TUTORS

Learn from leading West End performers, vocal coaches and directors.

Check retreat pages to find out which members of our team will be joining your chosen retreat.

Rachel Wise

Guest Mentor
Rachel is an opera director and movement specialist, awarded ‘Outstanding Young Creative Talent’, with credits including La Traviata, Tosca and work with Glyndebourne, Opera North and Welsh National Opera.

Steve Moss

Musical Director
Steve is a West End Musical Director and conductor, known for Les Misérables and Mary Poppins, with credits across London and international stages.

Leigh Stanford Thompson

Musical Director
Leigh is a highly accomplished Musical Director, working across the West End and UK tours, and collaborating closely with Cameron Mackintosh.

Dianne Pilkington

Guest Mentor
Dianne is a West End performer, known for Wicked and Cats, with credits across leading musical theatre productions.

Sarah Vaughan

Vocal Coach
Sarah is a singer and vocal coach, trained in opera, with performance credits including Beauty & the Beast and Follies, and teaches at Mountview and London Studio Centre as an Estill Master Trainer.

Sarah Stephenson

Vocal Coach
Sarah is a highly experienced vocal coach and Estill Master Trainer, with a background in opera and work across leading conservatoires including Guildford School of Acting, Mountview and LIPA, specialising in technical clarity and vocal development.

Alice Fern

Guest Mentor
Alice is a West End performer, best known for roles in Wicked and Come From Away, and most recently appearing in Dear Evan Hansen and the upcoming Wicked films.

Matt Dempsey

Performance Director
Matt is a West End performer and director, with credits including Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, Les Misérables and Cabaret, alongside extensive work across theatre, film and television.

Shaun Kerrison

Performance Director
Shaun is a theatre director, with credits including Titanic – The Musical, Love Never Dies and The Osmonds, working across major productions in the UK and internationally.

Sake Kerrison

Vocal Coach
Sake is a West End vocal coach, currently working on The Lion King, with credits across productions including Les Misérables, Hamilton and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, specialising in vocal technique and performance coaching.

Adam Pettigrew

Vocal Coach
Adam is a musical theatre performer and vocal coach, with credits including Wicked and Avenue Q, specialising in technical singing and working with performers across all levels.

Steph Parry

Guest Mentor
Steph is a West End performer, with credits including 42nd Street and Mamma Mia!, where she took over the role of Donna at short notice, and most recently originated Kate in Mamma Mia! The Party.

Alexandra Spencer-Jones

Performance Director
Alexandra is a theatre director and Artistic Director of Action To The Word, with credits including A Clockwork Orange, Dracula and Six The Musical worldwide, working across stage and international productions.

Michael O’Donnell

Performance Director
Michael is a Broadway performer turned director, with credits including Cabaret, Les Misérables and Disney productions of The Lion King and Aladdin, working across major international stages.

Joanna Riding

Guest Mentor
Joanna is a two-time Olivier Award-winning performer, with leading roles in Carousel and My Fair Lady, and an extensive career across major West End productions and film.

Stephen Whitson

Performance Director
Stephen is a theatre director, with credits including Hamilton, Moulin Rouge and 42nd Street, and work across major productions, live events and television including the Royal Variety Performance.

Oliver Brenin

Performance Director
Oliver is a West End performer and director, with credits including Wicked, Frozen and Pretty Woman, and currently works as Resident Director on major London productions.

Katy Hanna

Vocal & Performance Coach
Katy is a West End performer, with credits including Wicked and Les Misérables, and works extensively as a vocal and performance coach for professional artists and leading performing arts schools.

Josefina Gabrielle

Guest Mentor
Josefina is a leading West End performer, best known for playing both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in Chicago, with an extensive career across major musicals including 42nd Street and Oklahoma!.

 Hollie Cassar

Vocal Coach
Hollie is a London-based singer, performer and multi-instrumentalist, with West End credits including Cabaret, West Side Story and Calamity Jane, and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music.

C J Johnson

Vocal Coach
CJ is a leading West End, TV and film performer, with credits including 42nd Street, Small Island and Oliver!, alongside work as a vocal coach for X Factor and leading UK conservatoires.

Claire Underwood

Vocal Coach
Claire is a leading West End vocal coach, currently working across productions including Hamilton, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, specialising in technical vocal development and performance coaching.

Mark Hedges

Performance Director
Mark has worked in musical theatre for over 20 years, most recently as Resident Director on The Phantom of the Opera and Children’s Director on Les Misérables (London & UK Tour), alongside choreography credits including The Sound of Music and Willy Wonka.

Tiffany Graves

Guest Mentor
Tiffany is best known for her performance as Velma in Chicago in the West End, becoming the first actress to play both Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, with further credits including Sweet Charity at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Katherine Hare

Performance Director
Katherine is an international associate director, currently working on Tina – The Tina Turner Musical across multiple productions, with directing credits spanning theatre, musicals and new work in the UK and internationally.

Zev Caplan

Vocal Coach
Zev is a rock and pop vocal coach, known as the ‘Vocal Wizard’, using Estill Voice Training and his own techniques to unlock vocal control, freedom and confidence.

Nick Evans

Performance Director
Nick is an international theatre director, with West End credits including Billy Elliot The Musical, Rock of Ages and Bat Out of Hell, and recent award-winning productions of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Kris Manuel

Vocal Coach
Kris is a West End performer, known for Starlight Express, with credits including The Phantom of the Opera and Matilda The Musical.

Tasha Sheridan

Guest Mentor
Tasha is a West End performer, known for Mamma Mia! and roles in Evita, Carousel and School of Rock, across stage and screen.

Sam Hiller

Director
Sam is a West End performer and director, known for Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, working closely with Cameron Mackintosh.

Contact Us

Get in touch with a member of our team

We’ve got you covered! Travel feels uncertain right now—we know!

That’s exactly why we’ve introduced our Peace of Mind Booking for all bookings from today.

If your flight is disrupted due to major travel issues, you won’t lose your retreat.
We’ll simply move your experience to another date—no stress no hassle!

The Situation

The choir wanted to give the group:

Fresh musical energy
Deeper expressive singing
Time to reconnect as an ensemble

What they didn’t want was a conventional choir course.

They were looking for something serious enough to develop musically — but uplifting and enjoyable at the same time.

The Retreat

Thirty-six singers travelled to southern Spain for a five-day Sing Eat Retreat.

Each day balanced focused musical work with time to relax, explore the landscape and enjoy being together outside the rehearsal room.

The musical programme was led by West End musical theatre professionals, working in close collaboration with the choir’s own leadership to support the choir’s artistic goals.

Together they explored:

Vocal technique
Expressive storytelling in music
Ensemble balance and blend
Performance confidence

There were also smaller sectional sessions and coaching, allowing singers to explore their voices in more depth.

Despite several hours of singing each day, the experience never felt heavy.

“We worked hard — really hard — but it never felt tiring.
It was energising.”

The Turning Point

The real change came midweek.

As the singers relaxed into the environment and coaching style, something shifted in the ensemble sound.

Voices became freer.
Phrases became more expressive.
The choir began singing with greater emotional connection.

“Suddenly we weren’t just singing the notes anymore —we were telling the story.”

The Final Performance

The retreat concluded with a relaxed public concert for locals.
There was confidence, connection and joy.

“It felt like we were singing together again.”

Impact of the Retreat

By the end of the week the Duffers & Gruffers Choir reported stronger vocal confidence, improved ensemble blend and a renewed musical energy. But the biggest change was emotional.

“It re-ignited the joy of singing.”

Since returning to the UK, the impact has continued. The choir has embraced more expressive repertoire, rehearsals feel more relaxed and energised, and members describe the group as “better and happier” — a powerful shift for a choir that had been together for more than two decades.

Several elements made the difference: collaborative musical leadership from the SER coaches, time together beyond the rehearsal room that strengthened the choir’s sense of community, and a carefully curated programme working towards a final performance that gave the week focus and momentum.

Could This Work for Your Choir?

Many choirs reach a point where they want to refresh their sound, reconnect as an ensemble, and give members a meaningful shared experience.

Sing Eat Retreat designs private, fully tailored retreats for UK choirs, supporting and enhancing the work choir directors already do. We collaborate closely with each ensemble to create a programme that fits its repertoire, goals and singers — whether classical or contemporary.

If you would like to explore what a retreat might look like for your choir, we would be delighted to talk.

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