Ulster Youth Choir

Greg Beardsell – UYC Artistic Director/Conductor

Greg Beardsell is Musical Director of the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Wooburn Singers, Associate Musical Director of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and Artistic Director of the Irish Youth Choir. He has been Artistic Director of the Ulster Youth Choir since 2006.

Born in Harrogate and educated at Chetham’s School of Music and Manchester University, Greg studied conducting with Michael Brewer and Gary Walker. Whilst at university, he held the directorship of the Chamber Choir, Ad Solem, for four years and conducted the Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Chorus.

Greg’s previous posts also include Music Director of the Oxford Chamber Choir, conductor of the Manchester Boys’ Choir and Music Director of the Surrey Youth Choir, whom he led to the Grand Finals of the Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year in 2002. In 2005, he was the recipient of the BBC Singers conductor bursary.

Greg has been guest conductor on the Eton Choral Courses, the IAPS Choral Course and Cranleigh Choral Week and he regularly leads workshops for children around the country on behalf of the National Youth Choirs, the Association of Irish Choirs and the Association of British Choral Directors for whom he was a guest speaker at the 2007 convention. Greg is also in demand as an adjudicator and has adjudicated at the Choral Festivals in Navan, Bangor and Sligo and the Collegiate a Cappella International Championships.

As a Chorus Master as well as his work with Bournemouth Symphony Chorus he has worked with the BBC Symphony Chorus, the Bach Choir and the London Symphony Chorus and prepared works for conductors such as Marin Alsop, Kees Bakels, Edward Gardner, Roland Boer, Sir Colin Davis and Richard Hickox. He has also directed the Sagittarian Consort of Cambridge, the Classical Soloists, La Nuova Musica, the City of London Sinfonia and the BBC Singers.

Dominic Peckham Dominic Peckham - UYTC Conductor

Born in Southampton, Dominic holds a BMus (Hons) and Post Graduate Diploma in Singing from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama under the tuition of Stephen Robertson after leaving a scholarship place at Chetham’s School of Music.

Dominic is being hailed as ‘one of the most exciting conductors of his generation’ and has been commended at home and abroad for his ‘super direction’ of both orchestras and choirs whilst delivering ‘gutsy, raw and exciting’ performances’

Dominic is Artistic Director of iSing UK and is currently an Assistant Conductor for The National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain, Guest Conductor for The National Youth Training Choir of Scotland, Musical Director of The Merchant Voices at The Glasgow City Halls, The Edinburgh Youth Choir, The Edinburgh Singers and has recently been appointed Assistant Chorus Master of The Royal Scottish National Orchestra as The Alexander Gibson Memorial Fellow.

Conducting engagements include: ‘Around The World In Eighty Minutes’ for The National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain (Coventry Cathedral), Handel’s ‘Israel in Egypt’ for The Edinburgh Singers and Orchestra (Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh), Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C’ (St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh), Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ with Judith Howarth (Culross Abbey), The National Police Federation Memorial Service (Edinburgh International Conference Centre), ‘Choral Classics’ for The Edinburgh Youth Choir (Usher Hall and McEwan Hall, Edinburgh), Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’ for Waverley Care, guest Musical Director with The National Youth Training Choir of Scotland for The British Federation of Youth Orchestras (Central Halls, Edinburgh), Chorus Master for ‘The Voice’ at the BBC Proms (The Royal Albert Hall), a speical St Andrew’s Day broadcast for BBC ‘Songs of Praise’, the Italian premier of Eric Whitacre’s ‘Lux Aurumque’ and Vaughan Williams’ ‘Mass in G minor’ (Duomo di Montecatini, Chiesa di Santo Agostino, San Giminignano), and the world premier of Oliver Searle’s ‘Pride, Poverty and Pianos’ for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (City Halls, Glasgow).

Previous conducting posts include: Assistant Conductor for The National Children’s Choir of Great Britain. Guest Conductor for Chethams Chamber Choir and The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Chamber Choirs. He is now in demand as a guest conductor for various ensembles throughout the country as well as for his Choral Workshop Events and Education Days and has recently been appointed Workshop Director for The Trinity/Guildhall Open University Key Stage 2&3 Choral Programme.

Competitions and Awards include The Newby Award and The Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music Scholarship 2006/7.

Recordings include: ‘Promise to God’ – Sheena Munro (Level Records), ‘Israel in Egypt’ – Haydn and ‘Joy To The World’ - Various (Delphian Records), ‘Schoenberg’s Choral Collection’ (Polydor), ‘Les Douze Noels’ – Daquin (Linn), ‘Solstice’ – Vocal Fusion, ‘Convocation’ – Swayne and ‘The Armed Man : A Mass for Peace’ - Jenkins (EMI).

Future conducting engagements include: The Mary Wakefield Festival 2008 (Cumbria), Hold Your Breath (Clyde Tunnel, Glasgow), BBC Choir of the Year 2008, Vivald’s ‘Gloria’ (St John’s, Edinburgh) Bach’s Mass in Bminor (St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh), The City of London Festival 2008, Chorusmaster at Celtic Connections for the world premier of Stevenson’s ‘Praise of Ben Doran’ with Scottish Opera and The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (City Halls, Glasgow) and another broadcast for BBC Songs of Praise.