About us
A small but very friendly group of 24 talented singers, Signature has gone from strength to strength since forming in early 2003.
Although Signature is a very young chorus, it has rapidly acquired a reputation for excellence in singing challenging close harmony, which has prompted numerous invitations to perform on the national and international stage.
Highlights of 2006 included performing at the BinG! barbershop convention in Dortmund, Germany, which earned Signature a standing ovation for its high-octane version of Hooked on Classics!
However, its crowning achievement was winning the gold medal at the Ladies Association of British Barbershops Singers (LABBS) annual convention in Harrogate in October 2006, attaining the highest marks in singing and presentation and picking up the Small Chorus Trophy.
2007 proved equally exciting! We had a fantastic weekend at Holland Harmony's 25th anniversary in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, and sang at the British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) annual convention in Scarborough.
2008: BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year
2008 has also been a very exciting year, with highlights including an appearance in the category finals of BBC Radio 3's Choir of the Year competition at the Royal Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool on November 7th. Sadly, we didn't make it through to the grand final in London in December, but we had a great time on stage!Biography
Signature was launched one evening in early 2002 when, at the instigation of our former musical director Stuart Sides, a group of friends decided to meet and sing through some a cappella songs. One of these, "What a Wonderful World", was arranged by Stuart himself. The challenge of singing Stuart's arrangement was enjoyed by all and the group decided to meet regularly.
By January 2003, interest in the group was beginning to grow and with the addition of a few more members, a hall to rehearse in on a weekly basis and a name, Signature was well on the way to developing an exciting repertoire of a cappella music for female voices.
We are also very fortunate to have among us members of the 2005 LABBS National Quartet Champions: Enigma, and the current national quartet finalists: dIVa.
We are now recruiting new members capable of singing close harmony to a high standard and welcome visitors to our rehearsals at Iver Heath village hall, Buckinghamshire (Thursdays: 7.45pm-10.30pm). Join Us
Our md: Paul Jeanes
Our extremely talented md Paul Jeanes studied conducting, composition, organ and piano at Trinity College of Music, where he scooped up a series of prestigious prizes including the Chappell Composition Prize, the Harold Clarke Prize for Accompaniment and the Rotary Club of St Marylebone Award for Musicianship.
Paul has conducted numerous operas and shows including:
- Remix for The Baylis Programme at English National Opera
- The Albatross, an opera by Diana Burrell for Trinity College of Music
- Iolanthe and Princess Ida for Imperial Operatic
- Anything Goes and Guys & Dolls for University of London Opera
Paul is a highly accomplished organist, pianist and accompanist. He performs regularly with tenor Stephen Brown in recitals across the UK and Europe and has performed in master classes with Dame Sarah Walker and Thomas Allen.
He also has several radio and television broadcasts to his credit including the première of a new piano concerto for The Performance Channel's Young Composer of the Year.
All pictures courtesy of Louis Ramsay