The Choir
Inner Voices was set up in 2011 as a collaboration between Ed Watkins, Director of Music at the West London Free School, and Ralph Allwood, ex-Director of Music at Eton College. The aim of the choir is to bring together great singers from a group of state schools in London with the best choral direction from the private sector to create a choir that tackles challenging music to a first class standard.
Since our launch in 2011 we have sung all across the city as well as abroad : in Trafalgar Square for St George’s Day, at the Royal Albert Hall, Natural History Museum, Notre Dame, Brussels Cathedral, Greater London Assembly and on Radio 4, Radio 3 and Classic FM. Our commitment to ground-breaking performances across genres has seen us bringing 40 professional singers together with our singers to perform Spem In Alium in the round by the skate park in the Southbank as well as teaming up with Cardinal Vaughan School’s fantastic Big Band and Chamber Orchestra to perform excerpts from Handel’s Messiah and the gospel remake ‘A Soulful Celebration’ at the Union Chapel.
If you’re interested in getting your school involved with Inner Voices or would like more information about the choir please drop a line to Ed Watkins – [email protected].
Our Conductors
Ed Watkins
Ed Watkins is a music teacher and choral conductor with 20 years experience in London education, most recently serving as Director of Music at the West London Free School from 2011-2024. He was Assistant Director of Voce Chamber Choir from 2008-2018.
Ed set up Inner Voices in 2011 as a partnership between his professional world (inner London comprehensive schools) and Ralph’s (Eton and Cambridge). Since then this partnership has seen the choir flourish and grow so that, as it comes up to 15 years, it is characterised by great singing, wonderful friendships and joy.
Alongside his work as a teacher and as director of Inner Voices Ed has worked for Ofqual, Ofsted and the Department for Education playing a key role in writing 2021’s Model Music Curriculum and Ofsted’s research review in music.
Ralph Allwood
Ralph Allwood MBE DMus was for 26 years Director of Music at Eton College and is now a freelance choral director.
Ralph is currently Artistic Director of the Rudolf’s Foundation and Director of the only conservatoire chapel choir in the world, the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir
In 2015 he co-founded the Pimlico Musical Foundation to enable children from Pimlico Primary Schools to sing in choirs, particularly at St Gabriel’s Church.
He was made MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours list.
Trustees
Inner Voices is a registered charity (1144419) and we have five trustees:
Kat Pugh – DSL and Headteacher of St Marylebone School
Ed Watkins
Emma Watkins
Joanna West
Joe Adams