South West Chamber Choir
South West Chamber Choir, a group of some 25 singers, performs a wide-ranging repertoire of sacred and secular choral music, ranging from sacred music by English and Continental composers from the 16th to the 21st century to madrigals, romantic partsongs and classic popular songs. We often include works by contemporary composers such as Arvo Pärt and James MacMillan, as well as music by local composers including Andrew Wilson, Helen Porter and Russell Pascoe. Much of the repertoire is sung unaccompanied.
The annual programme typically comprises a concert of sacred music in March/April at Buckfast Abbey or Tavistock Parish Church, a summer programme of unaccompanied madrigals and partsongs at different venues (mostly in West Devon and East Cornwall), and varied concerts in November and December. In July the choir sings choral services at cathedrals or abbeys, and recent visits include Hereford, Bristol, Tewkesbury and Worcester.
There is scope for the choir to grow to 32 singers and we have vacancies in all sections.
Stephen Trahair has been the Music Director since 2008. He has written several collections of unaccompanied arrangemets of partsongs and carols, which form part of choir's repertoire. He also writes anthems and liturgical music.
Mark Bennett has been appointed as the Music Director from 2026. He is a singer, singing teacher, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, with a Master's degree in Voice Pedagogy and a specialism in early music.
Sian Jamison has been the accompanist for the choir since 2022. She is a graduate of London University and the University of Wales, holding diplomas in both piano and singing, and has a passion for choral music and early music .