Elliot Mercer is an energetic and engaging conductor, singer and teacher based in London, known for his work on high-quality music-making with singers spanning a range of ages and experiences. As well as working with Bookham Choral Society, he is a Conductor at the Royal College of Music Junior Department, Assistant Choral Director for Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, Assistant Conductor at the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain and Director of Co-Curricular Music at an award-winning leading independent girls’ school in central London. He is regularly in demand to lead singing workshops, work with choirs and teach singing across the country.

Elliot is a passionate advocate for choirs and singing, remaining engaged in the latest research on music psychology, music education and the success of people singing in groups. He remains active as a singer and has completed training, including the Vocal Health First Aid Certificate with Vocal Health Education. Elliot has sung in National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and CBSO Chorus and has been Musical Director for The People’s Show Choirs and Ring of Sound Community Choir among other ensembles in London and Birmingham. Recently, he has worked with the London Youth Choirs as an Assistant Leader, London Youth Conservatoire as their Choir Leader, the national choral charity, Sing for Pleasure as Executive Assistant, and with Crouch End Festival Chorus as their Young Conducting Scholar. Away from music, he enjoys reading, baking lots of bread and refereeing football, but has never been able to introduce singing properly into his game management.

Anthony began his musical career at the age of seven, when he won a Choral Scholarship to Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He performed as a chorister on BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and sang with the Choir during overseas tours to the USA, Canada, Belgium and Denmark. He also sang on numerous recordings, most notably Britten's War Requiem conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.​​​​​ As a music scholar at Shrewsbury School.

He composed his first musical "Troy", which was featured on ITV news. By the age of 15 he was the accompanist for the Shrewsbury School Choral Society and the school's Big Band. Anthony works widely with choirs, both large and small. In recent years he has worked with the children's choruses in Glyndebourne Festival and touring productions of Hansel & Gretel and La Boheme. ​His musical "The Truth Stops Here" premiered at Esher Theatre in 2022 to full houses. Anthony is Director of Music at the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey.

Victoria Barnes is Co-Principal second violin of the English National Ballet Philharmonic. She also freelances with many orchestras nationwide, as well as teaching the violin and viola at City of London Freemen's School.

Helen works as a Tutor for The Benedetti Foundation and as a Mentor for Music For Youth’s Accelerando Programme, which aims to build music teaching capacity for pupils in disadvantaged areas of London. She is also the Specialist Music Teacher at Royal Kent School and teaches violin and viola at Manor House School, Rosebery School and privately. In her limited spare time, she loves playing chamber music.

Christopher is a freelance viola player, regularly playing with several orchestras around the country. Recently these have included London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Christopher enjoys the variety of concerts, recordings and chamber music that he is involved in, as well as travelling the world as a touring musician.

Jennifer loves a varied career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher with an especial love for chamber music. She was a prize winner in the 1991 Shostakovich International Chamber Music Competition in St Petersburg, for more than 20 years toured and recorded with The Musicke Companye (baroque ensemble) and currently performs with The Mordkovitch Trio, and as a duo with guitarist Fiona Harrison. 

Matilda Hazell is a soprano from Leeds in her final undergraduate year at the Royal Academy of Music, where she holds a scholarship and studies with Piran Legg.

Her credits include the Three Boys in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and the Shepherd Boy in Puccini’s Tosca, both with Opera North. She recently performed the role of Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief at the Royal Academy of Music, having previously appeared in the chorus of Gluck’s Orfeo. She has also performed with the Exon Singers at the Tavistock Music Festival, and her screen credits include a singing role in Alan Bennett’s film The Choral.

Zeshaan Shain is a classically-trained Tenor and Vocal Leader from East London, currently training under Neil Baker. Zeshaan graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with a first-class degree in Vocal Performance, where he sang for their Chamber Choir and appeared in various opera scenes and productions, some highlights including the roles of Pitichinaccio (The Tales of Hoffman), Don Alfonso (Cosi Fan Tutte), and Count Almaviva (La Mere Coupable). Around this time, Zeshaan also sang for The Opera Makers and for the Black British Classical Music foundation, performing solo arias in Handel’s Messiah.

Zeshaan continued his studies in Advanced Vocal Performance at Morley Opera College under music director Panaretos Kyriatzidis. Zeshaan has worked closely with Blackheath Halls for a number of years, leading workshops and events not only for their youth choir, but also for the wider public to build community engagement through opera and singing. Zeshaan annually returns to Trinity Laban for their CoLab festival, leading performance showcases in Barbershop and Close Harmony. Zeshaan was one of Sing for Pleasure’s Young Conducting Scholars 25/26, training in Vocal Leadership and Choral Conducting. He currently works for the Redbridge Music Service as a Singing Teacher and Choral Co-ordinator, and holds the Tenor Scholarship with Islington Choral Society.

Bass-Baritone Felix Dickenson was born and raised in Yorkshire and now resides in London. A versatile musician, his solo performances have included Handel’s Alceste, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and the Brahms, Fauré and Duruflé Requiem settings.

He is also a professional music theatre performer and has originated roles in British and American new works of musical theatre. He has toured across Europe as a member of  jazz, classical and contemporary vocal ensembles. When not singing, Felix is also an award-winning music producer, arranger and workshop leader.

This is his second time as a soloist for Bookham Choral Society and he is delighted to be making a return.