Hertford Choral - Director, Accompanist

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Musical Director

The major strands of Derek's career have been choral conducting and singing. He conducts choirs both large and small and has been Musical Director of the Hertford Choral Society for many years. He has been founder and director of chamber choirs in Harlow, Hertford and St Albans. He has directed three performances at the Royal Albert Hall, London with well over 850 performers in Britten's War Requiem, Mahler's Eighth Symphony, Verdis Requiem and Berlioz' Grande Messe des Morts. These three concerts have raised around £120,000 for a charity working for the blind. He has also directed a number of 'Bring It and Sing It' performances, many of which have been in support of charities. He was invited to direct a Royal Gala concert for Princess Alexandra as part of a fund-raising programme for the local Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow.

With the Hertford Choral Society, Derek has worked with a number of distinguished British orchestras and soloists. He has also been responsible for several initiatives with the Hertford Choral Society with a particular focus on developing young musicians (a student conductor scheme in association with several London conservatoires), improving the training of singers (an award-winning coaching scheme) and encouraging young people to gain the 'large choir' experience (Bursaries at local schools).

Derek Harrison

Peter Jaekel

Accompanist

Born in Gloucester, Peter Jaekel entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1985 where he studied piano accompaniment with Geoffrey Pratley and David Willison, and organ with John Scott. For seven years he was chapel organist at Bradfield College, Berkshire.

Since 1997, he has been a freelance organist and piano accompanist. He is a deputy accompanist to the London Symphony Chorus, where he has worked with some of the world’s finest conductors, including Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas and Yan Pascal Tortelier. He is accompanist to Hertford Choral Society and the Crouch End Chorus, and regularly plays for other choirs in the South-east including Brighton Festival Chorus. He was organist of St Paul’s, Knightsbridge for nine years and performs as pianist with the Ben Sanders Scottish Country Dance Band throughout Britain and abroad.

Peter is in huge demand as a piano accompanist, most recently accompanying the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and the saxophonist John Harle. He is also much sought after as a vocal coach for contemporary music; recent repertoire includes operas by Sir Michael Tippett, Jonathan Dove, Stephen McNeff and Tansy Davies. He is principal repetiteur for Eastern Opera and has also worked for European Chamber Opera.

Recent engagements have included performances of Handel Organ Concerti and the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony, and he has appeared at the Swaledale, Ryedale, Brighton and Deal Festivals. His work has taken him to France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Norway, Hong Kong and New York. Future plans include two tours of Italy.