| Spires Music | telephone: 02476 670211 |
Spires Board and management
The activities of Spires Music are controlled by Spires Music Limited, a company limited by guarantee (see foot of front page for statutory details). The current Directors of the Company are listed below. They are supported by a dedicated management team and a number of regular volunteers.
Keith Bowen (Chairman), formerly Professor of Engineering at the University of Warwick, is also Chairman of goHDR Ltd., a company exploiting High Dynamic Range video technology and Non-Executive Director at Circadian Solar Ltd, a solar energy company, both in Coventry. He was previously a Director of Bede plc until his retirement from the Board in 2005.
He devotes most of his retirement time to music and musical charities and is also President of Kammermusik Workshops, Inc., a nonprofit corporation running chamber music workshops in New Mexico, USA and in Oxford, England. He plays 2nd clarinet, basset horn and bass clarinet in Spires Philharmonic Orchestra, and is woodwind coach at the Ischia Chamber Music Festival. Keith is a member of the International Advisory Council of ACMP, the Chamber Music Network.
In addition to his scientific and professional qualifications (he holds a doctorate from Oxford University and is a Fellow of the Royal Society) he holds a Diploma in Music and an MA in Music from the Open University and has published articles on the history of the bass clarinet.
Colin
Touchin (Artistic Director and Conductor) is the founder of
Spires Music. He was Director of Music at the University of Warwick
for over 14 years.
His full biographical details are set out on a separate page here.
Nicola Fisher (Treasurer) is a Chartered Accountant with a lifelong interest in music, both as a performer and listener. She now runs her own small accountancy practice in Nuneaton.
Another clarinettist and recorder player she was a founder member of and played with Bedworth Symphony Orchestra for more than 30 years. A keen chamber music player she currently plays with the Braunston Ensemble.
As a singer Nicola has been a member of many local Choral Societies and now sings with Spires Philharmonic Chorus.
In her spare time Nicola is a gardener and cook, enjoys foreign travel, walks in the countryside and practises yoga. Her retirement ambition is to become a better violin player.
Michael Williamson
Biographical details to follow
Chris Wiltshire (Company Secretary) is a Chartered Accountant and a Senior Lecturer in Finance at the University of Gloucestershire. His musical credentials include an ATCL Diploma in Piano Accompaniment, and involvement as an Official Accompanist at the Leamington Spa and Birmingham competitive Festivals and until recently, duties as part of the team of accompanists at the annual NODA Summer School in Loughborough. He is a Director of the company which runs the very successful Stratford Music Centre.
Between its formation in 1999 and 2009 Chris was a vocal coach and rehearsal accompanist for Sing Live Central (part of Sing Live UK). His responsibilities included a number of opportunities to guest conduct the chorus and orchestra in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
He has worked regularly with Jayne May-Sysum, soprano, with whom he has presented concerts over a number of years, and released a CD covering a range of classical and non-classical styles.
In September 2009 he began an involvement with the new 250-strong Midland Voices which gave its inaugural concert at Warwick Arts Centre on 5th December 2009 and will present its next concerts on 3rd December 2011 and in May 2012.