Meet the Team
Neil Taylor: Musical Director
Neil Taylor is a sought after and renowned choral director, organist, piano accompanist, teacher and coach, based in the North West of England.
After winning a Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, Neil held cathedral appointments in St Albans, Norwich, and Sheffield. During his time in Sheffield, the cathedral choir toured both at home and abroad (including Germany, Holland, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the USA) and broadcast frequently on BBC Radios 2, 3 & 4. His recordings include Music for a Millennium, a Classic FM Magazine Disc of the Year award winner, and numerous releases as organist and conductor, all to high critical acclaim. As solo organist, he has played at many of the major venues in the UK, and has worked with the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of Opera North, the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Sir John Rutter, Huddersfield Choral and the Exon Singers.
He is Music Director of St George’s Singers in Manchester, the Keele Bach Choir, and organist and keyboard studies teacher at Rossall School. He works regularly with the BBC as Musical Director and accompanist on Songs of Praise and the BBC Young Chorister of the Year competition.
In his spare time he enjoys reading, walking, and cookery.
Pete Durrant: Accompanist
Pete Durrant is the accompanist of St George’s Singers, the Hallé youth and training choirs, N-choir, RNCM chamber choir, and is the deputy accompanist for the Hallé choir. He works at the Royal Northern College of Music and is the head accompanist at the Junior RNCM.
Pete grew up in London, where he was a chorister at Westminster Abbey. During his time at the Abbey he toured worldwide and sang at many high-profile events, including the funeral of Princess Diana. In 2004 he moved north to study music at The University of Manchester, where he learned piano with Tom Scott. He was awarded the Proctor Gregg prize for performance at the end of his second year. In 2010 he went on to complete a Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Jeremy Young and Colin Stone.
Pete has played with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra and Manchester Camerata, has been the accompanist of Stafford Choral Society, Keele Bach Choir, Manchester University Chorus, has directed and played for Manchester Chamber Choir, and has accompanied the BBCSO Chorus, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Sheffield Chorale, Salford Choral Society and Marple Choral Society. Pete was also the conductor of Leek Choral Society (for whom he wrote his Requiem in 2018), the University of Manchester’s chamber choir, Ad Solem, as well as Keele Bach Choir in the second half of 2016.
Joe Judge: Vocal Coach
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 and with the Hallé 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.