Musical Director - Vicente Chavarría

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Vicente is conductor, composer and scholar based in London. He has worked with the Croydon Youth Orchestra, Oxford University Orchestra, Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra, and Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra, and participated in masterclasses with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, he has worked with all of the RCM orchestras and assisted such conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Andrew Gourlay, Maxim Vengerov, and Holly Mathieson. 

Vicente was Assistant Conductor for six productions of the RCM Opera Studio and assisted conductor Michael Rosewell at the English Touring Opera.  

A versatile musician, as a singer he performs with Dowland Works (with Dame Emma Kirkby) and the BBC Symphony Chorus, and has previously performed with LASchola, Bach-Collegium San Diego, the Boston Camerata and has participated in masterclasses with a variety of artists including Martyn Brabbins, Jac van Steen and the Hilliard Ensemble. A pupil of Morten Lauridsen and Haris Kittos, his compositions and arrangements have been performed around the world.  

Vicente holds previous degrees from the Universities of Miami and Southern California (USA), and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Leuven (Belgium). At the Royal College of Music he studied conducting with Peter Stark, Howard Williams, and Martyn Brabbins. He was previously the Artistic Director and Founder of the early music ensembles Flos Campi and La Monarca as well as the Fra Angelico Chamber Choir and Sibelius Camerata. 

In his very limited spare time he is the host of the podcast Singing For Your Supper and enjoys relaxing with a bit of plane spotting and cookery. 

"I'm very excited to be working with The Handful, whose skill and work ethic make them one of Bath's premier ensembles. I am excited to start exploring new repertoire and bringing some fabulous music-making to our audiences in the Bath area and hopefully beyond! The 21-22 season has represented a return to singing after a year of deprivation not only for us but for choral musicians across the country. We will revisit some old favourites while exploring some new repertoire by composers old and young (maybe even some premières!) as we further our work to raise our profile nationally. The future is ours to shape, and I'm grateful and giddy in equal measure to do so with The Handful." 

Want to find out more? Have a listen to this podcast where we introduce Vicente and hear him talk about our recent concert!