| |
Veronica Phillipson spent ten successful years as Musical Director of our Society. She began
teaching music in Croydon with fellow teacher Barry Forgie, now Musical
Director of the BBC Big Band. She emigrated to South Africa in 1970
where she joined the Johannesburg Bach Choir. In 1972, Veronica headed
for Botswana where she formed the Selibe Pikwe Singers. It was not long
before she ended up in Nairobi singing with the Kericho Music Ensemble and the
Nairobi Choral Society of which she was Honorary Secretary for a year.
While in Nairobi, singing wasn't enough so Veronica played percussion for the
Nairobi Symphony Orchestra in performances of Carmina Burana, Die Fledermaus
and Mozart's Figaro.
In 1976, it was time for Veronica to move on.
Conductorship beckoned with the Abu Dhabi Choral Group which, under her
leadership, made a number of radio broadcasts. During this time she was
also resident composer and Musical Director to the Abu Dhabi Dramatic Society. After three years, Greece looked attractive and while teaching music in an
American school in Athens, she sang with the Athens Singers.
Finally in 1984, Veronica returned to the UK and joined the
Royal Military College of Science choir in Watchfield, Wiltshire and the
Faringdon Singers before moving on to Swindon Choral Society where she was
librarian for a year. In 1986, while with the Marlborough Town Choral
Society, Veronica was appointed as Head of Music at Highworth Warneford
School.
She became Highworth Choral Society's Musical Director in
1994. Under her leadership the choir undertook works including Rossini's Stabat Mater
and Petite Messe Solennelle, Handel's Messiah, Charpentier's Messe de Minuit and
Mozart's Requiem in D Minor and it also entered the Sainsbury's Choir of the Year
Competition. In 2003, she inspired the choir with Misa Cubana, and
conducted our UK premiere of this work.
In August 2004 Veronica continued her world travels by moving to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts to help develop music in the island's schools.
|
|
