Associate Choral Leader Programme

Associate Choral Leader Programme

Designed for choral conductors and vocal animateurs, the Associate Choral Leader training programme is aimed at those in the early stages of their professional music careers. With a focus on practical leadership and structured support, the programme equips participants with the skills and experience needed to lead engaging and effective rehearsals and services in a variety of settings.

Over the past year, our Associate Choral Leaders have developed their practice through training, workshops, and hands-on experience in schools, community choirs, and semi-professional ensembles. Many have brought music into communities with limited access, contributing to local music-making in meaningful ways.

We look forward to welcoming the 2025–26 cohort and continuing to support the development of emerging choral leaders as they grow in confidence, expand their skills and make a positive impact across Manchester and London.

Associate Choral Leader for St Martin’s Junior Choir and Community Engagement

Phoebe Halpern is a musician and educator dedicated to widening access and supporting communities through youth music. She graduated with first-class honours in Music from Durham University, where she was Director of Music at St Chad’s College, performed with a range of student ensembles, and led projects including a choral programme supporting 100 local young singers from underrepresented backgrounds. Her work was recognised in the House of Commons and by the Student Global Leadership Foundation, who appointed her a Community Impact Scholar in 2024. She went on to study a Music PGCE and Master’s at Jesus College, Cambridge, researching the intersections of music education, religion and social equity, while teaching in both mainstream and SEND schools. She has also worked with Three Choirs Festival and the charities Music for All and Grief Encounter. Phoebe currently works in Education and Community Engagement with The Gesualdo Six and Odyssey Festival Orchestra, and is excited to join St-Martin-in-the-Fields as Associate Choral Leader for the Junior Choir and new outreach projects from September 2025.

Associate Choral Leader for London and Southwark

Harvey Lok is a conductor recognised for curating distinctive, concept-driven programmes that explore the relationship between music, literature, and spirituality. He is the co-founder and director of the vocal ensemble Hemiola and currently studies choral conducting with Nicholas Chalmers at the Royal Academy of Music. Harvey holds a first-class BA in Music and English from Royal Holloway, University of London, where he was a student conductor for the Choir of Royal Holloway and Assistant Conductor of both the Symphony Orchestra and New Music Collective. He has also worked with the Asian Youth Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, NOĒMA, and the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus in workshops and masterclasses. He is looking forward to starting as Associate Choral Leader for London and Southwark in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields from September 2025.

Associate Choral Leader for Manchester Children’s Choirs

Katie Lyons graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a first-class honours degree in Music in 2022, before moving to Manchester to complete a PGCE in Secondary Music Education at Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music in 2023. An avid lover of choral music, Katie has sung with many choirs in Manchester and Belfast, including Somnium Chamber Choir, Sestina Early Music Ensemble, and Belfast Cathedral Choir, and was a Diocese of Manchester choral scholar in 2022/23. She has worked in music education for over six years in a variety of settings, including one-to-one tuition, choir leadership, music services, and as a secondary school curriculum teacher. Katie is passionate about making music accessible and enjoyable for all young people and is excited to bring this to her new role as Associate Choral Leader for Children’s Choirs in Manchester, in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Associate Choral Leader for Manchester Community Music

Oliver Heath is a Northern Irish conductor, composer, and tenor. He is Choral Director for the Diocese of Salford and works with a variety of ensembles across Manchester and Yorkshire. He has held conducting scholarships with Sing for Pleasure, the Royal School of Church Music, and the Diocese of Leeds’ award-winning Schools Singing Programme, learning from some of the UK’s leading choral musicians. Alongside his conducting work, Oliver is an active composer of choral and vocal music, with published works performed by choirs across the UK. He is also a sought-after tenor, having recently been selected for Genesis 16 and the Chamber Choir Ireland Studio. He is looking forward to starting as Associate Choral Leader for Community Music in Manchester in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields from September 2025.

Associate Choral Leader for Manchester Choral Scholars

Ben Nicoll studied conducting at the University of Manchester with Rob Guy, where he was selected for the conducting programme and led various ensembles, masterclasses, and two world premieres. After graduating, he became the conducting scholar at the University of Warwick, studying with Suzzie Vango and Tom Newall, and regularly conducting the Chamber Choir, Chorus, Symphony Orchestra, and Vox Ensemble at the Warwick Arts Centre and on tours to Manchester, Coventry, Lichfield, and Prague. Ben is also Musical Director for the Poynton Gilbert and Sullivan Society, conducting productions of HMS Pinafore and Iolanthe. From September, Ben is excited to take up the role of Associate Choral Leader for Manchester Choral Scholars in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields and begin conducting the Burford Orchestra.