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Reading Lunchtime Choir is a welcoming, inclusive and lively community choir consisting of around 30 members (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). We sing a wide variety of music under the professional direction of Hannah Towndrow

Over the course of the year we study a range of pieces, both secular and sacred. These have included music from stage shows and popular modern songs, as well as sacred works, including Faure's Requiem, Bach's Saint John's Passion and Britten's Ceremony of Carols. We have also studied works by Tallis, Ford and Villette as well as madrigals and folk songs.

New members are always welcome so, if you enjoy singing, why not come along to a free taster session? No audition is required and it is not essential to read music.

We usually put on at least two informal concerts each year, sometimes joining other groups, including a brass big band.

We are a friendly choir for choral singers of all abilities and new members are always welcome. Please contact Patricia Taylor 07729 222260 for further information:

Hannah Towndrow

Music Director

I love the strong sense of community found at the heart of so many choirs. Singing brings us together and connects us with others, whether they be fellow choir members or those who have come to hear our performances. For many of us, choral music is a light that shines brightly in our lives not just because of its own beauty, but because of the relationships we have built through shared enjoyment and collective participation. As a conductor, this is something I feel privileged to be a part of.

Hannah's Background

Hannah is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she attained a distinction in her Master of Arts degree in choral conducting in July 2022. She also attained the LRAM teaching diploma, specialising in organ. In autumn 2022, Hannah returned to her alma mater, Hertford College, Oxford where, as an organ scholar, she read for a BA in music.

In August 2023, Hannah was appointed as the first ever director of music of Hertford College, Oxford, where she plays a leading role in the musical life of the chapel, leading and managing the chapel choir, and other musical events and mentoring the college organ scholar. She also organises concerts and other events.

Hannah is also musical director of the Oxford-based chamber choir, Antiphon, which she founded in 2019. With a focus on English sacred music, the group delivers exceptional performances of music from Handel to Howells. She is also musical director for Wantage Choral Society; Glass Ensemble, Twyford; and Reading Lunchtime Choir.

Aside from performance-based work, Hannah offers private tuition in conducting, organ and piano.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Carlos Li holds a B.A. in Music from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, majoring in composition and organ performance.

As an organist in Hong Kong, he played for church services and performances at university.

He won First Prize in the 2021Young Organists Competition organised by the Hong Kong Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is also experienced in playing accompaniment for graded examinations and choirs in Hong Kong.

Apart from organ playing, Carlos is an experienced chorister, and has sung with top choirs in Hong Kong such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Die Konzertisten. Carlos also participated in opera productions, including Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone at New Vision Arts Festival 2018. Carlos is a member of the Reading Phoenix Choir

Carlos currently plays accompaniment for Reading Lunchtime Choir, is an organist for Redlands Parish Church in Reading and teaches private piano lessons.

Registered Charity Number 1207468

Reading Lunchtime Choir

Hannah Towndrow Music Director

Hannah's Background

Hannah Towndrow

Music Director