Musical Team

Musical Director

Kirsten Sondergaard Watson DipLCM (pianoforte recital)

Kirsten joined Chepstow Male Voice Choir as an accompanist in November 2012. Kirsten graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama LTCL, B Ed (Hons) and has held a number of teaching posts in the Newport area. She teaches beginners through to advanced players, children and adults with successes from the ABRSM and TVU classical exam syllabus. She is also the Honorary Local Representative for the ABRSM for Practical Music Examinations.

Kirsten has acted as accompanist with a number of ladies and male voice choirs and soloists before joining Chepstow. Quite simply she enjoys playing the piano and making music.

In December 2023 Kirsten stepped up to become our Musical Director.

Accompanist

James Godfrey

James is a pianist based in Malvern. He joined Chepstow Male Voice Choir as accompanist in March 2023. He has also held the position of accompanist with Sabrina Voices since its formation in 2019. Originally from Malvern, he studied piano under Charles Pavey and has played intermittently for Malvern Male Voice Choir between 2009 - 2021.

He went on to study piano at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where he became accompanist for Cantorion Pontyclun, before switching to study composition for film at the University of Hertfordshire.

Assistant MD

Matthew Welch

Matthew is a recent graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff where he studied music, specialising in Vocal Studies. He was very fortunate to train under James Gilchrist, Donald Maxwell and Tim Richards. He currently sings with Llandaff Cathedral Choir as a deputy and in other choirs local to Cardiff, such as The Caritas Consort. Alongside singing, Matthew works as a conductor. He is Choral Conducting Scholar at St Martin’s Church in Roath, directs the Cardiff based choral ensemble Solstice, and as a Music Team Associate with Chepstow Male Voice Choir. He is a former member of Worcester Cathedral Choir, St David’s Cathedral Choir, and Genesis Sixteen. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, Guinness, and going for long walks with his dog, Socks.