Joan Dillon (Co–Director)
Joan Dillon graduated with a Masters in Music from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. As a student in the Academy’s Opera School, she received many prestigious scholarships and awards and represented the College in external competitions and events.
During her career, Joan has performed many operatic roles including Mimi & Musetta (La Boheme), Micaela (Carmen) and the title role in Handel’s Semele. She has also featured as a guest soloist with leading orchestras, most notably the RSNO, Northern Sinfonietta, and the Manchester Camerata, where she replaced Lesley Garrett in a series of Viennese concerts.
Before studying Opera, Joan worked in the areas of Jazz and Music theatre. She toured the U.K. and Europe with the Grand Union Orchestra, featuring alongside the legendary saxophonist Courtney Pine. She was lead vocalist in three of their large scale productions, The Song of Many Tongues, The Book of Numbers and Freedom Calls. With the Jazz chamber group, Dreaming North, she premiered many new works at leading European festivals and recorded Birdsongs, a song-cycle composed especially for her. Joan has featured in recordings and radio broadcasts with both the Grand Union Orchestra and Dreaming North.
Joan is also a regular public speaker on life and cultural issues. She has spoken at national and international conferences, as well as prominent universities, including Christ Church, Oxford, and St. Andrews. She has published articles, given radio interviews and, most recently, featured on a programme produced by the global Catholic television network, EWTN, exploring the intersection of faith and public life.
Una Cunningham (Co-Director)
Una Cunningham studied clarinet, piano and accordion from an early age, winning national and international competitions. She was the first Scottish accordion student to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Music, London, graduating with a BA (Hons) Degree. She went on to receive critical acclaim as a virtuoso soloist, performing with the RSNO, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the German Radio Symphony Orchestra. She also performed at music festivals in Germany, France and the UK, including, at the invitation of Bryn Terfel, at his annual festival in the Vale of Glamorgan.
More recently, Una has extended her career into the area of education and teaching. She has held part–time positions at the RSAMD and Napier University and, latterly, has gained a reputation as a specialist in the Kodaly method of music tuition. She regularly coaches ensembles for school performances as well as organizing programmes, concerts and recitals. She also acts as an adjudicater at competitions and festivals, most recently the Glasgow Music Festival.
Bob Simans (Accompanist/Arranger)
Bob is one the Choir’s two official accompanists. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music (where he studied violin under Robert Masters/Beatrix Marr, and composition under Norman Demuth).
He spent his National Service with the Band of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he led one of the two orchestras. He subsequently obtained promoted posts in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish National Orchestra (under Alexander Gibson), leading the Orchestra on several occasions.
He has worked with many distinguished conductors during his professional career, most notably Sir Simon Rattle. He also has the distinction of having given the young Simon his first violin lessons aged 7!
In recent times, Bob has returned to an early love of the piano. He has composed and arranged a great deal of music for SLYC, as well regularly accompanying the Choir.
With his violinist wife Kathleen, he performs regularly for the Council for Music in Hospitals, bringing the joy of live music into many people’s lives. For many years, he has also been a member of the Salon Trio, in addition to accompanying the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland and Scotstoun Young Strings.
Julian Hodgson (Accompanist)
Julian was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and studied composition, conducting and history of music under John Gardner and Eric Thiman, Maurice Miles and Thurston dart. While at the RAM, he won the Ernest Read and Ricordi prizes for conducting. He has conducted several choirs and opera groups in London and Lanarkshire covering a wide range of repertoire, including the first modern performance of Haydn’s La Canterina.
Julian has prepared and written programme notes for many concert promoters including the Festival Hall. He was a concert and record reviewer for “Musical Events” and has written numerous book reviews for the Library Association Record. He is author of Music Titles in Translation, an index to English translations of songs and choral music and was music librarian for the London Borough of Lambeth for many years.
Before retiring earlier this year, Julian enjoyed a fruitful career as Church Organist at Kirkmuirhill Church for nearly 30 years.
Matthew Todd (Assistant)
Matthew Todd completed an HND in music at Stevenson College, Edinburgh, graduating with the Award for Best Advanced Music Student. He is now studying as a Tenor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and recently spent some time as the Choir Training Scholar of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. He is now a tenor and chorister trainer at Paisley Abbey. Matthew is also heavily involved in the National Youth Choir of Scotland and has benefitted greatly from the training he has received.
Matthew has a passion for youth work; he is a regular Group Leader on residential Scripture Union Activity Holidays and teaches in a number of schools and choirs in Scotland. He is a firm believer in the value of music and has run many community music ventures throughout Scotland, including the ‘Harrow Terrace Music Group’, for local children, which he founded and directs in his home town of Wick. You can find Matthew's website at www.matthew-todd.co.uk.
Sandra Haxton
Sandra Haxton was born and raised in Renfrewshire, Scotland. She studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where she performed roles including, Musetta (La Boheme), Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea), First Lady (Magic Flute), Norina (Don Pasquale), Blanche (The Dialogue of the Carmelites) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavlier).
Upon graduating from Music College, Sandra performed in several productions at the Perth Repertory Theatre and sang the role of Micaela (Carmen) for Opera South.
She has sung with Opera North (Leeds) and has been a member of Scottish Opera for 15 years, performing roles and covers such as Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), Shepherd Boy (Tosca), Pepik (Cunning Little Vixen), Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos.)
Sandra is a singing tutor with Visibility Scotland, where she has taught visually impaired students for several years. She is also a memeber of the Glasgow Cathedral Choir and is a vocal coach at Paisley Grammar.