LESLIE OLIVE
Leslie became our Music Director in September 2023.
He was born in Swansea and grew up in Surrey, studied music at Reading University and holds a diploma in conducting from the Royal Academy of Music.
Sharing his career between teaching in schools and working as a professional musician, Leslie created ambitious young choirs at schools in Kent and Surrey and most recently at Colchester Royal Grammar School, where the packed programme of his boys’ choir of nearly 100 teenagers included touring to many European centres including Vienna and Salzburg, singing choral evensong with the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge and performing alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. His youth opera The Master of Ashmore is a full length work written for young voices.
In 1980 Leslie formed The English Arts Chorale, an ambitious voluntary choir which has sung from memory major works including the Verdi Requiem, performed around the UK including at London’s Barbican Concert Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Approached by the BBC, for three years Leslie conducted live broadcasts of The Daily Service for BBC Radio 4.
As founder and Artistic Director of the 50-event Reigate Summer Music Festival in 1994, Leslie created an international youth orchestra, a festival chorus, and conducted the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in a decade of memorable outdoor firework spectaculars drawing up to 6,000 people.
Since moving to Suffolk in 2000, Leslie has been conductor of Stowmarket Chorale and most recently Eye Bach Choir, and the invited chamber choir Carillon. In 2012 Leslie created Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, a gathering of world-class professional orchestral musicians who give concerts of supreme quality in Suffolk venues, while also taking first-class playing into the community with free community concerts in village halls, and in workshops with children in schools across the length and breadth of Suffolk.
CALVIN GOYMER ALCM
Calvin became the principal accompanist in January 2017. Prior to that, since 2000, he was the deputy accompanist, joining the Choir for many of their concerts and tours.
He was privileged to have worked with Mark Jefferson for the Irving Stage Company and Bury Operatic Society, playing keyboards in the orchestra pit for various musical theatre shows.
His enthusiasm and flair for improvisation brings new life to the Choir’s repertoire, as well as introducing more modern and contemporary pieces with the aim to encourage younger members to join.
His main profession is working for the Classical Ballet Faculty as a ballet accompanist for vocational students at Performers College in Essex, one of the main dance and musical theatre colleges in the country. He also works for Dance East in Ipswich for the Centre of Advanced Training in Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and for the Royal Ballet School Primary Steps outreach programme in Bury St Edmunds. He is a registered accompanist for the ISTD and the RAD. He often works as a company pianist playing for company class for Sir Matthew Bourne’s Red Shoe Company when they are on tour around the country.
Other engagements include playing lounge piano at the Lavenham Swan, and accompanist for the Jubilee Ladies Choir in Stowmarket.
Jill Garrett – Accompanist
After graduating from Trinity College of Music, Jill began her career as Music Teacher in secondary schools around Essex. She moved to Suffolk 20 years ago to become Head of Music in the middle school system. She then became Head of Music at the first free school in the county, where she built a thriving music department with Choirs, Orchestra, String Ensemble, Percussion Group and a flourishing programme of instrumental tuition and school shows, concerts and festivals.
Taking early retirement in 2019, Jill was appointed as Principal Accompanist to The Aquarius Singers, Bury’s ladies-only choir. She is actively involved in Sudbury’s musical life, programming music for the Rotary Club Christmas Tree Festival and St Peter’s Arts Centre’s summer concerts. In her spare time, she works with a handbell team and practices the harp.
SIMON SHIRM
Simon Shirm started playing the guitar in a school rock band called Dry Ice in Barnet, north London aged 14. Dry Ice supported both the Stranglers and Charlie in concert before the band broke up, and Simon went on to play jazz guitar for a number of years in London hotels.
Simon is now part of a local cover band named Quaff, as well as supporting other local musicians. His contact with SEMVC started when he was part of an act at one of our annual ‘Sing for Your Supper’ social evenings. He now performs with us regularly.
Saturday 22 March 2025 – Concert at Great Barton Church at 7pm
Saturday 26 April – Concert with Milton Glee Choir at St Mary’s Church Bury St Edmunds at 7pm
FRIDAY 9 May – Concert with The Orpheus Singers (The South East Essex Ladies Choir) St John's Church, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1SP at 7pm
Saturday 24 May – Joint Concert with Brass Ensemble and Kedington Community Choir at Kedington Community Centre at 7pm
PLEASE SUPPORT THESE EVENTS
USED STAMPS NEEDED
Sylvia Wilson is collecting used stamps for AGSD UK (Association of Glycogen Storage Disease UK), a very small charity for which this provides valuable income. To maximize their value she kindly requests that the stamps are trimmed from the envelope with a 1cm border around them. Stamps can be passed onto Sylvia via any member of the Choir.
For further information please email info@semvc.com
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