Our Committee
Leading the Choir Forward
 
Sir Peter Ellwood CBE DL
President

Sir Peter Ellwood and his family moved to Northamptonshire when he joined Barclaycard, having worked for Barclays Bank in the City for several years. After Barclaycard he moved to the TSB Bank rising to the position of Group Chief Executive of the Lloyds TSB Group. After retiring as a banker in 2003, he became Chairman of ICI plc and subsequently Chairman of Rexam plc. He was also for many years Chairman of Visa International. His focus now is on the charity sector: he chairs the research group at St Andrew's Healthcare, and is Chairman of the Trustees of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He describes himself as an extremely ordinary, if enthusiastic, violinist and a great fan of the Northampton Bach Choir, with whom he is very proud to be associated. Peter was Knighted in the 2010 New Year's Honours List, and holds honorary doctorates from Leicester University and University of Central England.

 
The Northampton Bach Choir is delighted and honoured to have Sir Peter Ellwood CBE as our President. Sir Peter is our figurehead in the region, and a genial and hands-on presence at our concerts and events. The choir is administered by a voluntary committee made up of choir members. The committee is headed by the Chairman, with Secretary, Treasurer and Concerts Manager as officers; the Musical Director serves on the committee ex officio. The committee meets six to eight times a year, and is responsive to feedback from choir members, our ‘Friends' and our audience members.
Jonny Alms
Chairman

Jonny Alms is an International Trade Advisor for the Government, supporting businesses with their export strategies. A Mechanical Engineer, he studied at The Sorbonne in Paris and at Loughborough University, before doing a Commission in the Army as a tank commander. His career in industry has taken him to Japan, France, and Germany, and he has a strong affinity with France, where his youngest son was born. His love of music started with the piano and the school choir, after which he took a 30 year break (apart from singing Jerusalem and God Save The Queen) before joining the Bach Choir as a somewhat rusty tenor.

 
Sheila Moakes
Secretary

Sheila Moakes is a retired Director of Nursing who worked in the Middle East and is now semi-retired, consulting in Health Care Planning both in the UK and overseas. Sheila came to singing through a church choir and sang with numerous choirs in whichever expatriate community she found herself. She enjoys a wide variety of music, and now sings tenor with NBC. In her retirement she is studying the Theory of Music and has, so far, advanced through Grade 5 in ABRSM exams. In other spare time Sheila is a Foundation Governor at a local school and is involved in her local church. As Secretary she is responsible for the paperwork associated with the day-to-day administration of the choir.

 
David Leathley
Treasurer

David Leathley is a qualified accountant (CIMA) who moved to the Midlands from Buxton over 30 years ago. In Buxton he performed in many musical plays and had the pleasure of playing Buttons in Cinderella. During his time in Buxton he played a major part in the renovation of the Buxton Opera House and the establishment of the Buxton International Festival which has gone from strength to strength over the past 40 years. He also played an active role in saving the Grand Theatre (another Matcham theatre) in Blackpool. He joined the Northampton Bach choir seven years ago after attending the workshop for The Armed Man. He continues to sing with the Rugby Philharmonic choir and two small musical groups where he continues his crusade to bring Opera and Choral music into communities.

 
David Tristram
Concerts Manager

David Tristram is a retired secondary head teacher, with a background in Classics and Ancient Civilisation, who now works with the University of Northampton. Although blues music is still a passion, David got the choral music buzz as a founder member of the Wisbech Choral Society and after singing with Louth Choral Society, he graduated to the real thing with Northampton Bach Choir. David was Chairman of the choir until March 2020, and in October 2021 was elected its new Concerts Manager.

 
Rachael Gill
Membership Secretary

Rachael Gill has enjoyed music and singing for as long as she can remember. At aged six she told her parents that she wanted to learn to play the piano and had to pester them until she was ten and a half before they fulfilled her wish, bought a piano and she started lessons. Singing in the school chamber choir took her to events in the Royal Albert Hall and an International Choir Festival in France. She completed a music degree at the University of Hull and then fell into piano and singing teaching when her children were young. As the children grew, so did the teaching and this has been her main occupation for over thirty years. Rachael had a children's book published in 2017 and is working on a sequel. Her other interests include knitting and crocheting and playing and singing in her church worship band.

 
Judy Ellwood
Friends Secretary

Judy Ellwood has taught in colleges, run day courses in her home on a variety of topics and taken groups to Italy looking at art. She is a Patron of the British Red Cross, of which she was County President for nearly a decade. She had piano lessons as a child, but liked “playing by ear” far too much! She has sung with a number of choirs, but for over twenty-five years she has loved learning and performing beautiful music with the Northampton Bach Choir. She enjoys looking after the Friends' of the Northampton Bach Choir – over sixty members and rising! – and is committed to nurturing the valuable contribution they make to the choir and its activities.

 
Iain Erskine
Librarian

Iain Erskine has lived in and around Northampton all his life. He is now retired after careers in manufacturing and distribution, and he holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College, London. He is a keen cyclist, and has enjoyed many long-distance trips taking him through almost all of Europe as well to India and Cambodia. More recently his wanderlust has moved into planning routes and travelling them by train all across Europe. He has held the rôle of Choir Librarian since 2020, though he has served as a Choir Librarian on two occasions with other groups - quite a track record! He has sung tenor since his time at Wellingborough School, through University, and throughout his life in Northampton.

 
Elianne Montero
Marketing Manager

Elianne Montero holds a Combined Honours Degree majoring in Law with Marketing Communications, Business Admin & Economics. Previously a foster carer for over 14 years and a Civil Servant she now stays home to look after her children. Growing up with her Dad's classical, choral & opera music it is no surprise that Elianne loves a variety of music but although she sang in her school choir, it was some 35 years later after joining a Community Choir she discovered her love of singing. She has just started learning the piano and is about to take her Grade 6 singing exam. She joined NBC in September 2021 and is enjoying being part of a large choir.

 
Maureen Trent
Committee Member

Maureen Trent started singing in adolescence in a London church choir. Then followed a decades long hiatus when she sang nothing except nursery rhymes with infants in her career as a teacher. She joined a Northampton church choir in the 1990's and loved singing anthems. In 2004 she received the RSCM adult Advanced Award, with Honours, just before her voice mutated into alto. Working part-time for the University of Northampton allowed for more leisure and she joined the Northampton Bach Choir in 2005. She enjoys being the voice part representative for the first altos, and hopes to be a useful committee member.