Mr. Greg Beardsell is celebrated for his dedication to music education and advocacy for the transformative power of music in society. His charismatic presence and unwavering commitment to nurturing musical talent has left an indelible mark on the musical world.
He is Principal Conductor of the National Youth Choir (15-18), a position he has held for 15 years, and Associate Conductor of London Voices, the UK’s most in-demand professional session choir. He is also Musical Director of the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, an ensemble established in 1995 as a peace initiative and composed of young musicians from all over the island of Ireland. Every year, in collaboration with the orchestra, Mr. Beardsell conducts over 35,000 school children across Ireland and the UK in a concert series called the Peace Proms; performances which help to nurture vital cross community relations.
Mr. Beardsell has held directorships with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, the Irish Youth Choir, the Ulster Youth Choir, the London Youth Chamber Choir, the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir and was Chorus Director for Gabrieli Consort’s engagement programme ROAR. He has adjudicated at the Llangollen Eisteddfod, Côr Cymru, Cork Choral Festival, UK Choir of the Year and various other competitions around the world, and also presented seminars on conducting and teaching strategies for organisations such as Cambridge University, Swedish Choral Director’s Association, Cornell University New York, and music education hubs across England.
Mr. Beardsell has conducted the chorus of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Bach Choir and the London Symphony Chorus and collaborated with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Edward Gardner and Sir Colin Davis. He has conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestras of Ireland and Ulster, in a range of performance and education projects.
An avid collaborator, with a master’s degree in composition, Mr. Beardsell has commissioned new music for choirs, electro-acoustic musicians, folk ensembles, Carnatic Indian musicians, dance companies and jazz bands.
He enjoys a very close association with Royal Albert Hall, devising the inaugural International Youth Choir Festival there in 2017. The festival, produced in collaboration between the RAH Education & Outreach team and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, featured seminars, workshops and performances in the Hall and across the city from some of the finest youth choirs in the world. Greg also hosts the ‘Carols at the Hall’ shows, a series of multiple sold out performances across the festive period.
Mr. Beardsell has been a guest presenter for BBC Radio 3’s Live in Concert, Inside Music and Choir and Organ programmes, and has featured as a choral music expert for the BBC Proms television broadcasts.
