The Hill Singers work with young professional soloists and perform three public concerts a year. The regular venue for the concerts is St Matthews Church, Durham Road, Raynes Park, SW20, which has one of the finest acoustics in the borough and is a much sought after concert venue.

We perform a broad range of music - from Monteverdi through Purcell, Handel and Mozart to Vaughan Williams, Britten and Gorecki. The choir has also given a number of first performances of pieces, specially written for them and in June 2000 commissioned Nick O'Neill to write his 'riverunstill' for the choir's 50th Anniversary Concert.

Notable performances, in recent years have included Fauré's ‘Requiem’, Finzi’s ‘In Terra Pax’, Mozart’s Requiem’ and Bernstein’s ‘Chichester Psalms’. Secular music is also very much part of the choir’s performing tradition and the June 2007 concert featured music by George Gershwin, Richard Rogers and Cole Porter.

A bit of history

2010 marks the beginning of the Hill Singers 60th Anniversary season. The choir is aptly named after Wimbledon Hill, one of the highest roads in the borough and the choir aims for a high standard of performance.

Over the past 60 years, the choir has enjoyed association with many notable musicians: Sir Colin Davis, who conducted the choir from 1952-54; Gregory Rose, composer and conductor, 1978-81; Darrel Davison, conductor and Director of the Arthur Davison Family Concerts, 1981-87; Peter Barley, 1991-97, and Alex Mason,1997-02, Directors of Music at St. Patrick's, Dublin and St. David's Cathedrals, respectively.

Soloists who have appeared with the choir include Brian Kay, Felicity Lott, Rogers Covey Crump. Paul Hillier, Lorna Anderson, James Gilchrist, Susan Gritton, Iestyn Davies, Roderick Williams and a finalist in the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Wendy Dawn Thompson.

Iestyn Evans - Musical Director

Iestyn was appointed conductor of the Hill Singers in September 2006. Originally from west Wales he was organ scholar of St David's Cathedral before going up to The Queen's College, Oxford where he read music. After graduating, he was appointed Organ Scholar of Westminster Cathedral and subsequently, of Westminster Abbey, whilst completing a postgraduate performance course at the Royal Academy of Music.

Iestyn is now Assistant Director of Music at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Kensington, where he conducts the school's First Orchestra, and was Organist of St Etheldreda's Church, Ely Place for seven years. In January 2007 he moved to St James's Church, Spanish Place where he plays for Mass on Sundays and feast days for the professional choir there.

Amongst his more eccentric performances, was a complete cycle of the organ work of J.S. Bach within twenty-four hours, when he raised over £6,000 towards a school tour to America.