Our Musical Director, Isobel Collyer joined us earlier this year.

She began singing professionally while still an undergraduate at Oxford, continuing to postgraduate study of singing (Early Music) at the Royal College of Music. She was later awarded a place to train as a voice coach with The Voice Workshop in central London, where she taught as part of an innovative and multidisciplinary team, before further training with the Acting Company of the Arts Educational London Schools.

 Isobel has performed all over the UK as well as extended periods of touring in mainland Europe, including a teaching post at the Institute fur Musiktheater in Karlsruhe, Germany, before setting up The Voice Studio in Marlborough.

 She has taught in the Newbury area for over 20 years, running courses and workshops at Newbury College, and further afield for The Federation of Entertainment Unions, Equity, Oxford Royale Academy and a singles club.  She combines a comprehensive knowledge of classical singing with a holistic approach to voice production, a high level proficiency in Yoga (RYT 500) and training in meditation and mindfulness. She is a long-term student of Advaita Vedanta.

 Isobel continues to perform with Charivari Agreable (Oxford), Luminatus, (West Midlands) and sings regularly at church services in London and Eton.  She is also pleased to be working with Company Gabrielle Moleta on a new and evolving piece about the life of deer, and on her own programmes of sacred chant through the ages.

Watership Cantaile started life as an 'a cappella' group and that also reflects our activities over the past 3 years. We had 2 previous leaders who could also accompany us on a keyboard, again enlarging on what we were able to sing.  We sing a wide variety of music - sacred and secular through the centuries, modern pieces and some folk.  We rehearse weekly in Thatcham on a Thursday evening and aim to produce 2/3 concerts a year.

 Do you have experience with choirs such as ours?  If this could be of interest to you, please contact us via the ‘Contact’ link on this website.

- Chris Druce, Watership Cantabile Chair