Musical Director :-
Oliver Neal Parker MMus FGMS FASC
Oliver Neal Parker attended University of Surrey where he was awarded a conducting scholarship, studying with Nicholas Conran. He also studied composition and conducting with Sebastian Forbes and singing with Glyn Davenport. During this time Oliver was a student conductor with the Amadeus Orchestra, and assistant conductor of Bath Philharmonia. Graduating with a Master’s Degree, he went on to continue his studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Oliver spent two years working on the music programme at Christ Church in Greenwich Connecticut, USA, which involved training over 120 choristers within 5 church choirs. While at Christ Church, he coached singers for performances with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields (under Sir Neville Marriner), Stamford Symphony Orchestra, American Classical Orchestra and Yale Opera. He also trained three of Christ Church’s trebles for the role of Miles in Turn of the Screw (Britten) for conductor Lorin Maazel.
His work as a baritone has included solo recitals throughout England, and also in Germany (Freiburg Stadttheater), France (Besançon Opera), Italy (Padova Opera) and Spain (Granada Festival), and in the USA. His oratorio credits include Messiah, The Creation, Elijah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Requiems by Fauré, Mozart and Brahms.
He began his conducting career as Music Director of Guildford Opera, where productions included Eugene Onegin, Le nozze di Figaro, Iolanthe, The Mikado, Samson, The Tales of Hoffmann, The Rake’s Progress, The Bear and Trouble in Tahiti. Since then he has worked as Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master for British Youth Opera, Associate Lecturer in Conducting for University of Surrey, Director of Schola Cantorum Greenwich, and Guest Conductor for Northampton Festival Opera.
In addition to his work with the Ceramic City Choir, Oliver is currently Director of Music at the Church of St James the Greater, Leicester, a choir trainer for the Royal School of Church Music and he teaches at Uppingham School in Rutland.