Stirling University Choir

Choir Information

Who's Who: The Committee

Conductor: Alistair Warwick (Community)

Alistair's passion is enabling people of all abilities to make music. As a teenager, he led music ensembles and was rewarded by a scholarship to study conducting to learn how to do it properly! He has Bachelors and Masters degrees in music, specialising in conducting and in early Scottish music. Alistair is co-author of the RSCM’s Voice for Life programme, helping singers of all ages to use their voice well and enjoy their love of learning.

For ten years Alistair was Director of Music and Master of the Choristers at Arundel Cathedral, where he started the flourishing junior choir, and Organist at Worth Abbey (home of "The Monastery" as shown on BBC television). He has produced and directed many CD recordings, including the choirs of Dunblane, Ely and Winchester Cathedrals. Television appearances include live broadcasts from Arundel.

Alistair is Musical Director of the Dunblane Chamber Orchestra, founded in 2008.

Website: alistairwarwick.com.

President: Kim Allison (4th year undergraduate)

Kim Allison has been singing in amateur dramatics since she was young and has grown up in a family that greatly appreciated music. It was this love for music that pushed her to join the choir. Kim has been a choir member, in the soprano section, for three years now, and president for two of those years. Her main duties are to ensure the smooth running of the choir, and represent the choir in the appropriate way.

Hon. Secretary: Nathan Cross (4th year undergraduate )









Bookings Secretary: Ben Cryer (Community)

Ben joined the choir four years ago, having spent the previous nine years treading the boards with the Alloa Musical Players in a variety of minor supporting roles. His love of singing started from an early age as a member of various school choirs and continued at Durham University as a member of the university’s choral society. Ben is the Booking Secretary for Stirling University Choral Society.

Hon Treasurer: Tony Tortolano (Community)

I have been a choir member, in the tenors, for 12 years, coming from the community rather than the university. My main duties are to organise funding, keep membership records and accounts straight, collect members' subs, to issue concert tickets, and collect cash from their sales.



Programme Secretary: Julie Mawhinney (4th year undergraduate)

Julie Mawhinney has been singing for as long as she can remember, as shegrew up in a household where music was a constant presence. She has sung in various choirs, musicals and small groups and joined the choir in 2008, as an alto, to sing music she had never had the opportunity to sing before. The role of the programme secretary is to collect all advertisements from Helen, arrange them in to an order along with David’s notes, take the programme mock up to the print room, collect the programme when it is ready, distribute it at the concert, and finally make sure that Tony receives the invoice so he can pay the bill.

Choir Librarian and Publicity Officer: Laura Lamont (4th year undergraduate)

Laura has sung in Campbeltown Grammar Senior Girls Choir, and Kintyre Chorale. Laura joined Stirling Uni choir in her first semester because she wanted to carry on singing in a choir, and has stayed on because she loves it! The role of the publicity officer is to design, have printed and put up posters around campus and in town to advertise choir rehearsals and concerts; also to e-mail radio stations and newspapers to advertise forthcoming concerts.

Social Secretary: Thomas Jewell (4th year undergraduate)

1997 - 2008: Member of Croydon Parish Church Choir. Achieved Provosts and Bishops Awards.
2004 – 2006: Member of Whitgift School Senior Choir and Chamber Choir. Performed at Choral Evensong once a month. Participated in Haydn's Creation, Nelson Mass and Benjamin Britten's St Nicolas.
2006: Robert Bouffler Music Trust. One week of intensive rehearsals culminating in four performances of Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan at The Barn Theatre, Oxted.
2005: ABRSM Grade 5 Theory
2003: Wells Cathedral, one weeks residency singing at all services for the week

Advertisements: Helen Baker (Community)

Helen Joined the Choir in 1981. She shall never forget the magic of her first concert. It was Bach's Christmas Oratorio, conducted by Hugh MacDonald. She has sung in over 50 really enjoyable concerts since.




Shadow President: Cath Heatherington (2nd year undergraduate)

A member of the Sopranos, Cath joined the choir last year, and has been singing since she joined the music team at her local church in 2003. She's often found being told off by the conductor for chatting through rehearsal!



Committee Member: Simon Allison (Community)

Simon is now in his third year with the choir. Simon joined the choir to continue singing, as he used to sing professionally. Simon’s duties are to organise the administration side of the choir.




Committee Member: Alastair Durie (University Staff)

Alastair sang as a student with Edinburgh University Choir, and then when on the staff there with Aberdeen. On moving to Stirling, was reintroduced to choir singing, and despite frequent suggestions, have continued. Alastair is generally regarded as a bad influence on the basses.

Committee Member: Barbara Wix (Community)

A member of the soprano section of SUC since 2006 after moving to Scotland, her first choral experience was 25yrs after leaving school with Hull Choral Union in 1999. Really enjoys the learning of different types of music as well as the ‘buzz’ you get within the choir producing & performing beautiful pieces.


Committee Member: Darren Green (University Staff)

A member of the bass and tenor sections (it varies) of SUC since moving to Stirling in 2007, Darren has sung in choirs since he first joined his local church choir... quite a long time ago. He likes lots of Latin and also plays the violin, viola, and piano. He writes music when he finds the time and inspiration.

Committee Member: Julie Carmichael (Community)

I have sang with the choir for 4 years, I graduate in June but will continue to sing with the choir, I also sing with my Church choir, I get great inspiration form the music we learn and perform.



Committee Member: Alison Reid (2nd year undergraduate)

Alison Reid joined the Stirling university choir to continue with her singing. She has been in choirs since she was in Primary 5 and has performed in Scottish Opera Productions. Alison is currently a member of The National Youth Choir of Scotland’s Training Choir.



Committee Member: Helen Cooper (2nd year undergraduate)

Helen comes from a very musical family and has studied singing to ABRSM Grade 8. She has been singing in choirs since the age of seven, so was eager to continue at university. She joined the choir as an alto during her first semester at Stirling, in September 2008.



Accompanist: Alistair Warwick (Community)

Alistair started piano lessons when he was six, and first played the organ for services when he was 11. Often heard playing in churches around the Stirling area, his repertoire ranges from alternatim Mass settings (from French and Spanish schools) to 20th-century works ("I've not caught up with the 21st century yet!").

He enjoys ensemble work more than solo playing (although he has appeared as soloist in four piano concertos). Alistair is also a percussionist, most recently playing timpani in St Columba's Cathedral, Oban.