Our Musical Director

           Neil Morton in 2023

The leadership of the Choir has been taken up by Neil Morton, pictured above. Neil is a long-standing friend and past leader who returned to the role of Musical Director in 2018 to assist the Choir in meeting its commitment for the foreseeable future.

 

He is no stranger to the Choir and brings his musicality, experience together with his unusual wit and charm that makes performances and rehearsals a pleasure.

Neil reflected ‘We have a book in the choir. A register of Choir subs and attendance going back over the years. I was shocked to see, on a page from a bygone year, my own name appears. I flicked through and found the tick acknowledging my first rehearsal in 1992 when I was a lad of 14 years.

‘They say time flies when you’re having fun. As I look back over my time with the choir, spread out over the last three decades, some sitting with the bass section, some behind the piano and several standing at the front, I see what they mean. A proud history of local service and comradery, hundreds of concerts and fun filled Thursday nights sharing the love of song.’

Neil Morton at Rehearsal in 2024

Neil Morton Bio

Born locally in July 1977 —Neil’s musical journey began at primary school, where he first discovered his love for performance through the recorder and the school choir. A particularly formative early memory is a joint concert at Coulson Park First School at the age of eight, where he performed alongside the Ashington & District Male Voice Choir under the direction of Ella Hughes.   While Neil began his formal musical training on the electronic organ, his focus shifted decisively to the piano at age 13, studying under Christine Parish while attending Ashington High School. It was during this time that he came under the mentorship of Head of Music Derek Hobbs. While Neil was completing his A-Level music studies, Hobbs was commissioned alongside Mike Kirkup to compose the oratorio Fell ‘em Doon: The Story of the Pit Village of Ashington. Neil was invited to perform in the Festival Voices Choir for the project, a move that led him back to the Ashington & District Male Voice Choir. He joined their bass section and remained a dedicated member until departing for his university studies.   Neil’s academic career furthered his expertise in both creation and leadership. He earned a degree in Music with a specialism in composition from University College Scarborough between 1995 and 1998, followed by a Master’s Degree in composition and conducting from the University of Newcastle. During his postgraduate studies, he balanced his education with practical experience, working as a music tutor for Northumberland schools and returning to the Ashington & District Male Voice Choir in the role of accompanist.   After qualifying as a classroom teacher, Neil spent many years teaching in North Tyneside. However, his deep-rooted connection to his home community remained a constant. Following the retirement of Ella Hughes, Neil was invited to return to the Ashington & District Male Voice Choir as their Musical Director, a poignant full-circle moment in his career. Today, Neil works as a self-employed community musician, teaching piano at the Yamaha Music School and continuing his long-standing commitment to local music groups, most notably the Ashington & District Male Voice Choir.

 

Derek Brett pictured above during an Ashington & District Male Voice Choir rehearsal in March 2017.

After graduating from the London College of Music and the University of Ulster, Derek began his musical career as a trombonist and pianist in HM Band of the Irish Guards. He has taught music in special schools both in London and the North East and after completing an MA in Cultural Management at the University of Northumbria, had a spell working in venue management in both theatre and cinema.

Derek has always enjoyed accompanying and as well as playing for ADMVC, and has also played for Newcastle Musical Theatre Company, West End Operatic Society, Whitley Bay Operatic Society and numerous instrumental examinations and school concerts and productions.

March 2025