Singing teacher

Toby Ward collaborates with Petros Singers as a singing teacher, providing vocal coaching to individual choir members. An experience tenor, conductor and teacher, Toby often takes an active part in our rehearsals, leading warm-ups and advising on vocal practice.

Choir members can arrange individual lessons on an occasional basis with Toby. These are held during rehearsals in a separate room adjacent to our main rehearsal space. Our bursary members are offered one free lesson with him per term.

Toby read music at King’s College, Cambridge with particular focus on early music and continuo alongside a choral scholarship in King’s College Choir under Sir Stephen Cleobury, with whom he toured internationally and performed on BBC radio and television with major solos on the annual Carols from King’s programme. Postgraduate studies in singing with Alison Wells followed at the Royal College of Music prior to the pandemic.  

Current posts include Artistic Director of Ensemble Pro Victoria, organist of the National Musicians Church in the City of London, Praefectus Cantorum of the Grand Priory of England, and Tenor Associate Artist of Tenebrae Choir.

He has conducted live on Radio 3 with Ensemble Pro Victoria and at major festivals including the London International Early Music Festival, Cambridge Early Music Festival, and is in demand as a guest conductor, repetiteur and continuo player across the capital.

Known also for inspiring and developing choristers and young singers, Toby has taught the boy choristers of Durham Cathedral, Newcastle cathedral and Westminster Abbey alongside work as a workshop leader for the Tenebrae schools programme, occasional work with London Youth Choir and a happy spell as acting director of the York Chapter House Youth Choir.

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