About Us

Headington Singers was founded in 1985 by six enthusiasts, some of them still active with us, to create a local group for choral singers in Headington and East Oxford. Since then we have gone from strength to strength and our membership now numbers around 60 - 70 people, some of them travelling from outside Oxford.

Our aims are simple - to sing great choral music for the sheer love of it and to attain a performance standard that inspires and entertains our audiences. Under our conductor of the last eight years, Sally Mears, we have tackled a wide repertoire from choral classics to rarely performed pieces. We are an enthusiastic and above all friendly group and extend a warm welcome to new singers. No previous experience of choral singing is necessary - and nor do we audition.

Headington Singers is a registered charity affiliated to Making Music (the National Federation of Music Societies).

Read more about first 25 years here.

Who's who in Headington Singers

The day to day running of the choir falls to our committee

Acting Chair: Hilary Bradley
Secretary: Paul Nicholson
Treasurer: Margaret Pargeter
Librarian: Thelma Sanders
Federal Representative: Carolyn Gulliver
Maureen Cooper
Richard Fairfield
Sally Mears
Ann McIlhinney
Eddie Murphy
Stephen Pegg
Lesley Sutton
Jane Williams

Our conductor and musical director is Sally Mears who has brought tremendous energy and infectious enthusiasm to the choir since 1996. Sally read music at Merton College, Oxford then studied conducting as a part-time student at the Guildhall, London, becoming a finalist in the British Federation of Young Choirs conducting competition. She now teaches piano at St Helen's and St Katharine's School, Abingdon.
Sally also takes a "Singing for Health" Group run by Age Concern at the Abingdon Music Centre , and she is vocal consultant to the Abingdon Ladies' Choir.

More about Sally.

Sally Mears (left), our conductor, with accompanist Maureen Cooper

Sally is ably supported by our accompanist, Maureen Cooper, a founder member of the choir. Maureen has been accompanying choirs since she was at school. Having graduated from the Royal College of Music she worked as a Head of Music in London schools before moving to Oxford. She is now Head of Piano at Headington School, teaching the piano at school and at home. Maureen's other work includes her role as an official accompanist for the Oxford Music Festival.