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Benedict Preece, Musical Director

Benedict is a conductor, passionate about working with both singers and instrumentalists. He was Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar 2017-2018 and has recently been awarded a scholarship as a post-graduate choral conductor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He maintains a busy schedule as Music Director of Caritas Chamber Choir and East Bridge Chorale.

He began his career as a Chorister of Canterbury Cathedral and sang for many years after as a tenor. At Trinity College of Music, London, he specialised in horn and natural horn under tutelage of Roger Montgomery and subsequently with Anthony Halstead. As an organist, Benedict studied with David Flood and both organ and composition with Neil Wright.

Benedict developed his orchestral conducting with Stephen Portman (a former student of Monteux and Szell) and with Peter Stark. He has recently had conducting engagements with both of Kent’s professional orchestras, Festival Chamber Orchestra and Kent Sinfonia. As the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar, he studied with, amongst others, Eamonn Dougan and Harry Christophers. For ten years he was Music Director of Sandwich Concert Band and has held numerous church music positions. For over five years, he was Head of Chapel Music, Head of Keyboard and Organist at an English boarding school. 

He has released many recordings to critical acclaim with Caritas Chamber Choir. Ritmo magazine described his conducting: “Preece is very convincing in his direction of the traffic of sound: he always knows which voice to bring out, how to accentuate the beauty of the phrase with appropriate breathing, and how to resolve the frequent dialogue between the different strands with ease.” 

Benedict is a signed artist with Ulysses Arts, a London-based record label, as both a conductor and organist. 

His choral compositions are regularly performed on both sides of the Atlantic and often featured on Caritas Chamber Choir recordings. 

He is passionate about contemporary music having commissioned composers including Sarah Cattley and conducted premiere recordings of leading composers such as Sir James MacMillan, Cecilia McDowall, Gabriel Jackson, Phillip Cooke, David Conte amongst many others. Benedict is looking forward to bringing more brand new works to audiences around the world with future recording projects.

Anthony Merryweather, Accompanist

Anthony began his musical career at the age of six, when he won a Choral Scholarship to Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He performed as a chorister on BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and sang with the Choir during overseas tours to the USA, Canada, Belgium and Denmark. He also sang on numerous recordings, most notably Britten's War Requiem, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.​​​​​As a music scholar at Shrewsbury School, he composed his first musical "Troy", which was featured on ITV news. By the age of 15, he was the accompanist for the Shrewsbury School Choral Society and the school's Big Band. Anthony works widely with choirs, both large and small. In recent years, he he has worked with the children's choruses in Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Productions of Hansel & Gretel and La Boheme. ​Anthony is Director of Music at the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey,

© 2025 Graduati Singers 

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