside her Musical Director positions, Laura has been invited to guest conduct various choruses around the country- including The Rodolfus Choir and most notably, the U.K. premier of Novello’s edition of Ethyl Smyth’s Mass in D with Northampton Bach Choir.

    Laura made her first debut as a Chorus Master at Huddersfield Choral Society with HCS Voices in November for their performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts . Laura was delighted to be Chorus Master for The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of Verdi’s Reqiuem in May 2024.

  • Co-Founder and Musical Director

    Music has been a vital part of Jim’s life from a very early age. He started learning the piano when he was four, and later he took up the organ, studying under Leeds Minster Cathedral Organist, Alex Woodrow. He gained an organ scholarship and a place to read Music at Lady Margaret Hall in the University of Oxford. It was while he was at Oxford that he developed his passion for choral conducting, through his involvement with his college’s sacred and secular choirs.

    After graduating, Jim took a Master’s in Choral Conducting at the University of Birmingham, studying with Simon Halsey OBE and Julian Wilkins. He sings in the CBSO chorus, and was a lay clerk at Birmingham Cathedral, alongside starting his job at PwC in Birmingham. He set up a choir in his workplace, delightfully named 'In-Voice', and in 2022 he became Musical Director of the Warwickshire Singers. Jim was the conductor of the B:Music Workplace Voices, formerly the Birmingham City Council Choir which was set up by Gareth Malone.