Founder Director: Richard Emms
Richard has made music throughout his life, beginning as a pianist, but emerging as a composer and choral conductor at college. On graduating, Richard taught in both primary and secondary schools, and filled his musical life with teaching, composing, conducting, and choirs. Soon after moving with his family to Shipston in 1975, Richard founded Stour Singers, and, in retirement, created his a cappella choir, Cantamus, in 1997.
Richard imbues confidence in singers whatever their experience or ability, shares his depth of knowledge and understanding of the music, and inspires Stour Singers to expressive performances. His composition now takes the form of inventive choral arrangements for Cantamus and, when required, orchestrations for Stour Singers.
Richard retired as Stour Singers’ Musical Director in May 2025, after 50 glorious years.
Musical Director: Alex Silverman
Alex Silverman is an accomplished conductor, composer and arranger who has made music for many of the UK’s major concert venues and playhouses, and in more than 20 countries worldwide. A versatile performer, he has collaborated with leading musicians from the worlds of jazz, opera, pop, and folk music. His music is heard regularly on television, radio, and on film, and has a substantial audience online.
Alex is passionate about singing and maintains a busy schedule as a choral conductor and vocal coach, working with professional, student, and amateur ensembles. He recently took up the position of Director or Music at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, after six years as Director of Music at All Saints’ in Leamington Spa, where he won awards from the Cathedral Music Trust and the RSCM for the successful relaunch of the choral scholarship programme and junior choir. Alex is also Musical Director of Warwick and Kenilworth Choral Society, and a trustee of Oxford Youth Choirs. His large catalogue of choral arrangements, many of which were developed during his time as Director of the West End Singers, are regularly performed across Europe and North America.
Alex’s musical career began as a chorister under Frikki Walker. He later trained as a tenor with Hilary Llystyn Jones, and began conducting during his student days at Cambridge, where he directed the Cambridge University Singers and began writing and playing music for shows. Since that point, he has juggled making music for the stage and working with choirs, and been fortunate to work as a Musical Director for (among others) English Touring Opera, City of London Festival, LiFT, London’s Little Opera House, New Kent Opera, Young Vic, London’s Cultural Olympiad, Bremer Shakespeare, Hackney Music Trust, English Touring Theatre, Brighton Festival, and in the West End. As a composer Alex has written several musicals, scored a dozen productions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and developed work for the RSC and National Theatre Studio. A specialist in the interpretation of ancient dramatic music, Alex was Music Director for the Cambridge Greek Plays from 2010-2022, and continues to work towards his doctorate at Oxford University, where he leads performance projects at the Archive of Performance of Greek and Roman Drama, is a founder member and musical director for AMO (Ancient Music at Oxford), and teaches at Jesus College.
Accompanist: Rachel Bird
Coordinator: Gayle Burch
Producer: Hilary Roesen
Treasurer: Peter Wilkinson
Membership secretary and Tenor/Bass rep: Chris Hurst
Minuting secretary: Stuart Barker
Librarians: Janet Ferrier and Jane Riley
Concert manager: Wendy Holman
Soprano rep: Lynda Bateman
Alto rep: Barbara Divers