Suzzie Vango

PERFORMING “A superlative performance” “A spectacularly effulgent soprano” – Birmingham Post “She sings with an easy, folk-inflected style which is both beautiful and very touching” – William Hadley (musicweb-international.com) “Beautifully haunting” – BBC Gramophone Magazine Suzzie is in demand as a soloist and choral performer featuring in performances throughout the UK in venues such as Cadogan Hall, Symphony and Town Hall Birmingham, The Royal Albert Hall, Derby Cathedral and Malmesbury Abbey. She has sung for many professional consorts including Ex Cathedra, The Eric Whitacre Singers, Howard Goodall’s Enchanted Voices, Tenebrae and Chamber Choir Ireland. Suzzie has also recently worked as a soloist with The Orchestra of St Pauls and The Orchestra of the Swan on BBC Radio 4. In 2013 Suzzie appeared in “Howard Goodall’s Story of Music” on the BBC and a performance of Stockhausen’s “Mittwoch Aus Licht” in 2013 BBC Proms with Ex Cathedra. CONDUCTING Suzzie continues to have a varied conducting career that takes her all around the UK and abroad to work with professional and amateur choirs of all ages. She channels her musicality, knowledge of the voice, teaching experiences and joy of music-making into achieving the very best sound from any choir. She conducts the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, Ex Cathedra Girls Academy, Chipping Campden Young Voices and Edgbaston High School Chamber & Junior Choirs. Suzzie is the assistant conductor of Wyre Forest Young Voices and Kidderminster Choral Society and co-director of the professional ensemble Papagena. She will make her debut conducting the Orchestra of the Swan Chamber Choir in 2015. At home and abroad Suzzie has led adult choirs in Estonia, China and Thailand, programmed and directed choirs for Sing for Pleasure’s UK Summer School (2010-12). Suzzie recently rehearsed professional Midlands based choir, Ex Cathedra for the world premiere of Macmillan's Seven Angels and is a guest conductor for them. She has conducted at Birmingham Symphony and Town Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, The Adrian Boult Hall, Rochester Cathedral, at Spitalfields and Lichfield Musical Festivals and at the One Young World Summit in addition to numerous television and radio appearances. VOICE COACHING “I can't go to bed tonight without thanking you for such an inspirational, knowledgeable, informative, warm, fun and friendly day” – Sue Mason, Director of U3A (Harlow) “I can’t express how impressed I was. We are all so inspired….you knew exactly which kind of teaching was appropriate to each group” – Pam Cunningham, National Association of Choirs. Suzzie’s versatility as a voice specialist, conductor and teacher positions her uniquely amongst her contemporaries. She is in high demand as a Voice Coach and Workshop Leader across the UK and runs her own successful series of “Come and Sing!” days for adult choirs. Suzzie is/has been a Voice Coach to choral societies in Kidderminster, Essex and Wimbledon, and has delivered choral training workshops to groups including The University of the Third Age (Harlow), The Lowrie Girls(Portsmouth), The Rainbow Singers(Birmingham), Kingston Orpheus Choir and Woking Choral Society. She has been invited to Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok for the past six years to deliver a week-long singing programme for children, staff and parents, has delivered workshops to young adults with special educational and physical needs for the Music of Life Foundation and for young singing leaders at Glyndebourne Youth Opera, and has led adults and children at the BBC Blast festival in Birmingham. EDUCATION “Suzzie is a bundle of fizzy enthusiasm” – Linda Jeffcut, Head Teacher (Blockley Primary) "Having Suzzie Vango in front of a hall full of children is like watching poetry in motion. She has them eating out of her hand a having such a fantastic time singing they don't want to stop. And they shouldn't. Children need every opportunity to sing with an excellent Vocal leader and that is exactly what Suzzie is." – Manvinder Rattan, Musical Director of John Lewis Partnership, Judge on BBC The Choir Suzzie has trained teachers, choral conductors, singing leaders and secondary & primary school children to be better song leaders. She is equally comfortable coaching semi-professional conductors as she is leading and preparing ‘Big Sings’ with hundreds of children and working one-to-one with the shyest child in the class. Suzzie has been a guest trainer for National Singposium, National Youth Choir of Scotland,Council of British International Schools, The Elmley Foundation, Kent and Derby Music Services and Music Leader West Midlands. She has featured on BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters and Teacher’s TV “Inspirations” programme as part of her extensive work with the Ex Cathedra Education team. Suzzie has been involved at both planning and delivery levels in their award winning projects Singing Medicine and Singing Playgrounds. Suzzie has led “Big Sings” alongside other members of the Ex Cathedra Vocal Tutor team with up to 1,000 children in “Sing Up! in the Park” days in Derby and Birmingham. She has also worked with their Vocal Academy for young singers to prepare them for performances with the professional adult choir in major choral works including: Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the world premier of Alec Roth’s Hymn to Gaia. Suzzie has written a number of successful children’s songs and warm-ups which have been published (see Songs section on her website for more details).