Musicians
Paul Dewhurst - Conductor/Choir Master
In addition to being our Conductor/Choir Master, Paul is also Director of Music at Bridlington Priory and remains in demand as an organ recitalist. He is the Conductor of the East Riding County Choir and teaches singing and piano in the local area.
Prior to this he was Director of Music at Leeds Minster after having similar position at Pontefract Parish Church (St Giles’) for nine years. He was the conductor of the Wakefield Festival Chorus for several years.
Whilst an under-graduate at the University of Hull, Paul held the University Organ Scholarship which involved him as an Assistant Organist at Beverley Minster, studying the organ with Alan Spedding and John Scott Whiteley at York Minster.
Upon graduation he completed a Master’s degree in English Church Music at the University of East Anglia, focusing on choral conducting with Professor Peter Aston. Remaining in the area, he began a career as a teacher, whilst also being kept busy as an organist, singer and conductor with numerous groups throughout the area, including the cathedrals of St Edmundsbury and Chelmsford; the Wolsey Chamber Choir and the Britten-Pears Chamber Choir at Snape.
Paul is an inspiring Conductor able to inspire choir members with enthusiasm and confidence especially given his ability to sing any part!
Laurence Rugg - Orchestra Secretary
Laurence has played the cello for Hull Choral Union, East Riding County Choir and Hull Bach Choir for many years. He continues to play regularly for many groups in the Hull area. He conducts the choir when Paul Dewhurst is unavailable or playing the organ. He regularly accompanies guest performers at Hull Choral Union concerts.
Conducting has also been something which has seen him working with a wide variety of groups. These include Hessle Sinfonia, Haltemprice Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Northern Theatre Company (for whom he wrote “Wilberforce”), Hull Freedom Chorus and more recently Hull Choral Union. Over many years he conducted “Singing Days” an event which encouraged thousands of children to sing, culminating in an event in Hull City Hall. Similarly he conducted Hull Schools' “Festival of Carols”. For the last fourteen years he has made regular visits to Orkney to work with a small community choir on Hoy, writing a new piece for them on each visit.
He has also been rehearsal pianist for some of these groups.
Whilst working for Hull Music Service he instigated the purchase of a gamelan. This acted as a focus for expanding the work of Hull Music Service into wider work in the community. At this time he also started to work as a facilitator for Good Vibrations, a charity which gives gamelan courses in prisons.