Our People
Dr David Bednall
Music Director
David Bednall is recognised as one of the leading choral composers of his generation. He studied for a PhD in Composition with Professor John Pickard at the University of Bristol and is published by Choral Music Publishing, OUP, Boosey and Hawkes, Faber, and Novello. He is Choral Director at Clifton Cathedral, Director of Bristol Bach Choir, Bristol Chamber Choir and Chew Valley Choral Society, alongside an extensive freelance career.
David studied with Dr. Naji Hakim and David Briggs and was Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral and Sub Organist at Bristol Cathedral. Prior to this he was Organ Scholar The Queen’s College, Oxford, and then at Gloucester Cathedral. He won Improvisation and Performance prizes at FRCO and has improvised on live radio. His extensive performance career has included a recital at Notre-Dame de Paris. He appeared as stunt-organist on Dr Who.
David’s compositions are widely performed, recorded, and broadcast on BBC Radio and Classic FM. His first CD Hail, gladdening light was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, as was Stabat Mater with Jennifer Pike (violin) and Benenden Chapel Choir under Edward Whiting. Flame Celestial received a Gramophone Recommendation and Requiem with Philip Dukes (viola) and St Mary’s Calne and Welcome All Wonders garnered superb international critical acclaim. Recent projects have included a BBC Commission, commissions for Westminster Abbey, Edington, Presteigne, and Three Choirs Festivals, Jesus College, Cambridge, and Make we Merry. Upcoming projects include St Mark Passion.
More information can be found at www.davidbednall.com
Raymond Warren
President Emeritus
Raymond is a renowned composer and teacher, having held posts at Queen's University, Belfast, where from 1966 he held a personal Chair in composition. From 1966-72 he was Resident Composer to the Ulster Orchestra, writing for them a number of orchestral works and also conducting the Orchestra in a series of concerts of contemporary music. In 1972 he was appointed Professor of Music at the University of Bristol, a post from which he retired in 1994. He is the composer of numerous operas, oratorios and three symphonies. Recent works include his Symphony No. 3, a commission from the Brunel Ensemble. He is also author of the book Opera Workshop (Scolar Press, 1995).
Charlotte Obolensky
Chair
Charlotte was born in Cornwall and developed a love of singing at school and later at Durham University, where she sang in the university chamber choir as well as St Chad’s College choir, in the days before female undergraduates were admitted! She joined the Bristol Chamber Choir in 1994 as her night off from her young family, and is now at the point where she remembers items performed over 20 years ago coming round again… She is delighted to be the first female chairman of this historic and friendly choir with its unusual mostly unaccompanied repertoire.
Kate Mayberry
Secretary
Kate grew up in Bristol with American parents. She has sung in school productions—memorably in the chorus of two Britten operas—and belonged to various choirs through to university and beyond. She played piano at home and cello at school. In addition to gaining a degree in ancient and modern Chinese at Oxford University, from ages 17-25 Kate studied, lived and worked in New York, Washington DC, Paris and Taipei. After coming home, she returned to music in London where she studied jazz harmony and then film music composition with Amit Sen. Now a busy single mother to two musical teenage boys, she is happy to spend Wednesday evenings singing with the choir.
Sharon Crawford
Treasurer
Sharon was brought up in Belfast, where her love of music began. She was part of the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra and the Belfast Youth Chorale, and attended many concerts and recitals. Upon arriving at Bristol University to study Biochemistry, she played with the University Chamber Orchestra and sang in the University Chamber Choir. However, once she entered the workforce, primarily in the world of financial software, playing and singing took a back seat, though she still attended many concerts, operas, and recitals. Once semi-retired and working part-time, Sharon was invited to join a Ladies Choir in Buckinghamshire, where she was living at the time. This experience reminded her of how much she enjoyed singing. Upon returning to Bristol a few years ago, she sought out choirs and enjoyed a wonderful few years with the Bristol Choral Society under the renowned Adrian Partington. After he left, she looked for a different type of choir and was extremely fortunate to find the Bristol Chamber Choir, of which she has now been a member for over five years. She loves singing 2nd Alto, despite Adrian once joking that they live under stones and crawl out occasionally with a tuneful contribution....They laughed together at that!
Simon Taylor
Librarian
Simon was born and brought up in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he took part in the wide variety of school choirs, youth orchestras and music groups running at that time. He went on to study music at university before settling in Bristol, working as a primary school teacher and music co-ordinator for sixteen years. He then made a career change and is now a Student Administrator at the University of Bristol. Simon has been a member of the Bristol Chamber Choir for five years, and, as well as singing, enjoys playing the piano and piano accordion, travelling by ferry and train around Europe, natural history, cooking and slowly learning languages.
Amy Joyce
Publicity Secretary
Amy joined the Bristol Chamber Choir in 2021 and found it fantastic to sing with a group of like-minded, friendly people; she instantly fell in love with the repertoire! Born and raised in Bristol, Amy was a member of a youth choir for ten years. The choir twice took part in BBC Radio 3's 'Choir of the Year' competition. After moving to Sheffield to read English Literature and Theatre at university, she joined Sheffield University Performing Arts Society and the Sheffield University Theatre Company. She sang in a number of productions and played Maria in West Side Story and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. After graduating, Amy returned to Bristol and got a job in marketing. She works a lot with social media and enjoys managing the choir's social channels and website. Amy lives in a converted pub with her partner and their tabby cat, Pippin (big 'Lord of the Rings' fans!)
Grace Groleau
Membership Secretary
Grace grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, where she sang from a young age with St George’s Jesmond church choir and Capella Novocastriensis, and developed her solo singing under the private tutelage Martin Wheeler. She moved to Bristol in 2011 to begin her studies in medicine, where she joined the University Singers and performed with the Bristol Operatic Society (including as Mozart’s Queen of the Night). Grace is now a doctor specialising in the care of older people, but her passion is medical education - she returned to the University of Bristol to complete her PhD, and now lectures in geriatric medicine for the Universities of Bristol and Zimbabwe! Alongside singing, in her spare time Grace enjoys regular travel, the food (and wine!) scene in Bristol, and shares a love of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’ with other members of the choir.