Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BrightonGMC) appoint Joe Paxton as new Chorus Director to continue the sterling work achieved over the last nine years by outgoing Musical Director, Marc Yarrow.
JOE is no stranger to the Chorus having previously been its Assistant Musical Director. He teaches music both privately and at undergraduate level at the University of Sussex, where he is working towards the completion of his PhD.
He studied conducting under Guy Woolfenden OBE, formerly of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and piano under Dr Julian Hellaby.
Joe is currently Musical Director of the Arun Choral Society and Co-Musical Director of the Brighton Early Music Festival Community Choir.
In 2014 he founded Opera Alumnus, a Brighton based opera company that brings together the best early career professionals in the industry.
Vaughan Leyshon, BrightonGMC’s Chairman, said: “The Trustees are absolutely delighted that Joe has accepted the appointment as Chorus Director of Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, just as we are enormously pleased that another stalwart of our talented professional musical team, Tim Nail, has agreed to become our Music Director.
“Joe is a dynamic choral and opera conductor with a wealth of experience across a variety of musical genres. We are so fortunate to have such a gifted musician to take the Chorus forward. His appointment comes as BrightonGMC bids farewell to Marc Yarrow after nine fantastic and successful years, first as Musical Director, then Artistic Director.
Joe Paxton, BrightonGMC’s Chorus Director, said: “It is an immense honour for me to be asked to become BrightonGMC’s Chorus Director. They are such an extraordinary and welcoming group of singers, whose musical achievements, positive energy, friendliness and reputation for showmanship is widely known – not just within the local community but also nationally and internationally. I am so looking forward to working with them and the Chorus’s other creative professionals in my new capacity.”
Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus was established in January 2005, has about 100 members and provides a space where people can celebrate music, enjoy the fellowship of other like-minded people and contribute to the local communities it’s a part of.
The Chorus, a registered charity, has three guiding principles, the “Three S’s”:
♦ Singing – the celebration of life and music through male voice harmonies;
♦ Socialising – using this activity to develop social bonds that help people to feel connected with a sometimes lonely world; and
♦ Support – to be there for each other – both collectively and individually – when the chips are down, and to be there for the communities in which the chorus operates, too.
The Chorus, has three key charitable objectives:
1. To promote public education by the study, practice and public performance of choral music; and to assist other charitable causes.
2. For the public benefit to advance and promote the education of gay and gay-friendly men in Brighton and Hove in the subject of choral music, its study, practice and performance.
3. The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, in particular but not exclusively by raising public awareness of discrimination towards and issues affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) communities, and in such other ways as are exclusively charitable as the trustees may from time to time determine.
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