Robert T. Elliott
Rob grew up in South Wales as part of a musical family. He conducted the Massed Male Choirs at the Welsh National Eisteddfod at the age of only 21, and the English National Symphony Orchestra at the Wiltshire Music Festival in 1999. Rob is a former Trombonist of the Band of the Royal Regiment of Wales, and former Musical Director of four male choirs in England and Wales. He has formerly directed choirs to win many prizes at international competitions. Rob has adjudicated at many festivals and competitions, including the National Choral Festival in Ireland, Isle of Man Festival of Choirs, Bangor International Choral Festival in Northern Ireland, the Cornwall International Male Choral Competition, the North Wales Choral Festival, Barnardo’s National School Choir Competition at The Barbican and Royal Festival Hall, and the National Prep School Choir Competition at Cadogan Hall. Rob was Festival Director of the world’s largest male choir festival, with over 60 male choirs taking part, and is in great demand for his choral workshops and choir coaching & development roles.
Jane Irwin
As a concert and recital singer Jane has appeared regularly in Britain, Europe and America. Highlights have included appearances at the Carnegie Hall, New York, the BBC Proms, the Wigmore Hall, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Berlin Festival, the Concertgebouw, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Musikverein, Vienna. She has collaborated with the Deutsche Symphony Orchester, Orchestre de Paris, San Paolo Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Zurich Tonhalle and many more, with such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Andrew Davis, Donald Runnicles, Antonio Pappano and Sir Mark Elder. Jane has given recitals at the Chatelet, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Geneva , Aix-en-Provence and Japan.
Operatic appearances have included Ring Cycles at Bayreuth, ROH and Scottish Opera, and other leading roles with Deutsche Oper, Berlin, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera and the major British companies. Jane also teaches singing at the RNCM.
David King
David King, born in the countryside of Kent, became a member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers (B.A.B.S.) in 1975, entering the B.A.B.S. Guild of Judges in 1995. He served as Director of the Singing Category in 2001-2003, 2005 and 2012-2015. He maintains interests in many musical genres, particularly classical, jazz, swing, contemporary a cappella and barbershop singing. His judging engagements have included the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod where he was an adjudicator in multiple classes for several years, the North Wales Choral Festival, local music festivals at home and occasionally abroad, many barbershop contests and the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he has adjudicated the all-day adult choral class many times, a very great pleasure. In 2023 he was awarded Judge Emeritus status by B.A.B.S, one of only 3 judges to have ever received this honour. He is an active choir director, singer, pianist and arranger. Outside the music world, his interests include recreational mathematics.
▽ The 2024 Judges ▽
