2024 and what's happening in 2025

 Will is currently the Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music  at Bradford Cathedral.

Will initially started playing the violin as a three year old and subsequently took up the piano and trumpet. His first experience of the organ was through His hometown church (St. Mary’s Catholic Church, West Croydon) when he  was 10; the church was in need of an organist for a Good Friday service and he was asked to play for this. He has been transfixed ever since and started organ lessons as a music scholar at Wellington College, Berkshire aged 14. Since then he has held posts at Guildford, Canterbury and Leeds Cathedrals as well as Leeds Minster before starting at Bradford Cathedral in January 2025.

A few lines from Will.  

  I grew up in a family with five older sisters (yes imagine being the youngest and the only boy of 6 children…), and each of them learnt an instrument. Of these instruments violin and trumpet were among them hence me starting both of these instruments eventually. I was in both the National Childrens and National Youth Orchestras of Great Britain as a violinist growing up which led to my first performance at the BBC Proms in Summer 2017

 David is no stranger to the vibrant local music scene, and he is looking forward to adding Settle to a growing list of venues where he has appeared either as a soloist or a conductor. David has a very varied musical taste which is a result of his past involvement with a wide variety of musical societies and being a Principal Singer with Sheffield City Opera. He is currently musical director for Thornton Singers and the Deputy Musical Director for Steeton Male Voice Choir, which he has been a member of since 2015. His biggest 'gig' to date was as a soloist in front of a capacity audience at Sheffield City Hall which connected him to the Jerry Herman hit 'I won't send Roses' from the musical Mack and Mabel which David will perform tonight. Music by Edith Piaf is never far from David's repertoire and enables him to show that studying French wasn't wasted after all! However, it is a particular love of musical theatre that wouldn't be complete without a taste of Rodgers and Hammerstein and 'Some Enchanted Evening', which he truly hopes it will be for you all this evening.    

 Before relocating to Gargrave in 2021 Elaine was a singing teacher for the East Riding Schools’ Music Service, and up until 2018 was the Music Director of the East Riding Youth Singers. 

  
 As a soprano soloist Elaine enjoys performing recitals as well as singing major Oratorio works with various Choral Societies in and around Yorkshire. She has performed with  Beverley Chamber Choir, Wakefield Festival Chorus, Lancaster Singers, Hull Choral Union, Hull Bach Choir and East Riding County Choir. Elaine has also performed the Berlioz ‘Les Nuit D’ete’ and Gliere’s Concerto for Coloratura Soprano with the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra and is looking forward to working with them again  in the future. 

 Forthcoming performances include Sheffield Cathedral, York and Beverley Minster. Elaine also performs with Allegoria, a small vocal ensemble that perform works by East Yorkshire composer, Dawn Walters. 

 As well as being the Music Director to Voices of Craven, Elaine enjoys her role as Music Director to Libertas, a Male Voice Vocal Group, and is the accompanist for Steeton Male Voice Choir.