In early 2012 the choir was delighted to welcome Michael Deakin as its new Musical Director.

Michael started his musical career as a chorister and musical scholar at Carlisle Cathedral under the tutelage of Andrew Seivewright and Jeremy Suter.

He went on to study for his BA (Hons) in music at Anglia Polytechnic, Cambridge where he was an active member of the college Chamber Choir under the leadership of Robert Reeve (Clerk of Oxonford). The choir was awarded the highest accolade at the National Eisteddfod at Llangollen as Chamber Choir of the World in 1992.

Once qualified as a teacher and after completing his PGCE certificate at Ripon and York St John's, Michael started a teaching and singing role with Carlisle Cathedral as a full-time Bass Lay Clerk where he welcomed the opportunity to conduct the Cathedral Youth Choir. During his time in charge the choir toured South-West Scotland and Washington DC.  Michael's association with the Cathedral continues, primarily as a counter-tenor.

Michael participates with other local groups such as Voices of The North, The Herdwick Singers and Ensemble Buxtehude. He has worked with many choirs and throughout them all has been the common vein of enjoyment in singing and being part of a welcoming group.

How we came to be so fortunate as to have Lorraine as our accompanist is the result of an extraordinary sequence of events. Lorraine was brought up on a dairy farm near Te Awamuty in New Zealand and  began to have piano lessons from the age of six, initially with the nuns at a convent school nearby. When she was in her early twenties she decided to travel with two friends, not to the South Island or even Indonesia, but half-way round the world to England, on a sea voyage which took six weeks.

Here in London, they took casual work with companies such as Matchbox Toys but soon the travel bug bit again so they bought an Austin A35 and toured the Continent on a budget of £2 per day, a sum which had to cover fuel, food, accommodation and all else. On returning to England she met and married Graham and moved to Cumbria to help on the farm and bring up their family.

Her musical studies culminated in gaining a Licentiate of Trinity College London. She has been accompanist for the Junior Section of the Carlisle Music Festival for many years, is in great demand as a piano teacher and has been our accompanist since 1999. She thoroughly enjoys playing for a large group and shares the choir's sense of humour.