"We work hard, but there is always an element of fun."
SHEILA DURSLEY -
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Sheila's love of singing began at the age of 10 when she joined the local church choir in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire. The organist and choirmaster, David Jackson, encouraged her talent and leadership which was the inspiration for her career in music. In addition to the church choir, Sheila sang with the school choir and the Buckinghamshire Youth Choir in the Albert Hall and performed in several operas including the Marriage of Figaro amongst many other things....!
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Sheila is a qualified music teacher having trained at the University of Chichester, receiving her BEd degree with music in 1987. Throughout her time at university she studied clarinet, piano and voice performing in many concerts with the Chichester Symphony Orchestra and various university ensembles.
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Sheila started her teaching career in West Sussex, where she also set up and ran a church choir in Pagham. She has been Head of Music in three Dorset schools, most recently St. Michael's Middle School in Colehill. In 2022 she was appointed Musical Director of the Bovington Military Wives Choir. Sheila spends her time teaching privately as a peripatetic music teacher, running Vivamente Voices and sister choir Cantilena Voices.
SUE STEIN - ACCOMPANIST
Sue has been the accompanist for the choir from the very first rehearsal in January 2013.
After studying the piano, clarinet and violin locally, she was offered a place at Chethams School of Music in Manchester for the her sixth form studies. Having graduating with a G.R.S.M. from the Royal College of Music, she spent a year at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a postgraduate and gained an L.G.S.M. and a P.G.C.E.
She started her teaching and accompanying career with I.L.E.A. and worked in many schools in Bermondsey and Brixton. She regularly took her choirs and performing groups to the National Festival of Music for Youth with great success and performed with them in all the major London concert halls and on TV.
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After working with schools in West Sussex she became a music co-ordinator for the Hampshire Music Service pulling schools through their Ofsted inspections with outstanding results. She now lives and works in Wimborne as a church musician and accompanist.