 |
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. |
 |
Sarah Wise
Chair |
Originally from East Sussex, Sarah trained as a primary school teacher at Whitelands College, part of the then Roehampton Institute.
Over the past 15 years she has specialised in music education.
Sarah worked for Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust (NMPAT) teaching curriculum music in schools across Northamptonshire and latterly
led on their offer for Early Years and Key Stage 1 (children aged 0 to 7 years old). She still teaches at the NMPAT Wellingborough Saturday Music Centre.
Sarah also worked as a music specialist for the David Ross Education Trust (DRET) and (when not distracted by her garden) currently works as a
freelance music educator and consultant, as well as a Licensed Child Chaperone.
Sarah loved singing in school and church choirs as a child (particularly appreciating the 50p she got for weddings!) and then with college and
community choral societies. After a 15 year break, Sarah was in the founding co-hort of the NMPAT Community Choir and joined Northampton
Bach Choir in September 2023. |
|
|
 |
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 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. |
|
|
|
