Keith Orrell

Keith Orrell took up the directorship of the William Byrd Singers in September 2009. A Lancastrian, he is also the Director of the Liverpool Welsh Choral. He was Chorus Master of the Hallé Choir in Manchester for seven years, and has acted as a guest Chorus Master for other symphony choruses in the UK, including the BBC Symphony Chorus, most notably training this choir for one of their 2004 Summer Prom concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. He directed the Beaumaris Singers of Newport, Shropshire, until 2004, a chamber choir which he founded in the 1980s, and more recently he worked as Director of Music at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral. He has also led children’s choirs, youth choirs and larger mixed adult choirs including the Birmingham Singers, Stone Choral Society and the Staffordshire Youth Choir. He continues to lead choral workshops, conducting courses for ABCD (the Association of British Choral Directors) and is a long-standing choral tutor at ISSMUS, formerly known as Hereford International Summer School, which has its new base at Shrewsbury School.

In January 2006 Keith was appointed as Vocal Projects Leader for Wigan Borough, a post which involves the development of singing in all schools in the region. In this capacity he also directs Wigan Youth Choir and Wigan Junior Youth Choir. He is also the director of Wigan Youth Orchestra and the Director of Music at the church of St Agnes and St Pancras in south Liverpool. He also continues to sing occasional baritone solos on a professional basis.