St Peter's Singers

St Peter's Singers is a mixed choir of about 40 voices based in the city of Leeds, directed by Simon Lindley. For well over 30 years the singers have enjoyed a close relationship with Leeds Parish Church (St Peter-at-Leeds), where many of their concerts and liturgical appearances take place. At the same time, the choir performs at many other venues in and around Leeds, including Leeds Town Hall, St Anne's Roman Catholic Cathedral and Holy Trinity Church, Boar Lane to name but a few.

The National Festival Orchestra or NFO for short has been the resident orchestra of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival since its inception in 1994, where they have been hailed as the “pre-eminent interpreters of G&S in the world”. The NFO have performed at major concert halls including Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; and Sage, Gateshead to sell-out audiences.

Alexander Woodrow has been Organist and Director of Music at Leeds Minster since 2020 and leads a busy professional life as a choral director, organ recitalist, church musician and teacher. He directs two chamber choirs – St Peter’s Singers of Leeds and the Huddersfield Singers – and is accompanist to the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir. At Leeds Minster he leads a vibrant music department, directing the Choir of Leeds Minster in regular choral services and overseeing the Leeds Minster Children’s Choir in partnership with St Peter’s C of E Primary School. He also curates the Minster’s organ recital series, showcasing its renowned Harrison & Harrison organ. Alexander directed the Choir of Leeds Minster for the live BBC One Easter Day broadcast in 2022. More recently he conducted the Choir of Leeds Minster and St Peter’s Singers in a recording of sacred choral and organ music by William Lloyd Webber for Priory Records, including the first commercial recording of the cantata The Saviour. He studied music as Organ Scholar at Magdalene College, Cambridge and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 19, winning first prizes in all categories including the Limpus Prize. An active recitalist, he has performed widely across the UK and regularly broadcasts on BBC radio and television.

Helen Winter, soprano, loves to share the transformative power of music with audiences worldwide. Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, into a highly musical family, she studied at Trinity College of Music, London, with Professor Susan McCulloch, earning a BMus Honours. Early in her career, she joined the BBC Singers while training with English National Opera’s ‘The Knack’ opera course. Helen’s operatic roles include Ninetta (The Love for Three Oranges), Musetta (La Bohème), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and numerous roles at Opera Holland Park and European Chamber Opera. With an exceptional vocal range, she is highly sought after as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. She has also performed with Scottish Opera, Berlin Komische Opera, and UK touring companies. A versatile recitalist and concert soloist, Helen has sung all major oratorios under conductors including Mark Elder, Nicholas Cleobury, and Stephen Jackson, performing in venues such as Royal Festival Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, St. David’s Hall Cardiff, and Saint Thomas Kirche Leipzig. Helen has appeared in West End productions and on ITV’s The Sound of Music LIVE. She is Honorary President of Grantham Operatic Society and Musical Director of her father Geoffrey Winter’s choir, The St. John’s Winter Singers (www.thewintersingers.com ). An experienced teacher and language coach, she has been Head of Singing at Repton School and supports students from GCSE to music college auditions.