Patron: Cecilia McDowall
People
Dominic Ellis-Peckham :
Musical Director
Dominic Ellis-Peckham is a conductor, chorus master and presenter, specialising in opera and choral repertoire and praised for his dedication to the Renaissance and Baroque era, whilst passionately championing new works and delivering inspirational collaborations.
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In addition to his position with London Oriana Choir, Dominic is Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Chamber Choir of London, Chorus Master and Conductor for Opera Holland Park and Chorus Director and Visiting Artist at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
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Dominic has prepared choruses in opera houses, festivals and on the concert stage, including an array of highly acclaimed world premieres, He works closely with The Meridian Sinfonia, and previously guest conducted London Mozart Players, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and The City of London Sinfonia as well as serving as Chorus Master for English National Opera, and recently making his debut as Chorus Master for English National Ballet.
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Dominic has conducted projects at Abbey Road, Air Studios, Angel Studios and for Deutsche Grammophon, Whistle Records, Signum Records, Sky, BBC and Eurovision. His releases have reached No.1 in both the U.S Classical Billboard Charts and the U.K Specialist Charts.
Recent engagements include Verdi’s 'Quattro Pezzi Sacri’ with The City of London Sinfonia and Opera Holland Park Chorus and Chorus Director for the world premiere of Jonathan Dove's new opera - 'Uprising' in collaboration with Glyndebourne, Saffron Hall and RSNO.
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This season Dominic makes his main stage debut conducting the revival of Will Todd’s critically acclaimed opera ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland' for Opera Holland Park’s 2026 season with the City of London Sinfonia, celebrates Sir John Rutter’s 80th Birthday with a special performance with Chamber Choir of London and City of London Sinfonia at Saffron Hall and returns to Hong Kong to conduct the 2025 FOBISIA Choral Festival.
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Nicholas Chalmers :
Associate Conductor
Nicholas Chalmers is one of the leading conductors in the UK. His energy and vision have seen the establishment of highly successful artistic and education projects and his work impacts thousands of young people each year. Nicholas is driven by a passion to bring classical music to the next generation and to ensure that people in areas of under provision have better access to training and engagement in the performing arts. As founder Artistic Director of Nevill Holt Opera, his 10 year leadership of the company saw the creation of an exquisite new theatre in Leicestershire, which won plaudits for its acoustic design and reached the final of the RIBA Stirling prize in 2019. He is a Senior Associate Artist of the Royal Ballet and Opera House.
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Nicholas is the Associate Conductor, Learning of the BBC Singers and made his BBC Proms conducting debut in 2020 with the group. With the BBC Singers, he has programmed and conducted numerous broadcasts and concerts throughout the UK and helped establish the Singers’ partnership with youth choral groups in Stratford East, the future home of the BBC performing groups. In September 2024, Nicholas took up the role of Fernside Chair of Choral Conducting at The Royal Academy of Music.
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Educated at the University of Oxford and Piacenza Conservatoire, Nicholas has held positions at major UK musical institutions including Chichester Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, English National Opera and the Royal Opera House.
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From 2011, Nicholas was conductor of Northern Ireland Opera and established the chorus and partnership with the Ulster Orchestra and conducted The Medium, Tosca (Best Opera - Irish Times Theatre Awards), The Turn of the Screw, The Bear, Macbeth, The Flying Dutchman, Salome, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte, Powder Her Face and Noye’s Fludde (Belfast Zoo, Beijing and Shanghai).
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In 2013, Nicholas founded Nevill Holt Opera and established an award-winning education and associate artists programme. The company has introduced countless young people to opera in the East Midlands and its year-round education programme works with schools across the region. The rapid success of the company under his leadership led to a new opera house being built at Nevill Holt in Leicestershire. It opened in 2018 with Le nozze di Figaro. The exquisite new building has won plaudits for its acoustic design and reached the final of the RIBA Stirling prize in 2019. With Nevill Holt Opera, Nicholas has conducted The Magic Flute, La bohème, The Turn of the Screw, Carmen, Rigoletto, The Elixir of Love, Tosca, Noye’s Fludde, Le Nozze di Figaro, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cosí fan tutte and La traviata.
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Nicholas works with leading orchestras and opera companies in the UK and overseas: Royal Northern Sinfonia; Britten Sinfonia; Manchester Camerata; BBC Concert Orchestra; The CBSO; The Ulster Orchestra; The English Chamber Orchestra; London Mozart Players; China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra; Zurich Opera; Opera National de Lyon.
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Nicholas’s education and community projects aim to impact thousands of people. He runs award winning education projects in the East Midlands and is curator of - Opera Nation - (a book of famous opera aria arrangements for young people) at the Royal Opera House. At Covent Garden, Nicholas also leads the Sing at ROH programme and works with the youth opera company. 2022 marked his involvement in the BIG SING with Britten Pears Arts.
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Tabitha Reynolds :
Vocal Coach
British Mezzo-soprano Tabitha Reynolds is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music where she studied on scholarship with Yvonne Howard, Julie Kennard and Iain Ledingham. In her final year Tabitha was awarded a place to continue her studies on the Preparatory Opera Course.
Operatic highlights include La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Pagliacci, Hansel and Gretel, Rigoletto and Carmen with Opera Holland Park, Dido and Aeneas (Dido) with Chipping Campden Festival Chorus, Die Tote Stadt and Sweeney Todd with Bergen National Opera, The Elixir of Love and Tosca with Nevill Holt Opera and Die Zauberflöte, Il Trovatore and Alfonso und Estrella with Opéra de Baugé. Tabitha has also successfully gained a place on the English National Opera chorus extra list. Tabitha has also performed with Opera Holland Park in a collaboration with English National Ballet in Stravinsky’s Les Noces at Sadler's Wells.
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During her time at the Royal Academy of Music, Tabitha performed in L’enfant et les sortilèges (Maman), Ariodante, Suor Angelica and Le Nozze di Figaro (chorus). She was also a soloist with the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series. Tabitha has participated in masterclasses with Felicity Lott, Susan Bullock, Kathryn Harries and British Youth Opera.
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On the concert platform Tabitha has performed at venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Greighallen Bergen. She enjoys performing a wide variety of choral works including, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Bach’s St John Passion.
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David Smith :
Accompanist
Born in Stockport, David completed a BMus at the University of Birmingham before moving to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Michael Dussek and Vanessa Latarche. After graduating with distinction he was awarded Junior Fellowships working with the vocal department at both the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music.
Numerous competition successes include the Birmingham Accompanist of the Year, Vivian Langrish accompanists’ prize, Michael Head and Bliss prizes for accompaniment as well as the Christian Carpenter prize, awarded in recognition of his achievements at the Academy. In 2009 David was one of the first pianists to be invited to work with the prestigious Samling Foundation under the tutelage of Sir Thomas Allen.
He has collaborated with many exceptional singers of his generation including James Rutherford, Sarah Tynan, Benedict Nelson and Allan Clayton, in addition to significantly established artists such as Sir Willard White and Sir Thomas Allen, and has appeared at many of the major UK venues including Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Colston Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham and Pittville Pump Room as well as some of the major UK music festivals.
Further afield David has performed in a number of countries including France, Spain and Germany, and has developed relationships with the Heidelberg and Aix-en-Provence Festivals. In 2012 he was invited to become an HSBC Laureate of the Aix Festival, performing in a number of concerts around Europe.