|
|
|
|
| Teddington
Choral Society |
| |
Founded
1951
| Music
Director: |
Geoffrey
Bowyer MMus, FRCO (CHM),
LRAM, ARCM (Hons) |
| Chairman: |
Barry
Buttenshaw MCPR, JP |
| Secretary: |
Jean
Mitelman |
Affiliated
to Making Music (NFMS)
|
Registered
Charity No:299421R
|
|
|
|
|
Click
ON to listen
to the choir
|
|
|
|
|
Our Director Of Music: Geoffrey
Bowyer MMUS, FRCO (CHM), LRAM, ARCM (Hons)
Geoffrey Bowyer was a Sir Frederick Bridge degree scholar and a Bonavia
Hunt piano scholar. He won the Ricordi Prize for Conducting and the
Maud Seton Piano Prize at Trinity College of Music. He was awarded
a Mark of Distinction at the Institute of Education of London University
for his teaching.
 |
He has taught in the Royal College
of Music junior department and has been senior lecturer in
music at the Twickenham Campus of Brunel University, where
he now accompanies the Ballet Rambert School. A Fellow of
the Royal College of Organists at the age of 21, he regularly
deputised at the Guards Chapel, and appeared in a televised
Remembrance Day service from there. In 1988 he was awarded
the degree of Master of Music, specialising in performance,
from the University of Reading.
He has had two full-time positions in his career: 1960-1966
at Sunbury County Grammar School and 1966-1989 at Maria Grey
College. He has an established operatic background, having
founded Studio Opera at Maria Grey College; he rehearses the
singers at the Chelsea Arts Club. He has also conducted at
Richmond and Wimbledon theatres.
During many years as church organist at a variety of local
churches, he has raised thousands of pounds to repair or refurbish
those churches’ organs. At his present church, St James’s
Church, Hampton Hill, he helped to raise £60,000 to refurbish
and install new pipes to the Bishop organ.
He currently conducts three choirs: Cantanti Camerati, Teddington
Choral Society and The Ladies Monday Afternoon Choir. He is
also choirmaster and organist at St James's Church, Hampton
Hill. The first two are offered as evening classes by Richmond
Adult Community College, Richmond, where he also taught A level
Music until 2003. |
He became musical director of Cantanti Camerati
in 1974. They have performed all over the UK, including The Purcell
Room, Fountains Abbey, Bemerton, St Martin-in-the-Fields,
Malmesbury Abbey, Crewkerne, Nonsuch House, The Royal Hospital,
Chelsea, The Royal Star & Garter Home, Richmond, as well as
in Richmond, Virginia (USA), Konstanz (Germany) and Fontainebleau
(France).
Geoffrey has been associated with Teddington Choral Society since
1972 and has been conductor since 1986. He has raised the standard
of the choir over the years through his teaching and encouragement.
His work ‘A Pilgrim’s Requiem’ received its world
première on 31st March 2001 at St James’s Church
when Cantanti Camerati, Teddington Choral Society and St James’s
Church Choir performed the work with full orchestra. ‘A Pilgrim’s
Progress’ is available on CD, having been recorded by Cantanti
Camerati.
Geoffrey Bowyer is a gifted musician, always eager to help others
in their own musical development. He has inspired many amateur
singers to continue performing live classical music locally. He
has taught thousands of singers and musicians and has performed
numerous concerts all over the UK and abroad to raise money for
good causes.
Top^
|
