The Group
It all began in a coffee shop in Lanchester (overseen by a rather critical bust of Mozart!)
When the opportunity came about for the five of us to join together and sing some Christmas music in KaffeeHaus Amadeus (Lanchester), it all just fell into place. All keen for the quintet to continue, we met a few more times and Quintessential Voices was born.
Elizabeth studied Music at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she was a Choral Scholar and specialised in vocal performance. In 2000 she was awarded the prestigious J. W. Pearce prize for the Young Musician of the Year in her home town of Huddersfield. Elizabeth sings with the acclaimed, Yorkshire-based vocal group The Mastersingers, with whom she has taken part in several television and radio broadcasts. She also features regularly at Lumley Castle, both as a violinist and vocalist.
Emma graduated from the University of Huddersfield as a singer before completing her PGCE and becoming a music teacher in Durham. Emma is a versatile vocalist in both solo and ensemble singing and has acted as Musical Director for many projects both at home and overseas.
Elizabeth has studied classical piano since she was eight years old and studied Music at York University, gaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree specialising in performance before completeing a Postgraduate Certificate of Education. As a pianist and singer she has always been busy making music in the North East, coaching for musicals and performing arts schools, and performing in bands for a variety of shows and musicals throughout the area and is now Musical Director at Lumley Castle.
Mark is General Manager of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Musical Director of Newcastle Choral Society and the Quay Lasses, Sage Gateshead. His involvement in the choral programme at Sage Gateshead also includes assisting in the rehearsing of the Quay Voices, delivering workshops and more recently rehearsing the Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Mark is in demand as a workshop leader, adjudicator and singer, making regular appearances as a tenor.
Jim went from his role as Head of Music Department in a York school to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He sang with the cathedral choirs in London as well as with the BBC Singers. He toured Europe and the USA as a member of the Deller Consort and broadcast as soloist with BBC Radio Orchestra in Songs from the Shows. He lives in Durham and works as a singing teacher there, as well as in Paris and London.
What we do
Performances
As a flexible quintet, we are able to offer a variety of performance types, including:
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Full concerts. A wonderful mix of music across the ages and genres.
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Short sets. A perfect complement to your concert, packages can be tailored to meet your needs
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Functions. You may just want some background music to give that something extra to your event. Again, packages can be tailored to meet your needs.
Education/Workshops
Every member of the group has significant experience (over 90 years combined!) of teaching and delivering workshops and educational programmes to all ages. If you just want a workshop for your choir or have something more in mind, please get in touch to find out what we can offer.
Click on the pictures to find out more.