MEET OUR CONDUCTORS

Dan enjoys a busy schedule as a conductor, chorus master and singing teacher in London. He directs a wide variety of choirs from professional ensembles, church choirs, chamber choirs and large symphonic choruses. He performs regularly in major concert venues across the country.
In London, Dan has conducted many large-scale performances for massed choirs and orchestra, including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem, Bach’s B Minor Mass and Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor at the Southbank Centre, Verdi’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Fairfield Halls, Croydon and Carmina Burana at Cadogan Hall. He has conducted numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the London Mozart Players, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Forest Philharmonic and The London Orchestra da Camera.

In 2012 Dan worked as a choirmaster on BBC2’s The Choir: Sing While You Work, subsequently becoming Artistic Director of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, enjoying success as the co-producer and musical director for the Choir’s 2015 Christmas number one Bridge Over You. He returned in 2013 to work on the second series of the programme, this time with Citibank Choir with whom he has continued as Musical Director; highlights include performing at the Hammersmith Apollo and a series of concerts in New York. In 2015 Dan also worked behind the scenes as choirmaster for The Choir: Gareth Malone’s Great Choir Reunion.

At the 2013 BBC Proms, Dan was the chorus master for the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, preparing them to sing Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, before returning in 2015 for Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody and Triumphlied, both conducted by Marin Alsop. In 2018, Dan returned to assist Marin, preparing the same choir and orchestra for two more performances of Brahms’ Requiem, the second of which took place at the Royal Festival Hall and was subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Dan enjoyed a return to his role as chorus master for the Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the 2022 BBC Proms, preparing the choir for their performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass conducted by John Butt.

Dan is in demand as a singing teacher and is the Head of Vocal Studies at Dulwich College. For over a decade he has taught and given master classes on the Rodolfus Foundation Choral Courses (formerly Eton Choral Courses) and makes regular visits to the University of Durham, giving conducting and vocal master classes. He is the Musical Director of The Hackney Singers, and Musical Director of Lewisham Choral Society.

Dan joined the NCCGB staff in 2012, since when he has conducted both the Senior Choir and the Tour Choirs. In September 2018, Dan was delighted to take up the post of Musical Director of the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain.

Rachel works as a freelance musician and teacher in Devon and the wider South West. Her most recent teaching position until 2024 was as Head of Junior Music at The Maynard School, Exeter, conducting four choirs across the school. Prior to this she was the Assistant Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral School, during which time she founded the Devon County Junior Choir in 2007, which was followed by the formation of Schola Exe, the County Senior Choir in 2012. She conducted both choirs until 2021.

Rachel has been the MD of Chivenor Military Ladies Choir since 2012 and MD of Lympstone Military Wives Choir since 2013. She has conducted the two choirs at over 180 events around the country, including at the Royal Albert Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Universities of Oxford, Exeter and Bangor, Buxton Opera House and Downing Street. The choirs have also performed at the Menin Gate, Ypres, at various sites around Normandy and in Spain. In 2024, she became the MD of a new choir based near Exeter called Vintage Voices, an SATB choir focusing on the more mature voices of experienced choral singers.

Rachel joined the staff of the National Children's Choir of Great Britain in 2009, taking up the role of Yellow Choir conductor in 2011. She is the Co-ordinator for the NCCGB Introduction to Choral Leadership programme.

Passionate about the arts and choral education, Suzzie’s high-energy workshops and dynamic choral programmes have gained her an international reputation, working with singers of all ages. In demand as a soprano, choral director and vocal coach, Suzzie has run projects in Uganda, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand, the USA and across Europe, with recent visits to Ireland, the Netherlands, Tanzania and Kenya.

In addition to her role with NCC, Suzzie co-directs and sings with international a cappella quintet Papagena, is the director of Sonos Chamber Choir, and has been a guest conductor for ensembles including Ex Cathedra, Orchestra of the Swan and London Voices. Recent collaborations have seen her working with: the London Symphony Orchestra, the CBSO, Vache Baroque, Sing for Pleasure, Sing Ireland, ABCD and the National Youth Choirs.

Suzzie is Associate Artist at the University of Warwick, directing their vocal ensembles. She is a vocal tutor for Ex Cathedra and Schools Programme Lead for the Music of Life Foundation, founding their successful SEND school choirs project over ten years ago.

Her own compositions have been published in numerous publications, including OUP’s Carols for Choirs 6 and CMP’s choral series. Suzzie is also the co-author of multi-award winning warm up book ‘How to Make Your Choir Sound Awesome’.

A choral director and vocal leader, Stuart Overington is known for his energetic and engaging approach to training young voices. He took up the role of Green choir director in January 2019. He is also Director of the Hallé Youth Choirs in Manchester, Chetham’s School of Music Chamber Choir and the Royal Northern College of Music’s Symphony Chorus and Chamber Choir.

Stuart's diversity as a conductor is shown in his output. Previous projects have included concerts with John Rutter, Stephen Bell, Sir Mark Elder, David Hill and Andrew Greenwood as well many performances for TV and radio with bands such as Snow Patrol, C Duncan & Elbow. Forthcoming projects include St Matthew Passion with Jonathan Peter Kenny & English Touring Opera, a number of concerts with RNCM Chamber choir and Edvard Grieg Kor across UK and Norway, and numerous concerts with the Hallé Orchestra including Debussy’s Nocturnes with Sir Mark Elder.

Alongside his choral work, Stuart regularly works on music education projects for various companies including Royal Opera House, Opera North and the Voices Foundation. He is increasingly being recognised as a leader in the field of singing with children and young people.

Stuart is also an experienced composer and arranger writing pieces for junior and youth choirs. In 2015 the Hallé Orchestra and Children’s Choir premiered one of his works at the Bridgewater Hall. He is regularly commissioned to write music for children and young people. He also has a number of pieces published both for schools and community choirs.