Thank you for joining us in 2023!
You will be pleased to know that we raised £4000 for Resurrected Bites.
The committee is now planning the 2024 event.
It will take place in Holy Trinity, Knaresborough again and the date is Sunday November 24th 2024.
Our funds will go to Nidderdale Plus to assist in setting up a Befriending Service in the dale.
We are delighted that Anthony Gray has agreed to conduct for us. He is Director of Music of St Wilfrid’s Church, Harrogate, Conductor and Artistic Director of Halifax Choral Society, Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral and Joint Deputy Director of Harrogate Choral Society.
We will update the remaining information as it becomes available.
I am sure you would like to know that Will Bruce, who conducted last year's Nidderdale Messiah is now fulfilling an important role at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
William Bruce
2023's Musical Director is absolutely fantastic
Will is a Choral Director in Harrogate, he's a First Class Music graduate from King's College London and the University of Birmingham, where he studied Choral Conducting under the tutelage of Simon Halsey CBE.
"Will is a brilliant musician, he's very friendly and singers of all abilities and backgrounds respond to him really well. I'm delighted he'll be joining the Nidderdale Messiah family for the first time."
Jane Burniston, Chair of the Nidderdale Messiah.
Biography
William's journey as a musician started at a young age, as he discovered his love for singing and music. His talent and dedication soon caught the attention of his music teacher, who encouraged him to pursue a career in music. Since then, he has worked semi-professionally as a vocalist and freelance musical director.
William's passion for choral direction was sparked from his multiple organist positions at churches across the West Midlands whilst he was still at school. This eventually led to his shared directorship at one before his move to London in 2017. This role paved the way for him to conduct various amateur ensembles during his A-levels, whose repertoire included selections from Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
Whilst studying for his undergraduate degree, William had the honour of working with some of the world’s leading conductors, including Colin Metters from the Royal Academy of Music and Odaline de la Martinez, conductor of ‘Lontano’. In the same year, William held the position of musical director of the ‘King’s Big Band’, who continue to work as one of London’s premier jazz ensembles.
William's passion for choral direction continued to grow, and he pursued an MA in Choral Conducting, from which he recently graduated with Distinction. He had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with many internationally acclaimed choral conductors, including Jeffrey Douma, Amanda Quist, Simon Carrington and Neil Ferris, in addition to his one-to-one tuition from course director Simon Halsey CBE.
Currently, William is the Choral Director for the UK’s leading choral singing provision, the Diocese of Leeds Schools Singing Programme, which reaches over 4,500 children weekly in areas of social marginalisation and economic deprivation. He is also a sought-after workshop leader, delivering masterclasses for the Florence International Singing Programme and the Bradford Festival Choral Society.
William has recently taken on the role of Musical Director for the Leeds Methodist Choir and is delighted to have been invited to become the Musical Director of the Knaresborough Choral Society in 2022.