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Sir Peter
Ellwood CBE DL
President |
Sir Peter Ellwood and his family
moved to Northamptonshire when he joined Barclaycard, having
worked for Barclays Bank in the City for several years.
After Barclaycard he moved to the TSB Bank rising to the
position of Group Chief Executive of the Lloyds TSB Group.
After retiring as a banker in 2003, he became Chairman of
ICI plc and subsequently Chairman of Rexam plc. He was also
for many years Chairman of Visa International. His focus now
is on the charity sector: he chairs the research group at St
Andrew’s Healthcare, and is Chairman of the Trustees of the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He describes himself as an
extremely ordinary, if enthusiastic, violinist and a great
fan of the Northampton Bach Choir, with whom he is very
proud to be associated. Peter was Knighted in the 2010 New
Year’s Honours List, and holds honorary doctorates from
Leicester University and University of Central England. |
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The Northampton Bach Choir is delighted and honoured to have Sir
Peter Ellwood CBE as our President. Sir Peter is our figurehead in
the region, and a genial and hands-on presence at our concerts and
events. The choir is administered by a voluntary committee made up
of choir members. The committee is headed by the Chairman, with
Secretary, Treasurer and Concerts Manager as officers; the Musical
Director serves on the committee ex officio. The committee meets six
to eight times a year, and is responsive to feedback from choir
members, our ‘Friends’ and our audience members. |
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Jonny Alms
Chairman |
Jonny Alms is an International Trade
Advisor for the Government, supporting businesses with their
export strategies. A Mechanical Engineer, he studied at The
Sorbonne in Paris and at Loughborough University, before
doing a Commission in the Army as a tank commander. His
career in industry has taken him to Japan, France, and
Germany, and he has a strong affinity with France, where his
youngest son was born. His love of music started with the
piano and the school choir, after which he took a 30 year
break (apart from singing Jerusalem and God Save
The Queen) before joining the Bach Choir as a somewhat
rusty tenor. |
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Sheila Moakes
Secretary |
Sheila Moakes is a retired Director
of Nursing who worked in the Middle East and is now
semi-retired, consulting in Health Care Planning both in the
UK and overseas. Sheila came to singing through a church
choir and sang with numerous choirs in whichever expatriate
community she found herself. She enjoys a wide variety of
music, and now sings tenor with NBC. In her retirement she
is studying the Theory of Music and has, so far, advanced
through Grade 5 in ABRSM exams. In other spare time Sheila
is a Foundation Governor at a local school and is involved
in her local church. As Secretary she is responsible for the
paperwork associated with the day-to-day administration of
the choir. |
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Tim Daily
Treasurer |
Timothy Daily has been singing Choral
music for over 30 years and holds the Royal School of Church
Music’s Bishops Chorister award. He has until recently sung
in the church choir of St Peter & St Pauls Church Olney as
well as singing with the Northampton Bach Choir with his
wife Jenny. He is also the Treasurer and Concert Manager of
the Newport Pagnell Singers. They have two daughters and
five grandchildren. Professionally he is a Financial Adviser
and an Estate Planning Consultant owning and running, with
his wife, two Companies specialising in Financial Services
and Legal Services which are both based in Milton Keynes. |
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Mark Gibson
Joint
Concerts
Manager |
Mark Gibson started singing in choirs at the
age of eight, and joined the Northampton Bach Choir before
going up to University in Nottingham, where he sang in the
University Choir under the baton of the extrovert Ivor Keys.
Mark later rejoined the Northampton Bach Choir, and has been
privileged to sing under such maestros as John Bertalot,
Michael Nicholas and Stephen Cleobury. He conducts his own
chamber choir and has acted as chorus master training church
choirs, the New Phoenix Chorus and the Wensum Camerata. His
professional life was spent as a chartered Civil Engineer
and when not involved in music activities he has a
particular interest in a preserved narrow gauge steam
railway in mid Wales. |
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David Tristram
Joint Concerts
Manager |
David Tristram is a retired secondary
head teacher, with a background in Classics and Ancient
Civilisation, who now works with the University of
Northampton. Although blues music is still a passion, David
got the choral music buzz as a founder member of the Wisbech
Choral Society and after singing with Louth Choral Society,
he graduated to the real thing with Northampton Bach Choir.
David was Chairman of the choir until March 2020, and is now
shadowing the Concerts Manager in preparation for stepping
up next year. |
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Crawford Craig
Membership Secretary |
Crawford Craig is a retired secondary
maths teacher. Crawford sang in his school choir as a pupil
and then, except for occasional lapses, did not sing again
until after he retired, when his wife persuaded him to join
the NBC. Taking a voice test (which involved singing to a
proper musician he’d barely met!) was a major psychological
hurdle. In truth, of course, the hurdle was inside his head,
and Lee was as friendly and encouraging as it was possible
to be. Since retiring Crawford has become a proud
grandfather, a keen cyclist and an active member of Spratton
Local History Society. |
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Judy Ellwood
Friends
Secretary |
Judy Ellwood has taught in colleges,
run day courses in her home on a variety of topics and taken
groups to Italy looking at art. She is a Patron of the
British Red Cross, of which she was County President for
nearly a decade. She had piano lessons as a child, but liked
“playing by ear” far too much! She has sung with a number of
choirs, but for over twenty-five years she has loved
learning and performing beautiful music with the Northampton
Bach Choir. She enjoys looking after the Friends’ of the
Northampton Bach Choir – over sixty members and rising! –
and is committed to nurturing the valuable contribution they
make to the choir and its activities. |
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Iain Erskine
Librarian |
Iain Erskine has
lived in and around Northampton all his
life. He is now retired after careers in
manufacturing and distribution, and he
holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering
from University College, London. He is a
keen cyclist, and has enjoyed many
long-distance trips taking him through
almost all of Europe as well to India
and Cambodia. More recently his
wanderlust has moved into planning
routes and travelling them by train all
across Europe. He has held the rôle of
Choir Librarian since 2020, though he
has served as a Choir Librarian on two
occasions with other groups - quite a
track record! He has sung tenor since
his time at Wellingborough School,
through University, and throughout his
life in Northampton. |
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Maureen Trent
Committee
Member |
Maureen Trent
started singing in adolescence in a
London church choir. Then followed a
decades long hiatus when she sang
nothing except nursery rhymes with
infants in her career as a teacher. She
joined a Northampton church choir in the
1990’s and loved singing anthems. In
2004 she received the RSCM adult
Advanced Award, with Honours, just
before her voice mutated into alto.
Working part-time for the University of
Northampton allowed for more leisure and
she joined the Northampton Bach Choir in
2005. She enjoys being the voice part
representative for the first altos, and
hopes to be a useful committee member. |
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