Bozeat Windmill Singers - Who's Who
This is the site for people who want to join or support The Bozeat Windmill Singers, a mixed four part choir for experienced and novice singers; currently of approximately Thirty-five members, that meets Tuesday evenings during school term time at the St. Mary's Church Community Hall, Allens Hill, in the village. We sing a broad range of musical genre, ranging from modern and popular, show songs and medleys, through to light classical etc.
Profiles of Members
Here we have the profiles of our Musical Director and Pianist.
Musical Director from 2013 - Anna Denny.
Anna Denny took on the baton of Musical Director of Bozeat Windmill Singers in 2013, with assurance from her predecessor, Marian, that her then small baby daughter would grow up. You may now see this daughter trying her hand at conducting from the audience at Windmill Singers events!
Anna has lived in Bozeat for several years longer than this, with her husband, cat and now two children. Growing up "over the water" in Earls Barton, Anna took part in many of the now Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust (NMPAT) activities, including the county Youth Orchestra, bands, Wellingborough Music Centre - and she was a founder member of Northampton County Youth Choir and the Chamber Choir. At school she was always "that Anna Hall… plays the violin…", and created and participated in choirs and ensembles which took part in a wide range of events, locally, around the county and nationally. She also rang church bells and regularly "swapped" with Bozeat ringers for practices in each other's parishes.
Anna has over 25 years of professional practice in arts and music, including leading and facilitating workshops and project delivery - including sessions of singing, music making, knitting and crochet(!) - for people from preschool age to elderly residents in sheltered housing environments, and probably every age in between. Currently also a member of staff at NMPAT, Anna's more local experiences include working at The Castle, Wellingborough, Events Management for the Borough Council of Wellingborough, General Manager of Milton Keynes City Orchestra, and Education Manager at Milton Keynes Theatre. Other experiences have included the Orchestra of St John's Smith Square, Derngate Theatre, Cambridge Drama Centre, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, the Royal Opera House and Welsh National Opera, and on Cats and Les Miserables in the West End. For pleasure, experiences have included rehearsing and performing with Cambridge Philharmonic Choir, Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra, Cambridge University Music Society and others (and she still squeals about being brought in by conductor Daniel Harding with a flick of his little finger…!).
Anna has a BA(hons) in Music and an MA in Arts Management. Her principal studies were on violin and viola, and included jazz singing!
Working with the Windmill Singers can be immensely enjoyable - Anna aims to maintain a performance ready repertoire which includes lots of works written and arranged by John Rutter, songs and medleys from the stage and screen, familiar pop songs and old favourites, and almost always has something on the go to be ready for the Christmas festivities.
Vice - President and Pianist - Sue Partridge-Underwood BEM.
Sue Partridge-Underwood is married to Tom. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.
Sue started piano lessons with Mrs Coombs of Finedon at the age of 6. During her early teenage years she played the piano for Finedon Sunday School and as the years and her confidence grew she played for church services in village chapels, having had a few lessons on a pipe organ!! She continued her piano lessons, playing duets with her teacher, until she left to marry Tom at the age of 19, when she moved to Bozeat.
At the time when their children attended Bozeat Primary School she played for assemblies and concerts at the school.
In the mid 1980’s the organist of Bozeat Independent Wesleyan Chapel retired due to poor health and the mantle fell on Sue who has been their regular musician ever since.
In the early 90’s she was approached by Marian Brown and asked if she would consider accompanying a village choir. Plans were set and an advert was placed in the village magazine asking if anyone was interested in joining a choir. The response was overwhelming and at Bozeat Independent Wesleyan Chapel on March 9th 1993 Bozeat Windmill Singers was born. Sue considers it a privilege and pleasure to have been their practice and concert pianist ever since. Sue was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Music in the 2021 New Years Honours list.
Singing for Pleasure
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This page was last updated on 26 May 2021.
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