Grenville Jones - Founder and Musical Director
Grenville conducts the DEVIZES Good Afternoon Choir
Where to start … telling you about the man called Bath’s Mr. Music by the Bath Chronicle. Grenville was guest of Aled Jones on the Radio Three programme THE CHOIR. Aled asked Grenville about his national repututiaon for “getting people of all ages to sing.” He appeared on the BBC Children in Need TV programme last November with Gareth Malone. The BBC asked 8 Choir leaders across the UK to take charge of a young people's Choir in each BBC region. Grenville was entrusted with the BBC Choir from the West of England. He is the ONLY UK Choir leader working on a Euro-wide Consortium which is investigating the use of modern technology and how it can introduce music to people who are house-bound. As founder of the Golden-Oldies Charity, he has appeared on radio and television across the world. Goldies as it has become fondly known has developed in four short years to the point where it delivers over 60 weekly fun, singing sessions. For many of the people attending Goldies, it is their only social time of the week. Grenville has received many accolades for his work with the charity, but is anxious to make a point that it is the fabulous team of session leaders, Trustees and (most importantly) the hundreds of people who enjoy the fun singing sessions, who are taking Goldies forward.
Grenville also introduced an inter-generational project called Jubilee Time after Time. This is funded by the Big Lottery. Sir Cliff Richard is the Patron of Golden-Oldies.
The Good Afternoon Choir was started by Grenville in May 2009. The Bath Choir already has over 80 members who meet every Thursday afternoon. The Devizes Choir also has a large membership who meet every Friday afternoon. The Weston-super-Mare Good Afternoon Choir will start in April of this year. Find out more about each choir by clicking on the following links:
Bath Good Afternoon Choir
Devizes Good Afternoon Choir
Weston-super-Mare Good Afternoon Choir
Salisbury Good Afternoon Choir
His other Choirs include THE Bath Chorus - a mixed voice audition Choir, The Last Choir Standing Bath Male Choir, The non-auditioned community Welcome Choir, The fabulous Stockingtops and a Choir for young people called Choirskool. Grenville is also musical director of the Norland College Choir in Bath.
Grenville's background includes a number of years managing newspapers as well as a period working as a freelance for the BBC in Bristol. He built up his own successful PR and Marketing company in the 80s and 90s and also a magazine company publishing golf titles - Grenville still likes to dust off his clubs and occasionally enjoy a round with his 3 sons, Dan Kieron and Laurie.
Singing was always part of a Methodist home upbringing in Purton near Swindon. He used to have a tenor voice but G says that many years of choir conducting his voice have strained his voice now to a poor bass.
Find out more about Grenville's choirs and concerts - www.grenvillejones.biz
WESTON Good Afternoon Choir
Emma began her musical training at 2 years of age under the tutorage of Nesta Franklin M.B.E., O.B.E., C.B.E. She was able to read music before she could read words! During her childhood years, Emma performed in many prestigious venues across the UK and Europe as a violinist and chorister, (including Nonnberg Abbey in Austria, famous as the Abbey in ‘The Sound of Music’) and several televised concerts. On many occasions she was asked to sing for The Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Annual Summer Garden Party. She was the first person in the UK to be awarded a perfect 100% score for her performance at G.C.S.E. level.
After finishing full-time education she appeared in numerous tours around Europe as a ‘Special Guest’ for various orchestras and choirs. Emma currently teaches music at a Somerset school, runs a highly successful, in-demand youth choir, is Director of Music and Choir Leader for a Somerset Parish and is the founder/Leader of a Choir for people with Dementia/Alzheimer’s and their friends/relatives, offering them the opportunity to have a common interest on equal terms.
Francis Faux - Conductor
BATH Good Afternoon Choir
Francis Faux started his musical career when, at the age of 7, he was awarded a scholarship to Westminster Cathedral Choir School. Coached by James O'Donnell, Francis recorded several albums as a chorister, often as a soloist, and made appearances on Songs of Praise and Radio 4's Midweek Choice.
As a top music scholar at Eton College, he learned to conduct under the guidance of Ralph Allwood, which culminated in his co-direction of Christmas Music from Eton College. He also recorded with the King's Consort and worked alongside Susan Digby, a judge on BBC1's Last Choir Standing, for Yehudi Menuhin's 80th birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall.
During his time at Bath Spa University, he assumed the role of Musical Director on several occasions in productions of Into the Woods, Dido and Aeneas, A Threepenny Opera, and The Medium.
He has also accompanied for the International Guitar Festival and acted as repetiteur for Bath Opera and both the Devizes and Chippenham Light Opera Groups in productions of The Pajama Game, The Jewels of the Madonna and Cendrillon. In 2009, he finished working with the Bath Light Operatic Group in the Theatre Royal in their acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd. Francis also conducts Organum and the Corsham Choral Society and acts as Grenville's deputy conductor of the Bath Chorus. He currently teaches piano at Downside School in Somerset, as well as being a lecturer in musical theatre at Bath Spa University.
Will Ashworth - Accompanist
BATH Good Afternoon Choir
Will came to bath to study music at Bath Spa, and since graduating has stayed in the City. He divides his time between teaching the piano and accompanying various groups. He has been accompanying the GAC since 2009 and has been working with Francis since they met at university. Will plays occasional gigs as a jazz pianist and has also played in the band for various musicals, including the Rosebowl award winning 'A New Brain'.
Will has been playing the piano since the age of 4 and has been accompanying various ensembles since he was 12, starting with 'Swing Bin and the Liners' big band. During his time at University he performed in Sondheim's musicals 'Into the Woods' and 'Company', played in both university big bands and in his own jazz quintet IKB5, who have played at the Iford jazz festival, Taste of Bath festival, the Bath Spa hotel and at a semi-regular gig at Gascoyne Place in Bath.
Recently, Will has worked as a copyist on behalf of Michael Nyman, editing a suite that was performed at the BBC Proms. He has also worked as an accompanist for Bristol Opera, has played for the CLOGS production of Carousel and will shortly be in the pit for a Full Tilt production of West Side Story at the Minack Theatre. He also works as a piano teacher and accompanist in the local area.
DEVIZES Good Afternoon Choir
Dominic (b. 1987) studied composition and piano for four years at Trinity College of Music in London, graduating in 2009 with a 1st-class BMus Honours degree. In 2011, he completed an MA in Composition for Film and Television from Bristol University. His tutors included Stephen Montague, Errollyn Wallen, Philip Fowke and Martin Kiszko.
Dominic has been the rehearsal pianist and musical director for amateur productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, West Side Story, Tommy, Anything Goes, Gigi, High School Musical 2, and Hot Mikado. He is also an accomplished music copyist, and has produced scores for projects involving the London Mozart Players and the BBC Symphony Chorus.
Recent compositional highlights include a piano concerto, a children's cantata, a tone-poem for Bristol University Symphony Orchestra, an experimental quartet for i Flautisti, and several scores for student films. In 2012, Dominic will be collaborating with emerging professionals on a variety of projects, including composing the score for a feature-length science fiction film.
www.dominicirving.com
