Who's Who in the BBC Singers

Sofi Jeannin

Renowned for her beautifully clear and succinct technique, and with a formidable repertoire knowledge and understanding across all genres, Swedish-born Sofi Jeannin has established herself as one of the finest and most respected choral specialists around today. Currently Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers and Music Director of la Maîtrise de Radio France, Jeannin was previously Music Director of the Choeur de Radio France, a post she took up in 2015.

Sofi Jeannin began her tenure as Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers in September 2018. Recent performance highlights include appearances at the BBC Proms, including a concert featuring works by Soumik Datta and Joanna Marsh in the 2023 season, world premieres by Shiva Feshareki and Nico Muhly in the 2021 season; a collaboration with the Academy of Ancient Music and South Asian dance company Akademi exploring the dances of Rameau with classical and contemporary Indian dance; Francis Poulenc’s iconic choral work Figure Humaine with jazz interpolations from BBC New Generation Artist Misha Mullov-Abado, and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem alongside music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Isabella Leonarda and Reena Esmail at Milton Court Concert Hall in London.

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Bob Chilcott

As a composer, conductor, and singer, Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong association with choral music, first as a chorister and choral scholar in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and for 12 years as a member of the King’s Singers. He became a full-time composer in 1997, embracing his career with energy and commitment, and producing a large catalogue of music for all types of choirs which is published by Oxford University Press.

Bob has conducted choirs in more than 30 countries worldwide and has worked with many thousands of amateur singers across the UK in a continuing series of Singing Days. For seven years he was conductor of the Chorus of the Royal College of Music in London and in October 2019 he took up the role of Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers. Bob has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers since 2002.

Owain Park

Award-winning composer and conductor Owain Park joins the BBC Singers as Principal Guest Conductor. Owain has led the BBC Singers in a number of past performances, including a concert of songs from the shows to kickstart the 2023 festive season at the Barbican with Clare Teal, BBC Singers and the BBC Concert Orchestra and most recently, a concert to celebrate the 70th birthday of distinguished composer and former BBC Singer, Judith Bingham at King's Place in February 2024. Included among Owain’s numerous upcoming projects is a performance with the BBC Singers of Anton Bruckner's most radiant motets in the BBC Proms 2024 season.

Nicholas Chalmers

Nicholas Chalmers is one of the leading conductors in the UK. His energy and vision have seen the establishment of highly successful artistic and education projects and his work impacts thousands of young people each year. Nicholas is driven by a passion to bring classical music to the next generation and to ensure that people in areas of under provision have better access to training and engagement in the performing arts. As founder Artistic Director of Nevill Holt Opera, his 10 year leadership of the company saw the creation of an exquisite new theatre in Leicestershire, which won plaudits for its acoustic design and reached the final of the RIBA Stirling prize in 2019. He is a Senior Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House, was conductor of Northern Ireland Opera and works with all leading orchestras and opera companies.

Nicholas made his BBC Proms conducting debut in 2020 with the BBC Singers. He has programmed and conducted numerous broadcasts and concerts throughout the UK with the group and helped establish the Singers’ partnership with youth choral groups in Stratford East, the future home of the BBC performing groups.

Roderick Williams

Roderick Williams OBE brings his choral expertise to the BBC Singers, taking the reins from Judith Weir as Composer in Association. Roddy has long enjoyed a flourishing creative partnership with the BBC Singers. His recent commissions include , a commission entitled O Rex Gentium, which received its world premiere in December 2021 and a major work entitled World Without End for the BBC Singers and the Rias Kammerchor in 2018. As part of his tenure, Roddy will be writing a new piece for the BBC Singers each year.

Eric Whitacre

Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, is among today’s most popular musicians. Alongside consecutive terms as Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he also currently holds the position of Visiting Composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, and is an Ambassador for the Royal College of Music in London. His works have been programmed worldwide, and his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united well over 100,000 singers from more than 145 countries.

In BBC Singers’ centenary year, Eric Whitacre has been announced as the ensemble’s Artist in Residence, working with the BBC Singers to deliver an enriching programme of work for concerts and broadcasts, and taking a leading role in the Centenary celebrations in the 24/25 season. The BBC Singers’ previous work with Eric Whitacre includes numerous concerts of the composer’s own work, and performances of Arvo Pärt’s Passio. This year, Eric Whitacre and the BBC Singers perform at the BBC Proms in a late night concert featuring the world premiere of Whitacre’s Eternity in an Hour, based on William Blake’s poem Auguries of Innocence.

Abel Selaocoe

Genre-defying South African cellist Abel Selaocoe joins the BBC Singers as musician, vocalist, curator and support to the Singers’ educational work. Abel had his solo debut at the BBC Proms in August 2021 and has performed with ensembles including BBC Concert Orchestra at the EFG London Jazz Festival, Manchester Collective and Britten Sinfonia. In May 2023, he led the BBC Singers for a landmark re-imagining of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, presenting an eclectic fusion of music from different genres.

Anna Lapwood

Acclaimed organist and broadcaster Anna Lapwood joins the BBC Singers as artist, presenter and a key support to their educational outreach. Anna’s recent highlights with the BBC Singers include two Choral Evensong concerts with Reverend Richard Coles, a concert for International Women’s Day at Temple Church, and a collaboration with the Singers in Kristina Arakelyan’s ‘Seascapes’ in 2021 – a new choral work to go alongside Anna’s transcriptions of the Sea Interludes from Britten’s Peter Grimes.

Olivia Robinson, Helen Neeves, Clare Lloyd-Griffiths, Rebecca Lea, Emma Tring and Alice Gribbin.

Nancy Cole, Ciara Hendrick, Margaret Cameron, and Katherine Nicholson.

Benjamin Durrant, Tom Raskin and Peter Davoren.

Charles Gibbs, Edward Price, Andrew Rupp, Jamie W. Hall, Jimmy Holliday and Timothy Dickinson.