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Ben Sawyer has an enviable reputation as a dynamic choral conductor and vocal teacher. Since leaving teaching in 2012, he has built up a busy schedule conducting a number of choirs on a regular basis. He has been director of The Oriel Singers since February 2015, having led Hanley Voices and Tyndale Choral Society since 2012 and 2013 respectively. Ben was Chorus Master for Gloucestershire Music’s Massed Chorus of 500 students which performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the ‘Music For Youth’ in November 2012, a project which led to him being a founder conductor of Gloucestershire Youth Choir. Ben was also Assistant Conductor for Cheltenham Festival’s production of Benjamin Britten’s community opera, ‘Noye’s Fludde’ in July 2013.
In June 2018, Ben directed a collaborative project involving musicians from around Gloucestershire in a performance of Jonathan Dove's evocative 'For An Unknown Soldier'. The performance featured The Oriel Singers, The Saint Cecilia Singers, Cheltenham Youth Choir and Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra, with James Gilchrist taking the tenor solo.
In 2019, Ben will be conducting 'The Burning Boy' by Stephen McNeff. This community opera is part of the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival and will take place in Tewkesbury Abbey on Saturday 27th July.
Ben leads popular workshops and masterclasses, complimented for his good-humoured, informative and efficient sessions, including at the UK Choir Festival and Voice Festival UK. Recently he worked with the Stuart Overington, Director of the Halle Youth Choir, Manchester on a 'Boys Sing' event, engaging around 100 boys with choral singing.
In June 2018, Ben directed a collaborative project involving musicians from around Gloucestershire in a performance of Jonathan Dove's evocative 'For An Unknown Soldier'. The performance featured The Oriel Singers, The Saint Cecilia Singers, Cheltenham Youth Choir and Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra, with James Gilchrist taking the tenor solo.
In 2019, Ben will be conducting 'The Burning Boy' by Stephen McNeff. This community opera is part of the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival and will take place in Tewkesbury Abbey on Saturday 27th July.
Ben leads popular workshops and masterclasses, complimented for his good-humoured, informative and efficient sessions, including at the UK Choir Festival and Voice Festival UK. Recently he worked with the Stuart Overington, Director of the Halle Youth Choir, Manchester on a 'Boys Sing' event, engaging around 100 boys with choral singing.