Nick Milburn 

Musical Director

Nick has been Musical Director of the Nottingham Hospitals Choir since 2006 and  Burton Joyce Choral Society since 2014. He is also a tenor lay clerk in the choir of St Barnabas (Nottingham) Cathedral. He holds an honours degree in music at Anglia Ruskin University  in Cambridge where he majored on Oboe and held the post of chapel organist at St Edmunds College; his many musical interests include: piano, oboe, organ, percussion, singing and conducting. He has conducted in many locations including: Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall, Albert Hall, St Barnabas Cathedral, Southwell Minster, as well as Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.

Nick has a passion for the music of contemporary composers, performing in several first performances of the music of Alex Patterson and Amy Summers, and has commissioned works from Alan Bullard, Nick Thorpe, Rob Steadman and most recently, Colin Wolfe, as well as championing the music of Bob Chilcott.

 

Nick has worked at local Music Shop, Windblowers, since graduating in 1998 and since their closure in 2022 is now General Manager of the new Windblowers. He has attended workshops with Sir Colin Davis, Bob Chilcott, Nigel Perrin and Sir Andrew Davis.

 

He has toured extensively as a musician throughout Europe and also to the Eastern USA, Australia and Singapore. Nick can sometimes be heard on BBC Radio Nottingham’s Sunday morning show with John Holmes MBE, as a guest reviewer. Nick has added the skill of Choral workshop leader, and has adjudicated at several music festivals in the local area.

 

In his spare time he and his partner Amy take their cocker spaniel on walks and enjoy time away, especially in the Yorkshire Dales, and Menorca.

 

 

Gill Shaw

Accompanist

Gill is a piano teacher at Nottingham Girls’ High School and has extensive experience accompanying vocalists, instrumentalists and ensembles. She accompanies recitals and graded exams at all levels, and is an accompanist for events both at school and in the wider community (such as Nottingham Young Musician of the Year and as from Spring 2024, for Cantamus Training Choir). She is a second study flautist and has performed in a wide range of ensembles over the years, including the National Flute Orchestra.

 

Gill graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 1997, before completing her PGCE at the University of Leeds and a masters degree at the Royal College of Music.

 

 

 

 

Dr Keith Girling

President

Dr. Keith Girling is the Medical Director of the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.  He became President of the Nottingham Hospitals Choir in 2019 and says:

'The Hospitals Choir has been part of the life of the Nottingham Hospitals for 50 years and I count it a huge privilege to be the President at this particular time. The choir performs a number of very professional contributions through the year at a wide selection of events and the members clearly enjoy what they do immensely and their commitment, some for over 40 years, is testament to how much this has come to mean to them. If you enjoy singing then I would encourage you to consider joining and if you, like me, are better placed to enjoy the music presented then please do come along and support the events that are described on this web-'site. In doing so, you will not only encourage the choir but also will be supporting key charitable projects through the Nottingham Hospitals.'
 

 

Alan Bullard

Patron

Our patron is the world renowned composer Alan Bullard. Alan was born in 1947, grew up in London and studied with Geoffrey Flowers and Desmond Swinburn when at school, then with Herbert Howells and Antony Hopkins at the Royal College of Music, and with Arnold Whittall at Nottingham University. 

He has been writing music all his life, and frequently undertakes commissions for choral societies, church choirs, orchestral societies and many other ensembles. His choral music, both sacred and secular, has been performed in a wide range of venues in the UK, the USA, and elsewhere. Many of his choral works are published by Oxford University Press, and he is the editor of, and contributor to, The Oxford Book of Flexible Anthems, The Oxford Book of Flexible Carols, and the Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems. His works are recorded on CD by such ensembles as Selwyn College Choir, Kings College Choir, The Sixteen, and are regularly broadcast in the UK and the US. 

As well as music for a wide range of ensembles and soloists, he has also written much educational music, including the Joining the Dots sight-reading series (ABRSM) and, jointly with his wife Janet, the Pianoworks series (OUP). 

He holds an ARCM from the Royal College of Music, a BMus from London University, an MA from Nottingham University and a DU (Honorary Doctorate) from Essex University. 

For more information see Alans own website.