CANTORION SIRENIAN SINGERS

Founded in 1990 by the celebrated conductor, Jean Stanley Jones MBE, Cantorion Sirenian Singers is a choir of some 40 mixed voices based in North East Wales.

Achieving international recognition on the competitive and concert platforms, they are recognised for their unique sound, excellent technique and breadth of repertoire, achieving particular recognition for their promotion of Contemporary Welsh music.

The choir’s reputation has been founded on its considerable success at British and International Festivals. First prizes were achieved at Budapest, Cork, Riva del Garda, Elgar Festival in Worcester, Choir of Choirs Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Freckleton and Peterborough. In 2011 they swept the board at Bangor International Choral Festival (Northern Ireland), winning four first prizes and the prestigious Choir of Choirs award. At home they have secured numerous prizes at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Aberteifi Festival, and twice won the mixed competition at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod before becoming the first Welsh choir to win the coveted Choir of the World Trophy in 1998.

The choir has given concerts at leading venues including the Dom Cathedral in Berlin, the Thomaskirche in Leipzig (where J.S.Bach was Kapellmeister), Symphony Hall Birmingham and St. David’s Hall, Cardiff; appearing with leading artists such as Lesley Garrett, Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans, Dennis O’Neill, Catrin Finch and Philip Madoc, and in 2015 at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, with Wrexham Symphony Orchestra.

The choir was selected to represent Wales in Barcelona during the ‘Wales in Catalonia’ Celebrations and in 2009 and were chosen by the Ballet Rambert as their guest choir in performances at Theatr Clwyd Mold, of Howard Goodall’s new choral ballet ‘Eternal Light –a Requiem.’

In April 2018 they performed in a whirlwind tour of Rome – seven concerts in three days – at the invitation of the British Ambassador to Italy and the British Ambassador to the Holy See. One of the highlights of this tour was the performance of a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. The choir returned to Rome on the weekend of the 8th February 2019, again at the invitation of the British Ambassador to Italy and St Peter’s Basilica, and they were invited to lead the singing of the National Anthems of Italy and Wales on the pitch at the start of the Wales v Italy Six Nations Rugby match at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome.

The choir once again sang for Wales and Italy on the pitch at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on the 1st February at the start of the 2020 Six Nations Rugby Championship.

Cantorion Sirenian Singers regularly appear on radio and television and have released three CDs – ‘Rachmaninov to Rutter’, ‘Sirenians’ and ‘Christus Natus’.

Musical Director

Jean Stanley Jones MBE

Jean Stanley-Jones is acknowledged as one of Britain’s leading vocal trainers, choral conductors and adjudicators.

In recognition of her success, she has received numerous national and international awards, including special prizes for conducting and musicianship at the Bartok Festival in Hungary and at International Festivals in Italy, Budapest, Prague, Brittany and Cork. In the UK, awards include the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Elgar Festival, Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year, BBC Let the People Sing Competition and Llangollen International Eisteddfod. She was also awarded first prize at the BBC Wales Television Arts Awards for her dedication to and promotion of singing and her policy of commissioning new works.

Jean is the founder and Musical Director of the internationally acclaimed Cantorion Sirenian Singers; an adult mixed voice choir who were the first Welsh choir to win the prestigious Choir of the World competition at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, together with numerous accolades throughout Europe and the UK. She also founded and was conductor of the Flintshire Senior County Youth Choir and the Four Counties Mixed Youth Choir; the latter involving talented senior students from High Schools and Colleges across Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham. Jean was the inaugural conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and from 1999 – 2001 became the Musical Director of the National Youth Choir of Wales.

Jean has served on many adjudicating panels throughout the U.K. and abroad, including the first National Choir Olympics held in Linz, Austria, the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales and Llangollen International Eisteddfod. In recognition of her contribution to music in Wales, the University of Wales conferred on her an Honorary Degree of Master of Music in 2000 and in 2004 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Formerly Music Inspector/Adviser for Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy and Head of Music Service for Flintshire, Jean was given an MBE for her services to choral music in the 2007 Birthday Honours List.

Accompanist

Christopher Enston

Christopher Enston began organ studies with the late Geoffrey Knowles at the Parish Churches of Mold and Treuddyn, Flintshire, North Wales. He won the Sir Henry Coward organ scholarship to the University of Sheffield where he read Music and gained the ARCM and ARCO diplomas in his second year. He was the first organist to win an award from the Ryan Davies Memorial Trust, continuing his organ studies with Peter Hurford at the Royal Academy of Music where he won many awards including the WJ Kipps award twice, the Recital Diploma, LRAM and FRCO. He also won the HJC Stevens organ scholarship at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, broadcasting live on Radio 4. He won first prize in the Bach Class in the 1985 West of England Organ Festival in Bath Abbey and later studied in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain, winning the Gold Medal in the Preparatoire Superieure Class. He has performed in venues across the United Kingdom as well as in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

He was the accompanist for the Reading Phoenix Choir for twelve years and has appeared with them on BBC1, BBC2, Radio 2 and live on Radio 4. His playing has featured on the BBC’s Songs of Praise, Sunday Half Hour, Morning Worship, Silent Witness, Desert Island Discs and the 2018 BBC film A Christmas Carol. He has accompanied the choirs and soloists at the male voice choir festivals at the Royal Albert Hall. His organ playing has entertained the audiences at Llangollen International Eisteddfod and he has played many times for concerts and services at London’s Welsh chapels. He has twice conducted the combined choirs at the Annual National Seafarers’ Service at St Paul’s Cathedral in the presence of the Princess Royal. Christopher is currently organist of St Asaph Cathedral.

Piano

Lisa Harrison

Lisa started playing the piano at the age of five and had many successes at the Urdd Eisteddfod and the Chester Music Festival from an early age. Lisa was awarded a scholarship to study Music at Bangor University in 1999. She graduated with first class honors in 2002 after performing Mozart's Piano Concerto K453 with the University Symphony Orchestra and an extensive solo recital.

Since graduating, Lisa has been a Music teacher and Head of Department in secondary schools across North and Mid Wales. Lisa performs regularly at weddings and events in the local area, and is also a piano tutor for Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias.

History

Founded in 1990 by the celebrated conductor, Jean Stanley Jones MBE, Cantorion Sirenian Singers are a choir of some 50 voices based in North East Wales.

Achieving international recognition on the competitive and concert platforms, they are recognised for their unique sound, excellent technique and breadth of repertoire, achieving particular recognition for their promotion of Contemporary Welsh music.

The choir’s reputation has been founded on its considerable success at British and International Festivals.  First prizes were achieved at Budapest, Cork, Riva del Garda, Elgar Festival, Worcester, Choir of Choirs Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Freckleton and Peterborough. In 2011 they swept the board at Bangor International Choral Festival (Northern Ireland), winning four first prizes and the prestigious Choir of Choirs award. At home they have secured numerous prizes at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Aberteifi Festival, and twice won the mixed competition at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod before becoming the first Welsh choir to win the coveted Choir of the World Trophy in 1998.

The Sirenians have given concerts at leading venues including the Dom Cathedral in Berlin, the Thomaskirche in Leipzig (where J S Bach was Kapellmeister), Symphony Hall Birmingham and St. David’s Hall, Cardiff; appearing with leading artists such as Lesley Garrett, Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans, Dennis O’Neill, Catrin Finch and Philip Madoc.
They were the choir selected to represent Wales in Barcelona during the ‘Wales in Catalonia’ Celebrations and in 2009 were chosen by the Ballet Rambert as their guest choir in performances at Theatr Clwyd of Howard Goodall’s innovative choral ballet ‘Eternal Light –a Requiem', composed in 2008.

Cantorion Sirenian Singers regularly appear on radio and television and have released three CDs – ‘Rachmaninov to Rutter’, ‘Sirenians’ and ‘Christus Natus’.

Awards