Newbury Chamber Choir is very excited to have appointed Ben de Souza as our new Musical Director.
Ben de Souza is a British choral conductor, accordionist and singer.
Ben is the Founding Director of the choir at Clare Hall, Cambridge. He is currently Musical Director of Farnham & Bourne Choral Society, Newbury Chamber Choir and Reading Lunchtime Choir. Ben also works with choirs at the John Lewis Partnership, Finchley Children’s Music Group, Taplow Choirs, and regularly deputises as a conductor and singer for choirs across the south of England. Ben has previously worked with the Choir of All Souls, Langham Place as well as London-based chamber choirs Invicta Voices and Invicta Upper Voices.
As a choral singer Ben has sung with the award winning Taplow Youth Choir (Gillian Dibden MBE) and Magdalene College Chapel Choir, Cambridge (Graham Walker), and held a choral scholarship with King’s Voices, Cambridge (Ben Parry). He has performed in some of Europe’s most prestigious choral music venues including La Basilica di San Marco (Venice), Montserrat Monastery, St George’s Chapel and the Chapel Royal (Windsor), and has also appeared on recordings with a handful of the country’s finest choirs including the Gabrieli Consort (Paul McCreesh), the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (Sir Stephen Cleobury), and Voces8.
Ben holds an MMus in Choral Studies from Cambridge University, where he studied conducting with some of the world’s leading choral musicians including Stephen Layton, Graham Ross, Andrew Nethsingha and Sarah MacDonald.
Ben completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music as a classical accordionist, studying with Owen Murray, and continues to have an active accordion career across England as a recitalist and teacher. He has performed at venues across the UK and has appeared with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He currently holds accordion teaching positions at Salisbury Cathedral School and The Purcell School.
Ben is the Founding Director of the choir at Clare Hall, Cambridge. He is currently Musical Director of Farnham & Bourne Choral Society, Newbury Chamber Choir and Reading Lunchtime Choir. Ben also works with choirs at the John Lewis Partnership, Finchley Children’s Music Group, Taplow Choirs, and regularly deputises as a conductor and singer for choirs across the south of England. Ben has previously worked with the Choir of All Souls, Langham Place as well as London-based chamber choirs Invicta Voices and Invicta Upper Voices.
As a choral singer Ben has sung with the award winning Taplow Youth Choir (Gillian Dibden MBE) and Magdalene College Chapel Choir, Cambridge (Graham Walker), and held a choral scholarship with King’s Voices, Cambridge (Ben Parry). He has performed in some of Europe’s most prestigious choral music venues including La Basilica di San Marco (Venice), Montserrat Monastery, St George’s Chapel and the Chapel Royal (Windsor), and has also appeared on recordings with a handful of the country’s finest choirs including the Gabrieli Consort (Paul McCreesh), the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (Sir Stephen Cleobury), and Voces8.
Ben holds an MMus in Choral Studies from Cambridge University, where he studied conducting with some of the world’s leading choral musicians including Stephen Layton, Graham Ross, Andrew Nethsingha and Sarah MacDonald.
Ben completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music as a classical accordionist, studying with Owen Murray, and continues to have an active accordion career across England as a recitalist and teacher. He has performed at venues across the UK and has appeared with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He currently holds accordion teaching positions at Salisbury Cathedral School and The Purcell School.