Our Musical Director

Richard Edwards is a Graduate and Fellow of Trinity College of Music in London.  He spent the greater part of his teaching career on the music staff of the City of London School where he was also Master of the Junior School.  For over 25 years of that time he was one of the Gentleman of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace.  On “retirement” from school he was appointed Music Director of the Ealing Junior Music School which provides specialist tuition for pupils between the ages of four and eighteen.

On moving to Devon he was asked to become founding Music Director of the Bondleigh Barn Band, a group which does for instrumental players what Okehampton Choral Society aims to do for singers.  From a group of six players, the band has grown to an “orchestra” of over forty.

Our Accompanist

Roger Cleverdon studied at the Guildhall School of Music. He was a chorister at Exeter Cathedral before singing as a Lay Vicar at Westminster Abbey between 1965 and 2001, combining this with freelance piano and organ playing and singing.

Roger worked with Donald Swann from 1971 to 1992 in two shows, ‘Between the Bars’ and ‘A Crack in Time.’

Roger has sung with the Two Ronnies and was one of the original Lumberjacks in the famous Monty Python sketch.

Since retiring to Hatherleigh he has contributed hugely to local music, including a hilarious performance of Flanders and Swann songs to raise money for local causes.