The English soprano, choral conductor and voice teacher, Fiona Clarke (her married name is Fiona Evans), studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Fiona Clarke has sung solo in opera and concerts. As a professional singer she has travelled around the world with groups such as The Sixteen (1989-1994). She appears on numerous recordings as well as the sound tracks to many films. She has worked with Mike Brewer (Director of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain), Sir Roger Norrington (conductor), Bob Chilcott (choral composer and conductor), Lin Marsh (composer and animateur), John Rutter (composer and conductor), Harry Christophers (conductor), among masny others.
Salisbury Community Choir (SCC) was formed in 1993 from an evening class entitled 'Singing for Non Singers'. Fiona Clarke became Musical Director in 1998 and under her leadership the choir increased its popularity, along with its membership, growing in under 10 years from 22 to over 200 members, one of the largest choirs in the area. In 2001 the choir embarked on its first European tour to Germany; this was followed in 2003 with a trip to Paris, in 2005 to Poland and in 2007 to Cape Town. The choir has developed a reputation for giving performances which are both thought provoking and fun. Various institutions ask us to perform concerts for them, including the National Trust at Stourhead for their Festival of the Voice, Salisbury Cathedral for their lunchtime concerts and Studio Theatre at the Salisbury City Hall. In January 2009, Jeremy Backhouse took over as Musical Director, succeeding Fiona Clarke.
Fiona Clarke is in demand as a singer, teacher, workshop leader and choral director. Her passion for encouraging the timid singer to learn to express themselves in song through fun and a rock solid vocal technique has led to the success of her choirs. She develops the voice through repertoire chosen specifically to help with certain vocal areas. Confidence is gained through a greater knowledge of the voice and performance preparation. |