People
Gillian Craig is Director of St Andrews Renaissance Singers. A graduate of the University of St Andrews, Jill is now the university’s Music Consultant. An organist, clarinettist and the alto player in the Scottish Saxophone Quartet for over 20 years, she was guest instrumentalist on Renaissance Group tours of Europe for several years in the 1980s. She is now a keen conductor, and is honoured and delighted to have become the group’s director.
2024-25 Choir:
Choral Scholars are marked with an asterisk (*)
Sopranos
- Lungdau Chewang
- Harriet Edwards
- Julia Filip
- Maddy Fryling
- Rachel Hart
- Diane Levey
- Sarah Levy
- Juliana Menegakis
- Frances Molyneux
- Dora Osborne
- Julia Prest
- Emily Rosenberger*
Altos
- Wendy Bellars
- Natalia Biletska
- Kim Cameron
- Judith Franz
- Rosa Michaelson
- Judy Osborne
- Jane Pettegree
- Emily Shoker
- Rebecca Supple
Tenors
- James Hutchinson
- Robert Hutchinson
- Hugh Levey
- James McNinch
- Luis Meseguer Mira (Assistant Conductor)
- Erik Mourtgos
Basses
- Richard Bates
- Giles Dove
- Pascal Edelmann*
- Daniel Holcomb*
- Jonathan Hugh-Jones
- Iain McGregor
- Blair Smith
- Garry Taylor
- Martin Whitaker
Testimonies from Scholars
I was part of the Renaissance singers for only one year, but I had an absolutely amazing time. Thanks to my scholarship I could not only work with such a wonderful and high-quality choir, but I also received additional singing lessons that helped me refining my own musical skills.
The Renaissance Singers gave me so much confidence and fun with choral singing and I will certainly continue singing in choirs in the future. Jill always chose a wonderful repertoire that was diversified and selected from a range of music periods. The choral pieces were not only fun to sing, but also sometimes challenging which gave us the opportunity to grow as a choir and as individual singers. I immediately felt welcome and the open minded and friendly people of the choir made it easy for me to build friendships that hopefully will last for a long time. Thank you very much for a fun, productive and musically fulfilling year in St Andrews. (Pascal Edelmann – Choral Scholar 2024/25)
I have thoroughly enjoyed singing with the Renaissance Singers during my time in St Andrews. I was initially unfamiliar with much of the repertoire performed by the ensemble, but I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the music from this historical period. This choir has made my short stay in St Andrews as an exchange student truly memorable. (Daniel Holcomb – Bass 2024/25)
The Renaissance Singers is filled with great musicianship, challenging repertoire, and a positive and engaging rehearsal environment. I am so grateful for my time as a choral scholar, which allowed me to pursue opportunities of musical advancement both in and out of the choir. (Emily Rosenberger – Choral Scholar 2024/25)
Being a Renaissance Singers choral scholar has been a tremendous pleasure and joy. It has allowed me to explore the lesser known parts of early modern repertoire, perform some of my favourite pieces, and further deepen my understanding of Renaissance music. Whilst the commitment is not inconsiderable, with a lot of new music to learn in between rehearsals, it is not impossible to manage alongside studies. With the scholarship come weekly singing lessons, which allow one to further develop as a musician as well as prepare for solo performances during the concerts. The choir comprises of local residents, students and university lecturers – everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming! (Julia Filip – Choral Scholar 2023-24)
You won’t find better polyphony, or a more welcoming, generous community, anywhere else. And lessons, especially when you haven’t had them before, are invaluable in developing your choral technique. (Martin Whittaker – Choral Scholar 2023-24)
I am grateful to the Renaissance Singers for the opportunity to take voice lessons from a wonderful teacher, and for providing me with opportunities for conducting, accompanying, and performing as a soloist at our concerts, in addition to singing as a member of the ensemble. (Catherine Helferty – Choral Scholar 2023-24)
I had the privilege of holding the award of ‘assistant conductor’ of the St Andrews Renaissance Singers during the academic year 2021-22, during my studies for the MLitt in Sacred Music at the University of St Andrews… I benefitted increasingly from the opportunities which arose from my involvement with this ensemble. The Renaissance Singers comprise a highly competent ensemble, marked by a refined and elegant standard of performance. The average level of sight-singing and musical understanding is very high, and it was an honour and absolute delight to be a part of this ensemble… My association with the Renaissance Singers has not only helped refine my conducting skills but has also been a joy during my time at the University of St Andrews in a special way. (Jonathan Pinto – Assistant Conductor 2021-22)