Here are a few details of our musical officers.

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Bridget Budge — Musical Director

Bridget Budge joins us in 2005 as Choral Director, and in 2006 as Musical Director. On graduating from Cambridge University, where she was a choral exhibitioner at Trinity College under Richard Marlow, Bridget completed her singing studies in London at both the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Rudolf Piernay, and subsequently as the Opera Scholar at the Royal College of Music with Marion Studholme.

She has worked with Scottish Opera, participated in The London International Opera Festival and appeared at St. John's Smith Square in an opera gala.

However, it is largely as a concert singer and recitalist that Bridget is known, having worked widely in England and in Germany. Highlights have included Elgar's "Sea Pictures" (conducted by the late Norman Del Mar), Verdi's "Requiem Mass" (conducted by Sir David Willcocks, Royal Albert Hall), Beethoven's "Choral Symphony " (Guildford Philharmonic), etc.

She has toured worldwide with both the Westdeutscher Rundfunk and the Berliner Rundfunk ensembles with whom she has appeared as soloist in a variety of contemporary works including Stravinsky's "Mass in C" and Seter's "Dithyramb & Festive Songs”.

She now lives in Halifax and is in demand as a singing teacher and vocal coach. She presently teaches at Leeds University, and has coached the monks at The Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield.

She has recently made her début as vocal soloist with the Black Dyke Band.

Nick Concannon Hodges

Since taking over the Todmorden Orchestra at the start of the 2006/7 season, Nick has enjoyed a succession of enjoyable and successful performances which led to his appointment as conductor of the Burnley Municipal Orchestra and Chorus in September 2007. He has continued to develop good relationships with both orchestras and chorus based on enjoyable and productive rehearsals as well as rewarding performances. He also conducts Congleton Choral Society.

He has conducted orchestras in Italy, Holland, Sweden, Eire and the Czech Republic. In London Nick has worked with I Maestri of London, the Croydon Symphony Orchestra and the Whitehall Orchestra, the Thames Concert Orchestra and Sinfonia da Capo. As a choral conductor, he directed the Peoples’ Proms Chorus, Staines and the choir of St Peter’s Church, Staines. Between 1999 and 2006 he worked with the Haslemere Music Society as assistant conductor and leader of the orchestra.

Nick studied violin at the Royal College of Music where he as awarded the Royal Orchestral Society Prize. His conducting studies began in 1998 and have taken him all over Europe where he studied privately with a variety of teachers including the internationally renowned pedagogue Jorma Panula.

Elizabeth Taylor — Leader

Elizabeth Taylor came to prominence locally as the leader of the Calderdale Youth Symphony Orchestra. She joined the PSM orchestra at its inception and has led the orchestra with great accomplishment since 1988.

Halifax-born Liz is a graduate of Trinity College of Music, and winner of various music prizes. She lives and works in Lincolnshire, where she teaches and performs professionally.