Category: Presenter Biography

In the field of choral conducting Sarah is an internationally recognised performer and teacher. The versatile array of professional and amateur groups, both chamber and large-scale, with which she has worked includes the Hilliard Ensemble, Chamber Choir Ireland, Singscape, Cape Town Philharmonic Choir, the Friedenkirche Chor of Düsseldorf, English Baroque and Reading Bach Choirs, Harlow Chorus, Commotio, VoxCantab and Dubai Opera Festival Chorus. As guest chorusmaster she has prepared numerous choirs, including the BBC Symphony Chorus for Proms performances under Andrew Davis and Ed Gardner and the Granada International Chorus for Harry Christophers (The Sixteen), whilst being equally at home with community ensembles such as Nottingham and Warwick University choruses and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s SOVocal. The many instrumental ensembles with which Sarah has worked include period bands Fieri Consort, City of London Chamber Orchestra, and His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts as well as the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia and the Britten Sinfonia.

Formerly General Manager of The Sixteen and the first General Manager of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD), which she subsequently served as a Director, Sarah is in huge demand as a conducting teacher. She directed the choral conducting course at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and currently lectures both there and at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire as well as tutoring for Sing for Pleasure and ABCD, and teaching and serving as choral adviser for Trinity College Oxford. Internationally, Sarah has tutored in Dubai, Ireland, Germany and The Netherlands and was conducting mentor to actor Bradley Walsh on BBC2’s TV series ‘Maestro’.

Sarah also directs and sings professionally in the UK’s flagship female voice consort Papagena, which is at the forefront of exploring and developing female-voice repertoire. The group has made acclaimed recordings for the SOMM label and recent concerts have included performances at the Edinburgh, Christchurch, Three Choirs and Ryedale festivals and collaborations with the Orchestra of the Swan in Stratford and Birmingham.

Russell studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, and then the Royal College of Music in London as a scholar. He is recognised as a leading music-theatre composer, and his critically acclaimed stage works commissioned by English Touring Opera for young audiences have been widely performed. The most successful of these operas, Laika the Spacedog, has been presented across Europe, including an all-new production by the Opera Nouvel in Fribourg, Switzerland, and at the Neue Forum Kunst, Germany. Other operas include The Price, and Ever Young, both for W11 Opera; The Casket Girl for Jubilee Opera; and Moonfleet, The Musical for the Salisbury Playhouse in 2018. Russell’s many choral works are published by Banks Music Publications, Oxford University Press and Stainer & Bell.  With acclaimed author Michael Rosen, Russell composed the 2020 set of Friday Afternoons songs commissioned by Britten Pears Arts at Snape Maltings in Suffolk.

Recent stage productions include Climat, an opera in one Act for young performers with libretto by Helen Eastman (Montpellier Opera, February 2023), and The Crash, a new chamber opera for Oldenburg State Theatre, Germany (February 2024). Russell’s latest publication for Stainer & Bell is ‘History Express’, 10 songs for KS2 and KS3 age-group children, set to poems by Helen Eastman, that guide them through history from ‘The Big Bang’ to ‘The World Wide Web’.

(See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIfYVolJtGQ RSNO Children’s Chorus, Patrick Barrett, director; Judith Keaney, piano).

Russell’s grand new choral anthology – Living Voices (SATB + piano) – features ten songs with ten new poems that have been specially commissioned for the project from ten of the UK’s most famous and best-loved living poets. Each piece in the collection will be premiered by a different choir in the UK during Spring and Summer 2025.

https://russellhepplewhite.com/

https://stainer.co.uk/shop/d113/

Rebecca Ledgard: Director of Education and Participation

Rebecca started working for Ex Cathedra as Education Coordinator in 2000 and has sung in the choir since 1997. Her role developed into Director of Education and Participation and she leads a 20 strong team of wonderful musicians who together create and deliver the award-winning projects in schools, communities and hospitals. 

She is passionate about the potential and importance of singing as part of the daily life of schools, families, and communities, particularly with regards to communication and community, development and learning, and wellbeing. 

Under Rebecca’s leadership, the E&P staff + music practitioner team has created highly regarded projects and led events across the UK and internationally, winning awards for their work in schools and hospitals, including Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Arts in Health from the Royal Society for Public Health. As well as working alongside the team on all the E&P projects she loves working with the young singers in Ex Cathedra’s Academy of Vocal Music. 

Rebecca started her career as a primary school teacher, and for many years worked for Birmingham Music Service, enjoying visiting and belonging to many schools across the city. She has a degree in music education, a postgraduate diploma in singing, and was bestowed with Honorary Membership of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for services to music education. 

Gemma King: Education and Participation Manager

Gemma joined Ex Cathedra as a singer in 2003 whilst studying at Birmingham Conservatoire. She graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from the vocal studies department in 2006. She later joined the Ex Cathedra Education and Participation team as a vocal tutor, working on Singing Medicine and Singing Playgrounds projects. In January 2020, she became the Education and Participation Coordinator and then became Manager in August 2021.

Gemma is a qualified Secondary Music Teacher and helped to create the Ex Cathedra ChoirMaker Project, which was awarded Outstanding Music Education Resource in the 2024 Music Education Awards in London. Although Gemma now works extensively for Ex Cathedra, her previous endeavours have included Assistant Director of Music at St Laurence’s Parish Church in Ludlow, conductor of Ludlow Male Voice Choir, vocal teacher. Gemma also works as a professional singer, both in the choral world and as a soloist, most recently performing with Chamber Choir Ireland, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment as well as soloist for choral societies in Shropshire where she lives. Gemma regularly runs singing for wellbeing workshops in her local community.

www.singingschools.co.uk