Committee

Festival Organiser: Mrs. Carol Thompson a native Herefordian, has been part of the administrative team since she left school in 1965. She became the Festival Organiser in 1996. She has been a member of Hereford Operatic Society and enjoys all art forms, particularly visits to the Theatre. She has worked in the voluntary sector all her life and one of her hobbies is Scouting and until recently she was County Commissioner for the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. She is currently Chair of Governors of a local primary school.

 

Festival Chairman: Mr John Ellis has been a local businessman all of his life, with music as his hobby. He studied the organ under Meredith Davies at Hereford Cathedral and as a member of Hereford Choral Society, has sung at many Three Choirs Festivals. He has, successfully, conducted various choirs, and has competed with them at various festivals, including Herefordshire

 

Mrs. Ann Ellis was a lecturer at a local college and now enjoys involvement in the voluntary sector. She is very interested in the Arts and following a number of years service as a steward, in 1998, she agreed to become a member of the Festival Committee. She is now the Chief Steward and is very keen to promote fund raising for the Festival.

 

Mrs. Mary Durrant came from a musical family and was encouraged from an early age to sing and sing well. She was a regular competitor at Eisteddfods, the Herefordshire and Cheltenham Festival and gathered a good many prizes. She studied voice training under Alfred Brook, a Cathedral Lay Clerk. She has been a member of the Hereford Choral Society and has sung at the Three Choirs Festival on numerous occasions. She counts herself most fortunate to have had a job and a hobby in music, having spent 50 years behind the counters of music shops, from where she has encouraged children entering examinations and festivals. Mrs. Durrant is the holder of the 25 years Service award from the Federation of Festivals of which she is extremely proud.

 

Mrs. Hilary Jones is a local piano, recorder and vocal teacher and a conductor of local choirs. She has been a member of the committee since 1993.

 

Mr John and Berice White are native Herefordians, educated at St. Owens and the Hereford High School for Girls. Following careers as an electrician and in banking, they took their first public house in the village of Wellington before moving to the Bay Horse in Hereford, which was to be their home for 30 years, retiring in 1992. They live locally and now enjoy involvement in the voluntary sector.

 

Mrs. Barbara Wiggins was educated at St. Paul's School and the Hereford High School for Girls before training as a teacher at St. Mary's College Cheltenham. She was a member of the joint St. Mary's and St. Paul's Colleges Church Choir, frequently under the baton of Dr. Sumsion of Gloucester Cathedral. Over the years she has taught in five local schools, finishing her teacher career as the Music Consultant to the Hereford and Worcester Education Authority. She had a special interest in music making, including singing, training choirs/orchestras, recorder playing (founding the County Consort) and Country Dancing. She has been a member of the Madrigal Society, the Hereford Gilbert & Sullivan Society, where she was its Musical Director for five years and was also the Conductor and Musical Director of the Hereford Ladies Choir.

 

Mrs. Margaret Williamson has been a member of the Festival Committee for over ten years. She has a speech and drama studio and encourages all her pupils to compete in the Herefordshire and neighbouring festivals.

 

Mrs Ruth Wilce was educated in Gloucestershire. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music in Piano, Singing and Trombone, graduating in 1966. Teaching appointments in Hereford include Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire College of Art , Cathedral and Aylestone schools. Have maintained a private piano teaching practice, working with all age groups, and associated with The Hereford Festival since 1967.

 

Mrs Catherine Morgan began her musical career as a regular prizewinner at the Herefordshire Festival. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Master's Degree in Performance Studies, she returned to Hereford to start a private piano teaching practice and later joined the music staff at Aylestone School. Catherine also enjoys accompanying and occasional concert work. She currently teaches piano part-time at the Cathederal School.