Simon Toyne appointed as our new Musical Director

12 May 2023

Our former musical director Lee Dunleavy announced in May 2022 that he would be stepping down, after 15 years, to begin training for the priesthood in the Church of England. Lee arranged a season of guest conductors for our 2022/23 season to give us time to interview and appoint a new musical director.

We were honoured to have 12 applicants for the post, and were assisted by the conductor and composer Paul Spicer in the selection process. As part of the interview the shortlisted candidates took a 45-minute choir rehearsal.

Simon Toyne

We are now delighted to announce that Simon Toyne has been appointed as our permanent Musical Director. Born in Exeter, and now local to Northampton, Simon received his musical training as a chorister in Exeter Cathedral Choir, later becoming organ scholar of University College, Oxford and subsequently organist and director of music at Kingston Parish Church. For 24 years, he was Director of Tiffin Boys' Choir, preparing them for projects with the major conductors in the world, leading the choir on over twenty foreign tours, and conducting the choir and adult oratorio chorus in concert with the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Sinfonia Britannica and Philharmonia Orchestra. Since 2015, Simon has been Executive Director of Music of the David Ross Education Trust, where he has developed one of the UK's leading music education programmes across 34 primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands. He a Director of the Rodolfus Choral Courses, Music Project Director of the Hamish Ogston Foundation, and is now Musical Director of the Northampton Bach Choir.