Hannah Spedding
From the end of October 2022, the role of Music Director has been taken by Hannah Spedding, a year 12 sixth-form student at St Peter’s Collegiate Academy.
Hannah is a very active student, a member of St Peter’s Collegiate Church choir with a keen and long-standing interest in choral music. She is currently studying A-Level music and has already obtained a grade 9 in music GCSE.
Hannah is developing her own singing abilities through lessons with Anne Dawson at Birmingham Conservatoire alongside working for her RSCM Gold Award. She has attended the Rodolfus Foundation choral course at Cheltenham College and assists St Peter’s staff in teaching music theory to the junior choristers at St Peter’s Collegiate Church. Hannah also teaches singing and already has students of her own.
Beyond singing and teaching, Hannah also participates in musical theatre, working with Wolverhampton Youth Music Theatre (WYMT) and, at the time of writing is in rehearsals for the musical SIX at St Peter’s, where she takes the role of Catherine of Aragon.
Hannah continues a long-standing connection between St Peter’s and the City of Wolverhampton Choir, following in the footsteps of former pupils such as Joe Cooper (now Music Director at Bangor Cathedral) and the Castle brothers who both supported Joe in his tenure as MD.
A career in music is Hannah’s goal and we are delighted to be a part of what will undoubtedly be a long and distinguished career.
Previous Musical Directors:
Bradley Thornborough-Barlow
Naomi Berry
Koh Tian Yi
Koh Tian Yi has been very active in the music scene in Malaysia, where he grew up. He has performed in several countries, including Thailand, Singapore, China, Korea and Italy, as well as all over Malaysia, where he was invited to participate in the Klang Music Festival for several years running. He has also won several gold medals in major competitions. In 2014 he performed the baritone role, Pish Tush, in The Mikado, with Young Choral Academic Productions. The following year he was invited as one of the four guest conductors in the choral project 'Voicestra', and he followed this up in 2016 at the second Voicestra project as the pianist accompanist in the performance of Carmina Burana. He was then offered a place at the Birmingham City University Conservatoire on the Masters Programme, where he majors in Choral Conducting.
Jason Stanbridge-Howard BA (Hons)
2013 - 2014 Musical Director, William Waine |
William's musical experience goes back to his first performances as a chorister at the tender age of 6. His first conducting performance in front of his choir was at the age of 14 and since then nothing has held him back. In his days at university he was a choral scholar at Christ Church Cathedral Oxford and the Musical Director for the Christ Church College Student and Staff Choir. He has developed considerable experience in his roles so far and has performed as far afield as China and New Zealand.
Joe Cooper was the Musical Director for the choir between 2009 and 2013. He began his musical life at St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton where he was Head Chorister. Whilst there he gained the highest awards presented by the Royal School of Church Music. He went on to be a lay clerk and organ scholar. Joe now has a full time role at St Alphage in Solihull and is hoping to complete his studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he specialises in the organ. As a composer in his own right Joe has had his work performed by the Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra.