Our Musical Directors
 

PAUL DRAYTON divides his time between lecturing, composing, conducting and playing. He gained the advanced piano performing diploma of the Royal Academy of Music at the age of sixteen, then at Oxford University read for a degree in music history followed by a B.Mus. in composition. After six years as Director of Music at New College Choir School in Oxford, he joined the staff of Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and is now based in Cornwall where he works as a college lecturer and adult education tutor. He joined the St. Austell Choral Society in 1994 as their accompanist, and then later became conductor with Simon Dunbavand. He is also the music director of the Duchy Opera and conducted their 2007 performance of Tosca at The Hall for Cornwall. Their production of Handel's opera Semele, was performed in the summer of 2008.

He is also a composer and in 1998 was commissioned by St Austell Choral Society to write a new work, The Lady of Shallott, a setting of Tennyson's famous poem. His recent book, Unheard Melodies is available from bookshops and online at Amazon.com.

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SIMON DUNBAVAND was a piano pupil of Martin Roscoe and studied organ at Chester Cathedral as a pupil of Roger Fisher, working extensively with the cathedral choir as well as recording and giving recitals. Whilst still at school he gained the A.R.C.M. diploma in organ performance and was subsequently Organ Scholar at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read music and studied organ with David Sanger. His recitals have included St. John’s College, Cambridge, the Vendsyssel Festival, Merton College, Oxford and Truro Cathedral, as well as engagements in Denmark, Norway and Hungary.

Throughout the year Simon lectures during classical music themed cruises for various shipping lines. In Cornwall Simon has performed regularly at the Du Maurier Festival. He has also worked with the New Cornwall Opera and Duchy Opera and as the Education and Training Officer for R.S.C.M. Cornwall he is active in the running of choral rehearsals and workshops across the country.

Simon is currently researching music by Messiaen, Durufle, Bach and the composers of the Grand Siecle for a forthcoming book, Visions of Eternity and will also be recording a CD devoted to this repertoire. Simon is conductor of the Carlyon Singers as well as working with the St. Austell Choral Society. With the Carlyon Singers he has presented a series of concerts of little-known Russian Orthodox choral music which he researched in St. Petersburg. On 17th May 2008 the Carlyon Singers gave the first performance of his Missa Alme Pater  at St. Andrew’s Church, Tywardreath on the final day of the Du Maurier Festival.

Click here to visit Simon's web site

This web site is written and maintained by Andrew Crawshaw: Crawshaws@aol.com