CHRISTOPHER FINCH – conductor

Conductor and accompanist Christopher Finch studied piano with Ian Jones and Marie-Louise Taylor, and conducting with Robert Mikele and Peter Seymour.  His interest in choral music was inspired by a long association with Barry Clark and his multi award winning choirs; as singer, accompanist and coach. Following this successful association, Christopher began his own choral conducting career with the university chamber choirs of York and Birmingham. 

Currently based in Somerset, Christopher works as a choral director and accompanist in the specialist music faculty of Wells Cathedral School.   His role at Wells involves him directing the Chapel Choir, guest conducting the Chamber Choir and accompanying and coaching some of the finest young vocalists and instrumentalists from around the world.  Since his move to the South West, Christopher has been involved with many of the region’s premier choirs and currently combines his commitments in Wells with his position as musical director of the Bath based chamber choir ‘A Handful of Singers’.

He is also musical director of the Wellensian Consort, a vocal ensemble comprised of leading young vocalists from around the UK who were all formerly students at Wells Cathedral School.  In December 2010, the Wellensian Consort competed in, and won the coveted first place in the Grand Final of BBC Choir of the Year. Their wining performance was held at the Royal Festival Hall and was broadcast on BBC 4 and BBC Radio 3.

Highlights of Christopher’s conducting career include Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Rutter’s Requiem in Birmingham, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Faure’s Requiem, Britten’s St. Nicolas and Chilcott’s Requiem in Bath, Swaynes’ Missa Tiburtina and Duruflé’s Requiem in Wells and directing a festival of contemporary South American music in York.  He has also worked as a répétiteur for the late Richard Hickox, accompanied the award winnng Bath Camerata and given recitals with some of the country’s leading young professional vocalists.  Christopher was John Rutter’s Chorus Master for a performance of his ‘Requiem’ in Wells Cathedral in November 2007. 

Christopher has performed throughout Europe, the USA and the Far East. A highlight of his foreign engagements was a tour of China and Hong Kong alongside Nigel Perrin and the Wells Cathedral School Chamber Choir.  Performances included conducting and accompanying at The Peking University Concert Hall, Beijing Conservatoire and Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. He also found time to adjudicate a piano competition in Beijing, at the request of the British Embassy.

He has conducted the Wells Cathedral School Chapel Choir in a recording of Easter choral music for broadcast on Easter Day by the BBC and has featured on the BBC Radio 3  programme ‘The Choir’ with the Wellensian Consort.  Christopher has also broadcast as an accompanist in this country and abroad.  He recently recorded a recital with the prodigious young clarinettist, Joseph Shiner, for broadcast by RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong).   

Christopher is passionate about the importance of singing in education and is actively engaged in outreach as a choral advisor and guest conductor.  He was recently musical director of a huge educational project funded by the BBC Performing Arts fund, which brought together choirs of all ages and young instrumentalists from across the South West in an extraordinary day of glorious music making.