Dr David Clover
1930 - 1979
MA, DMus, GTCL, FTCL, LTCL
David was born in Fressingfield, Suffolk in 1930. He graduated from Trinity College of Music, London. He then studied for the .aster of Arts degree from London University and was a member of The Royal College of Organists
In 1967, came the position of Senior Music adviser for The City of Sheffleld. He was the Founder and Conductor of The City of Sheffield Teachers' Choir and Orchestra from 1968 and the Founder and Conductor of The City of Sheffield Youth Chorale from 1969. On a national level he founded and conducted The British Youth Choir and Chamber Orchestra (now the National Youth Choir of Great Britain)
Elizabeth Watts
Hon. D. Mus
Vice-President
Elizabeth arrived in Sheffield 18 years old, with a passion for singing reading archaeology atUniversity. She took her singing seriously, entering competitions to gain performing experience, one of which was The David Clover Competition of Singing.
She is a soprano of international renown, has sung for the English National Opera and has sung in The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Santa Fe Opera, the Royal Festival Hall, and Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris to name a few. She also won the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2007.
She is proud to be sponsoring the Lied class at the DCFS We are equally proud that Elizabeth has kindly agreed to become one of the vice-presidents of the DCFS.
Ralph Green
ARCM
Vice-President
Ralph Green was born in Oldham. He went to Sheffield in 1966 to train as a teacher of Music and Mathematics at the City of Sheffield College of Education, and remained teaching Music in secondary schools up to A- level which lasted thirty seven years. He became a Moderator for GCSE Music and attained the ARCM Diploma in School Music Teaching in 1982. He retired in 2006.
He joined City of Sheffield Teachers’ Choir as a singer in 1974, becoming its secretary in 1984 and its conductor in 1986 and singing with the Sheffield Chorale since 1981. His membership of the Teachers’ Choir led to involvement in the David Clover Festival of Singing adjudicating the recital classes and the first Singers’ Platform element of the Festival. In 2016 he was made a Vice-President of the Teachers’ Choir and the David Clover Festival after serving the Festival for over thirty years.
Festival Committee
Chairman: David Heslop OBE
Deputy Chair and Adviser: David Durrant
Treasurer: Georgia Hall
Secretary: Kathryn Wells
Music Co-ordinator: Vivien Pike
Entries Secretary: Eric Barraclough
Venues: Valerie Littledyke
Festival Friends: Di Hallatt
Sponsorship: Vacant
Publicity and Advertising: Anthony Trippett
Marketing and Media: Ann Fooks
General Administrator: Georgina Hulse
Administrative Adviser: Ralph Green
Lesley Garrett
CBE
Patron
Lesley is Britain’s best known soprano, regularly appearing in opera, music theatre, concert, on television and CD. Internationally Lesley has performed throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.
She was awarded a CBE in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for Services to Music and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and an RAM Board Member. She holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Sheffield and the Open University. She continues to study regularly with Australian born Joy Mammen, her singing teacher for more than 35 years.
Mark Wildman
FRAM, FRSA
President
Mark Wildman studied at The Royal Academy of Music. He was awarded the Westmorland Scholarship, the Academy Recital Diploma and the Frederick Shinn Fellowship. His career began as a Choral Exhibitioner at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where he sang for three years which was followed by a similar period with the BBC Singers with whom he travelled and performed world-wide.
2013 marked Mark’s final season on the concert platform as a recitalist and soloist in Oratorio. He travelled and performed throughout Europe, Scandanavia, the British Isles and the USA. He now devotes himself to teaching and working with young singers at the Royal Academy of Music and Shrewsbury School. He served as an examiner, trainer and moderator for ABRSM and as an external examiner for Royal College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Wales International Academy of Voice and Royal Northern College of Music where he is currently serving as an external specialist examiner in Vocal Studies.
James Kirkwood
LRAM, LTCL, ARCM,
Festival Founder, Vice-President
James Kirkwood was educated at at Bretton Hall College of Music, Art and Drama and some years later at the Northern School of Music in Manchester where he gained a number of diplomas in various aspects of music education.
He was head of music at Thornbridge Grammar School and he was invited to be accompanist to the City of Sheffield Teachers' Choir. In fact it was from this point that David's influence and encouragement opened many doors for James; adjudicator for the British Federation of Music Festivals, examiner for Trinity College of Music, accompanist for the British Youth Choir, Melbourne Singers and Sheffield Youth Chorale.
It was during this time that, at the behest of BBC Radio Sheffield, James formed the 300 strong 'Feast of Brass and Voices' choir involving the Sheffield Teachers' choir and his newly formed Radio Sheffield Choir (later Sheffield Chorale).
On David's death in January 1979 he took over the conductorship of Sheffield Teachers' Choir and set up 'The David Clover Festival of Singing' as a lasting tribute to this man who had done so much to direct James' future career as teacher and finally adviser for music to the Sheffield L.E.A. .