Director of Music : Tom Rodgers

Accompanist: Cheuky Chan

Tom Rodgers has been involved in choral music since the mid-1990s: first, the school Chamber Choir; then a local Hornchurch choir, "The Sound Company". He completed his degree in Music in 2001, during which time he led a church choir in Kew. In early 2006 he took the role of MD for the Hornchurch Passion Play (a role he repeated in 2011 and 2015) before taking on a new role of MD at St. Mary's in Tottenham in September of that year. He remained in that role for 13 years, until 2019. 

In 2015, following his final Hornchurch Passion Play, Tom founded the United Singers Choral Ensemble, formed from the members of the Passion Play Choir who wanted to continue singing after the production. The United Singers have grown from strength-to-strength musically but he'd love to welcome more singers into the ensemble.

In September 2018 Tom rescued the Hornchurch "Can't Sing" Choir from closure following the retirement of its founding Musical Director, local musician and educator John Morris. In January 2020 Tom also took over the role of Musical Director for the New Essex Choir, based in Barkingside, Redbridge, East London and, after a year or so of concerts with them, is working to increase their membership and status in their local area.

In addition to all the choral work he enjoys, Tom also teaches the piano and flute privately and works as a freelance organist.

His aim in leading all his choirs is to bring the joy of music to singers, to teach good vocal technique, develop confidence in whatever style of music being presented and to produce high quality, professional and enjoyable performances. His rehearsals are normally light-hearted yet "intense" - this mixture often leads to much laughter and enjoyment. 

​Cheuky Chan grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she completed her Master’s degree in piano performance.

She spent a year studying at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany. Between 2013-14 she was a NZ Opera’s Freemasons Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist.

In 2016, Cheuky moved to the UK to study Repetiteur and Vocal Accompaniment at the Wales International Academy of Voice. She was awarded the Keith Laugesen Music Scholarship in 2017.

She has performed around UK, NZ, and Germany and has shared the stage with prestigious artists such as Dame Malvina Major and Plácido Domingo.

Cheuky enjoys her role as an accompanist and making music within the community.