About Us
The Choir and Rehearsals
Garleton Singers is a performance choir based in East Lothian. We enjoy singing a varied repertoire of major choral works, ranging from Mozart to Karl Jenkins, as well as Christmas carols, operatic choruses, modern popular classics and west end musicals.
We hold three main concerts a year - Christmas, Spring and Summer, with occasional special performances such as our 2017 Edinburgh Festival concert and our 2018 performance of Karl Jenkins' "The Armed Man" to commemorate 100 years since the end of WWI.
In 2020 we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary.
The Choir rehearse on Mondays evenings during the singing season – September to June at the fabulous venue of St Marys Church in Haddington, Sidegate EH41 4BZ . Rehearsals run from 7.30 to 9.30pm with a short tea and coffee break where you can chat to other members and enjoy a well deserved break!
Occasionally we hold open rehearsals when non-members are welcome to come along and see whether they might like to join us. These are advertised in the East Lothian press and will be posted on the Home page/Notice Board section of this website. They are usually at the beginning of the season, in September. But you are welcome to try us out throughout the session. If you wish to attend a rehearsal outwith an open session, please contact the Secretary (see Contacts page).
We are a Registered Charity (SC002500) regulated by the Scottish Charities Regulator www.oscr.org.uk
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Musical Director
Stephen Doughty
Stephen Doughty enjoys a varied career as a freelance musician. During his 11-year tenure as Chorus Master of Belfast Philharmonic Choir the choir gave a number of world premieres including James Whitbourn’s The Seven Heavens, Philip Hammond’s Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic, performed exactly 100 years since the liner went down, and the European premieres of both Stuart Scott’s Requiem Brevis and Christopher Marshall’s Earthsong. He particularly enjoys working with amateur singers and is Musical Director of Edinburgh Bach Choir (since 2017) and has been Musical Director of the Garleton Singers since 1994. Stephen has recently been appointed Chorus Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus, a position he took up in September 2022.
He was Director of Music of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh for 18 years, directing the 30-voice choir through the full range of sung services which also included large-scale, orchestrally-accompanied services during the Edinburgh Festival. As a keyboard player, he plays harpsichord/organ continuo and orchestral piano and has given frequent organ recitals including several four-star recitals on the grand Mulholland Organ in the Ulster Hall, Belfast.
He has compiled a large portfolio of arrangements and orchestrations, particularly for young voices, and has received commissions from Children’s Classic Concerts, Ulster Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In addition, the BBC have commissioned a number of arrangements which have been performed on BBC Alba and the Last Night of the Proms and his pieces feature on several recordings. More information about his arrangements, including commissions can be found at www.stephendoughty.co.uk.
Finally he is an Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
ACCOMPANIST
Caroline Cradock
Caroline Cradock was appointed as accompanist to Garleton Singers in January 2019. She began her musical education by learning the piano at the age of 10 and singing in the church choir from the age of 13. She took up playing the organ at the age of 16, and later graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BMus(Hons) in music and a PhD in French Organ masses (2007).
Caroline has been Director of Music at a number of churches in Edinburgh, most recently at Christ Church, Morningside from 2000 - 2005. Since 2005 she has been Assistant Organist at St John's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh, and she is currently Interim Director of Music there.
Caroline has worked with a number of choirs over the years, including holding the position of accompanist to the NYCoS Midlothian Area Choir and playing for a number of concerts with Garleton Singers in the past. Highlights of 2018 for Caroline have included accompanying the St John's Choir in performances of Duruflé's Requiem and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Garleton Singers in Karl Jenkin's The Armed Man.
When not accompanying choirs or playing the organ, Caroline is a secondary school music teacher working in West Lothian.
History
The Garleton Singers choir is based in East Lothian and was founded in 1970 by Catherine Welsh. In 1995, Stephen Doughty replaced Catherine as Musical Director, and he has now spent over 20 years guiding us to the musical heights (and, occasionally, depths).
Our main venue is the beautifully-restored medieval Church of St Mary in Haddington, but the choir enjoys touring further afield. We gave concerts in Germany in 2014, and a number of choir members toured with the Belfast Philharmonic to Poland and the Ukraine in 2017. We have sung throughout Scotland in collaboration with other choirs and orchestras, including the St Andrews Chorus and Edinburgh Philomusica.
We enjoy singing a varied repertoire of major choral works, ranging from Vivaldi to Karl Jenkins, as well as carols, operatic choruses and modern popular classics. The Garleton Singers hold three main concerts a year (our Christmas Carol Concert a firm favourite for our Haddington audience), with occasional special performances such as our 2017 Edinburgh Festival concert and our 2018 performance of Karl Jenkins The Armed Man to commemorate 100 years since the end of WWI.
general data protection regualtion policy (gdpr)
Garleton Singers: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The purpose of this statement is to provide you with details of how Garleton Singers will collect, store and use the personal data you supply, in accordance with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Personal data is defined as information which relates to identifiable living individuals. We will act in accordance with the legislation and strive to meet current best practice with regard to the processing of personal data.
1. Collection of personal data:
Garleton Singers collects and stores certain personal data from members and people seeking membership of the Choir, the Friends of Garleton Singers, people who attend our concerts or are otherwise supporters of the Choir. These data will include your name, address, email address and telephone number(s). This information may be held on paper or electronically (on personal computers) by Officers of the Choir, Committee members or other Choir members helping the Committee. All data held in electronic format will be password protected. Garleton Singers will follow procedures to ensure that all those who have access to any personal data held by the Choir are fully aware of their duties under the GDPR.
2. Use of personal data:
Garleton Singers will only use your data for the purposes for which it is provided or for purposes to which you have explicitly consented, namely: • to keep you informed of choir activities • to share information contributed by Choir members • to advise you of other music-related events in the local area. Your data will not be shared with third parties without your permission.
3. Consent to hold your personal data: Garleton Singers will only hold your personal data if you have given your express consent. This will be sought via annual Choir Membership forms, Friends of Garleton Singers forms, and mailing list slips for completion by audience members.
4. Access to, deletion and correction of your personal data:
We will supply you, on request, with a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Should you discover any inaccuracies in your personal information, please notify Garleton Singers as soon as possible and we will then correct our records. Should you wish us to delete your personal data, please notify us as soon as possible. In all cases please contact us by email at garletonsingers@gmail.com giving your name and address.
5. Privacy Policy Review:
Garleton Singers undertakes to keep this statement and our policy under regular review and in line with any future changes in regulatory requirements.