Charlie Penn - Musical Director

Charlie Penn is currently a final year music student at the University of Birmingham studying piano with Joseph Middleton. Alongside his studies he pursues a busy freelance timetable as an accompanist and soloist both on piano and organ, working with exam students and choirs of all ages and abilities including Birmingham University Singers and the Cambridge Primary School Singing Network. He also works with Cantate Youth Choir, City of Birmingham Young Voices and the newly formed CBSO Boys Choir on a regular basis and has worked occasionally with Cambridge Chorale. He was employed during his gap year as the full time Music Technician at Hills Road Sixth Form College and also as Director of Music at St Andrew's church, Sutton.

He has previously worked with the Hills Road Sixth Form College Choir and Jazz Choir and has toured as accompanist with their auditioned Chamber Choir to Latvia and Estonia performing established choral favourites alongside newly commissioned works. He has also performed with the University of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in their Summer Festival of Music concert and with the auditioned University Singers in various early music concerts. He continues to enjoy working with many different theatre groups in musical productions including working as the Music Director and accompanist to Cambridge Touring Theatre for two of their popular summer tours.

Alongside his work as an accompanist, Charlie is also in increasing demand as a choral director for rehearsals and concerts with a wide variety of choirs covering a diverse range of music. He has directed the University of Birmingham Chamber Choir in several of their concerts and has studied choral conducting within his degree and with David Lawrence and Julian Wilkins. He also works occasionally with the Birmingham based Phoenix Singers and has previously directed the extremely popular Cambridge Holiday Orchestra choir course for young children on several occasions.

Elizabeth Barter - Accompanist