Musical Director
We welcome Tammas Slater as our Musical Director from Spring 2026.
A prize-winning graduate of Chetham’s School of Music, Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, Tammas Slater has partnered singers and instrumentalists at many of the UK’s most prestigious concert venues, including the Wigmore Hall, Leeds Lieder, and the Bridgewater Hall, and appeared on BBC Radio as a pianist, organist and composer.
Alongside his work as a concertising collaborative musician, Tammas has served as permanent accompanist to Cambridge University Symphony Chorus, Hertford Choral Society and the Academy Choir, Wimbledon. He has also worked as a rehearsal pianist for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and on opera and musical theatre productions at the Royal Academy of Music, Garsington Opera and Nova Music Opera.
Also a composer, and winner of BBC Young Composer of the Year, his works have been performed and commissioned by many ensembles, including the BBC Singers, Aurora Orchestra, Fidelio Trio and the Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge.
Alongside his playing work, Tammas has conducted Chetham’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Singers, and held positions as Conductor of Chetham’s Chorale, Assistant Conductor of Cambridge University Orchestra, and Conductor of Cambridge University Wind Orchestra.
Charlie Penn led us from 2022 to 2026.
Charlie Penn graduated from the University of Birmingham where he studied piano with Joseph Middleton. He has a busy freelance timetable as a versatile musician specialising in work with choirs of all ages and abilities. Charlie is a Britten-Pears Young Artist, previously joining the music staff for the award winning Grimes on the Beach in Aldeburgh. Alongside A440, he is director of the Harborough Singers as well as assistant director to Cantate Youth Choir and accompanist to Hertford Choral Society. He also works with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain as an accompanist and assistant conductor. Additionally, he delivers choral workshops in schools across the country with various organisations including regular work with Sinfonia Viva on their education and orchestral projects. On stage in the UK and Australia, he has appeared in Orpheus, an original piece devised and performed by Little Bulb Theatre, and as Keyboard 1 in an exciting new orchestration of the Threepennny Opera for the renowned Salzburg Festival. He has even made a brief appearance on the BBC’s The One Show, teaching Lee Mack some basic piano vamping!
Lucy Joy Morris was our MD from 2016 to 2022.
Lucy grew up in Berkshire and went on to study music at Queens’ College, Cambridge. Whilst there, she sang with Trinity College Choir, won the Beament Prize for outstanding musical performance, and conducted two orchestras for the University Music Society.
Lucy works with a number of county and national choirs, and is passionate about music education. Lucy was recently appointed as principal conductor of the National Boys’ Choir of Great Britain, and she is also a section coach for the National Youth Choirs of Scotland. Her other work includes conducting the Taplow Children’s and Boys’ Choirs and the Kingston Youth and Training Orchestras. Lucy is also Director of Music at Dartford Parish Church where she conducts the choir of choral scholars.
In July 2019, Lucy was appointed as Musical Director of the award-winning Cantate Youth Choirs in Hertfordshire, and is now responsible for directing and training their three choirs 6 to 18 year-olds. Lucy is in demand throughout the UK as an animateur, regularly running singing workshops and conducting thousands of children every year in singing festivals for massed schools.
