Valerie is a graduate and a Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London , where she studied piano, viola, singing and accompaniment.  After leaving college she lived and worked in Hertfordshire, where, among many musical activities, she was accompanist to the Cassio Operatic Society.  She moved to Cheltenham in 1984 and began teaching at Dean Close School .  She also formed a piano duo which gave concerts throughout the area and in Oxford and London .  In 1990 she was the accompanist for the Seattle Girls Choir during their summer camp in Stanwood , Washington .  Valerie has accompanied Philomusica for over 10 years now.  In 1996 she was the pianist when the choir gave a recital in the prestigious concert hall of L’Arsenal in Metz , France and her accompaniment of both choir and soloists was highly acclaimed on the Philomusica tour to New England in 2000.  Valerie has also taken part in a number of orchestral concerts particularly a wonderful solo in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia in the Philomusica 30^th Anniversary Concert.

David learned the piano for 4 years as a child, and subsequently the violin, and took ‘A’ level Music. His time at school also kindled his interest in choral singing which still persists; after singing in various choirs including two church choirs in the intervening period, he joined Philomusica in 1997 on moving to the Worcester area.  He became very interested in the organ when his elder son joined the Chapel Choir at Solihull School in 1977; over this period the school had, as well as some very capable organist/choirmasters, 3 boys who were extremely talented players, and he was able to listen to a large part of the major organ repertoire. Attempts to learn the instrument himself  were thwarted by lack of opportunity for practice, until he acquired an instrument at home in 1993, but it was not until he took early retirement in 1996 that there was time to practise to the degree necessary to make progress. Self-taught at first, he started to study with Trevor Tipple of Worcester in 2000. He plays regularly at one of the local churches and also undertakes some locum work.

Born in Harrogate in 1978, John’s early musical training was as a chorister at Ripon Cathedral with Ronald Perrin. A music scholarship to Giggleswick School allowed him to learn the organ under Peter Read and continue to learn the trumpet. He went on to read music at Sheffield University, gaining a B.Mus, and was also the organ scholar at the Anglican Cathedral and University. For two terms, John was acting assistant director of music at the cathedral, taking responsibility for the training of the Probationer Choristers and Junior Girls’ Choir. In addition, while in the city, John played trumpet in a number of ensembles including the Sheffield Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Having received organ lessons from Simon Lindley, he gained the ARCO in 2003. On gaining a PGCE from Cambridge University, John held music teaching posts in Stroud and Malvern, and, since 2006, he has worked on a freelance basis. He is organist of the church of St Michael’s and All Angels, Tenbury Wells and Moor Park School, Ludlow, where he also teaches piano. John’s musical activities are varied. He is an active composer of choral and organ music and accompanies the soprano duo Duo Dolcetini. Recent venues have been Huntingdon Hall and Ledbury Parish Church. He is the Head of Training of the Malvern Chase Brass Band and conducts the Malvern Hills Brass Band from time to time. As well as teaching, John is the honorary treasurer of the Gloucestershire Organists’ Association and Administrator of the Great Witley concert series. In his free time, John is an avid photographer and cook and he enjoys walking.