our choir leaders
tom chapman
claygate and cheam choir leader
Tom grew up singing in church choirs and in the world-renowned choir at Trinity School in Croydon. He confesses that his early love of rock has been largely overtaken by his passion for classical music. He has a BA in music and an MA in composition from The University of York. As a professional tenor, Tom sings as a deputy in the choirs of Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral.
Tom started working with the Vocality choirs in Claygate and Cheam in April 2016. He also directs The Downland Chorale in Old Coulsdon and Euphonix in Kingston.
what tom says about vocality:
“I love the camaraderie between the members and me. The singers just love being there and bring such a sense of fun to the rehearsal, and this makes my job a total joy.
The most important thing for me is that choir members come away from rehearsals having had a great time. I'm full of energy in rehearsals and always try to keep things moving forward. I like to draw upon my own singing training too, to really help get the best out of the choir and its individual singers.
I especially enjoy the progression that occurs throughout any given term and how we're able to craft a superb finished product in time for the performances, when we get to share what we've done with friends and family. I love seeing the members’ elation and sense of achievement.
Vocality is much more slick than other choirs. It is managed by someone who is a choir member and really takes on feedback from members. Her years of experience in running these choirs has led to a perfectly oiled machine. It's great for the members and the leaders. The professional-quality learning tracks are such a great tool for learning the songs, so the standard Vocality can achieve is a level above other amateur groups.
Vocality Claygate is a unit. It's one of the friendliest and most dedicated groups I've ever worked with and it's so much fun to be a part of.
Vocality Cheam are a choir that relish a challenge and always manage to pull a great performance out of the bag. They're so dedicated and hard-working, and rehearsals are always a pleasure for us all.”
Photo by Lizzy Shaanan
Kevin Fox
Teddington Choir Leader
Originally from Canada and now based in London, Kevin Fox has spent 25 years
immersed in the wonderful world of a cappella singing. Some know him as a former
member of the Grammy-winning group The Swingles, and others as a choir
director, workshop leader, and arranger. He’s taught at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama, and at various international music festivals. When he’s not
working with ensembles, Kevin sings with London Voices on film soundtracks, most
recently Marvel’s Eternals and Puss in Boots 2. Kevin’s passion is to help singers andgroups to unlock their creative music-making potential.
What Kevin says about Vocality:
I’m new to Vocality as a core director, but I’ve occasionally depped for the various
choirs, and have experienced first-hand the end-of-year retreat weekend, which is the most fun thing ever! I’m always amazed by how great Vocality choirs sound,
demonstrating excellent ensemble skills and tackling challenging repertoire all by ear. But I think this is largely thanks to the encouraging, safe, and fun environment that iscreated and maintained every week. When everyone feels enabled, important, andinspired, amazing things can happen, far beyond what we imagined was possible.
My approach to choir singing boils down to a few key ideas: 1. It’s supposed to be
fun – and working in detail adds to the fun! 2. It’s all about listening, breathing, and
connecting; and 3. It brings out the music we already have inside of us. I’m so
excited to be working with the Teddington choir and can’t wait to see what happens!
max barley
surbiton choir leader
Max is a freelance choir leader with a passion for conducting, having recently achieved an MA in Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. His current roles include Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Square, Music Director of Choir of the 21st Century and of Eltham Choral Society, and Principal Conductor of the Guildford Chamber Choir.
Max was a chorister at King’s College, Cambridge, and Organ Scholar at St John’s College, Oxford, where he read Modern Languages. He studied conducting in Munich, where he was a scholar at the Stiftung Maximilianeum. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and recently gained a Distinction for his MA in Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, under Patrick Russill. Max was the Director of the Berlin Radio Choir’s Liederbörse (education programme) during 2021/22, which culminated in conducting two concerts in the Berlin Philharmonie in May 2022. Other recent guest-conducting includes the Rodolfus Choir and London Schools Symphony Chorus. He is the Chorus Master for Opera de Baugé in 2023. He was previously the founder and director of Wimbledon Youth Choir and worked with choirs at Tiffin School.
As Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square, Max conducts the professional quartet and four choral scholars on Sunday mornings, as well as a 30-strong choral evensong choir of volunteers. In January 2023 he began “Songs and Soup”, a free and open-to-all Tuesday lunchtime choir aimed especially at local older people, including those with memory difficulty.
what max says about vocality:
“The Vocality rehearsal atmosphere is warm and encouraging, which we all feel embraced by. As a trained classical musician, I’m amazed by how the singers are able to learn complex music –both harmonies and rhythms - without sheet music in front of them. I am learning lots from them.”
sally duncan
twickenham choir leader
Sally grew up in a very musical household. She spent a lot of time around orchestras, with some prominent musicians to encourage her with her music. She also enjoyed being a part of church choirs and singing in harmony around the family piano. A huge jazz and rockabilly fan, her passion for music and her talent for the piano led to her study for a BA in Music Performance at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
Sally has had a varied career. She has worked in music management and for a national newspaper. She has travelled to New Zealand as an accompanist and has played in theatre pit bands. In addition Sally directed a "Pram Chorus" choir for parents of infants and has run toddler music classes for many years. After directing a community choir in Streatham for 5 years, Sally began working with Vocality in 2010.
what sally says about vocality:
“I love the wide variety of repertoire we cover in Vocality and the challenge of the new songs each term. I never thought I’d be able to conduct a Serbo-Croatian song in 7/8 time, but I can!
My teaching style is enthusiastic, unconventional, hard-working, energetic but fun. Singing together is proven to help with mental health and I can say it’s helped me through some very challenging times. To me, music is about collaboration and having fun together. I want to enable rather than criticise, but also work to create something amazing.
Vocality Twickenham is the most gorgeous group of people. Even when I’m feeling exhausted, I always leave choir with a spring in my step. We all come together to let our hair down, focus, have fun and create something bigger than the sum of its parts.”