Music Director

Musical Director The Bach Choir
Principal Conductor Yale Schola Cantorum
Associate Guest Conductor Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Renowned for his fine musicianship, David Hill is widely respected as both a choral and orchestral conductor. His talent has been recognised by his appointments as Musical Director of The Bach Choir, Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society, Associate Guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum, and International Chair in Choral Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. He was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007 to September 2017 and is a former Music Director of Southern Sinfonia.

Born in Carlisle and educated at Chetham’s School of Music, of which he is now a Governor, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the remarkably young age of 17. Having been Organ Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, David Hill returned to hold the post of Director of Music from 2004-2007. His other appointments have included Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral, Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral and Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Chorus. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southampton for Services to Music, and in March 2018, he was honoured with the prestigious Royal College of Organists medal, in recognition of distinguished achievement in choral conducting and organ playing.

David Hill has a broad-ranging discography covering repertoire from Thomas Tallis to a number of world premiere recordings. As well as achieving prestigious Grammy and Gramophone Awards, many of his discs have been recommended as Critic’s Choices, with his ongoing series of English choral music for Naxos, and discs for Hyperion with the Yale Schola Cantorum receiving particular acclaim.

Hill has appeared with the BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic orchestras, London Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera, the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North, Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Réal Filharmonia de Galicia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, and Portland Baroque Orchestras as well as the Netherlands Radio Choir, the National Youth Choir of Australia, and RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin.

His commitment to new music has led to him premiering works from leading composers including Judith Bingham, Carl Rütti, Francis Pott, Bob Chilcott, Gabriel Jackson, James Macmillan, Philip Moore, Naji Hakim, Sir John Tavener, Philip Wilby and Jonathan Dove. Recent highlights include the world premiere of Gabriel Jackson’s The World Imagined with the Philharmonia at Three Choirs Festival.

In January 2019 David Hill was awarded an MBE for services to music.

For more information see David’s website…

Chorus Master

Conductor, Music Director, Producer, Orchestrator, and Singer, Joseph Judge is Chorus Master of the Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, Artistic Director of the Exon Festival, a Hallé Associate Artist as Director of the Hallé Choral Academy, a frequent collaborator as a Score Reader/Orchestrator with the Northern Film Orchestra, and a Music Director for Film/TV productions.

He prepares Leeds Philharmonic Chorus for concerts with professional orchestras such as the Hallé and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, often conducting them in performance. Joseph curates a varied and exciting programme of classical music for the Exon Festival each summer, which often features live on BBC Radio. As Director of the Hallé Choral Academy, he inspires mixed ability singers to develop their vocal technique and sight-reading abilities through the singing of core repertoire, and has worked as Guest Chorus Master for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir.

He has led music sessions for Sony PlayStation, and produced the recording of Northern Lights – an album of contemporary choral works with BBC Choir of Year winners, Voices of Hope. As a Countertenor he continues to perform regularly as an oratorio soloist. He was a member of the BBC Daily Service Singers, a Lay Clerk at Manchester Cathedral, and one of the inaugural Fellows of NYCGB, frequently involved with the organisation as Section Leader for NYC and their Training Choirs.

A graduate of the RNCM, he has a Masters with Distinction and was awarded the Mortimer Furber prize. He studied with Clark Rundell and Mark Heron, conducted the Manchester Camerata, received masterclass tuition from numerous renowned conductors and musicians, and assisted the BBC and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras.

For more information see Joe’s website…

Vice President

Simon Lindley was born in London in 1948. After an education at Magdalen College School, Oxford, and graduation from the Royal College of Music in London, he began an organ career in 1969, playing at various London churches and recording organ music. He then served as an organ tutor at the Royal School of Church Music and later as Assistant Master of Music at St Albans Cathedral to the legendary Peter Hurford and Director of Music at St Albans School.

Simon was Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Polytechnic from 1976 to 1987. In 1988, he was then appointed to the new post of Senior Assistant Music Officer for Leeds City Council’s [then] Learning and Leisure Department, working on a kaleidoscopic diversity of productions in the office of the award-winning Leeds International Concert Season – notably weekly Town Hall Lunchtime Recitals, programmes for the Saturday symphony and choral concerts and as Artistic Advisor to the Leeds Summer Heritage Festivals from 1989. He was Leeds City Organist from 1976 to 2017 (named City Organist Emeritus in Summer 2017 and is Organist Emeritus of Leeds Minster, having been organist and Master of the Music Leeds Minster from 1975 until his retirement in 2016.

During the 1970s and 80s he was also Chorus Master to Halifax Choral Society and Leeds Philharmonic Society where he still has an active role as the choirs Vice President. Since 1991 he has served as Secretary of the Church Music Society. From 2009 and 2010 respectively, Dr Lindley has held posts as conductor of Sheffield Bach Society and Doncaster Choral Society. In 2017, he celebrated twenty years as Music Director of Overgate Hospice Choir Halifax. Simon was the Director of St Peter’s Singers until 2020, one of England’s finest chamber choirs.

In July 2012 an honorary doctorate of the University of Huddersfield was conferred upon Simon Lindley in recognition of his contribution to choral singing locally, nationally and internationally. He also holds a doctorate of Leeds Metropolitan University and honorary fellowships from a number of musical institutions including the Royal School of Church Music.

One of Britain’s most popular musicians, Dr Lindley is a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He has just completed two years of service as Grand Organist to the United Grand Lodge of England and is still in post as Provincial Grand Organist to the Masonic Province of Yorkshire, West Riding.

More information about Simon can be found on his personal website and on his Wikipedia site.

Accompanist

Russell was born in Cheshire and received his musical training at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester, where he studied piano, double bass, composition and conducting. After graduating from the RNCM he studied for two years at post-graduate level, obtaining a Performer’s Diploma with distinction in accompaniment.

He has accompanied singers at recitals and master classes throughout the UK. He has performed in the Channel Islands, Finland, Sweden and Denmark and has taken part in recordings for the BBC, ITV and RTE. He is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, which has taken him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa, Uganda, Holland, Italy, Austria and many parts of the UK.

As Musical Director of the Northern England Chorale he has conducted in Finland, Cyprus, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Delft. He is also Musical Director of the Lindow Singers and Sale Choral Society and has worked with many choral societies as conductor and organist. He was Assistant Chorus Master to the Halle Chorus for eight years.

As Chorus Master of the Chamber Choir and Opera Chorus at the RNCM, he has been involved in many major opera productions. As well as a thriving private teaching practice in singing and piano, he is tutor in piano at Moreton Hall School, Shropshire, and a tutor at the Centre for Young Musicians in The Hague.