Meet Your Panellists

Alison George is an accomplished Actor, Singer, Musician and Singing Teacher/Vocal Coach based here in Wakefield. She gained a BA Hons in Music at Nottingham University before going on to train at the prestigious Mountview Drama School.

Alison has vast experience in theatre, with performing credits ranging from London’s West End and National Tours, Shakespeare and Pantomimes to Actor/Musician shows where she played numerous instruments including piano, cello, flute, saxophone, guitar, bass guitar and recorders. Theatre credits include Swallows and Amazons (National Theatre, West End and UK Tour), Chess, Oedipus and Pride and Prejudice. She has also been a Musical Director on several stage productions, where she composed and arranged the music.

Alison currently works as a Singing Teacher, Vocal Coach and Musical Director for various stage schools, including CAPA College and Wakefield Theatre Royal, as well as teaching private 1:1 Singing Lessons from her home studio in Ossett. She has recently been featured as the lead character, Mara, for the cast album recording of the new musical ‘Dear Friend’.

She is an actor in the TV and Film industry. Her most recent credits are Jessica Fox in the new Musical Feature Film Tomorrow Morning’, ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Emmerdale’ and ’Hollyoaks’.

She is also one half of ‘Perfect Measure', a close harmony, female singing duo with Jenna Fan. Together they perform a mix of Musical Theatre, Pop and Jazz standards.

Christine Quirk taught the Junior Music Course, Junior Extension Course and Piano Course for Children at the Yamaha Music School for approx. 14 years before deciding to teach individual Piano Lessons from home.

Christine also used to work as a Parental Involvement Worker at a Primary School in Bradford where she also taught piano/keyboard.

Christine also decided to have classical singing lessons, going on to be the overall winner at The Mrs Sunderland Competition, The Wharfedale Festival and The Harrogate Music Festival which led to various guest appearances with local MVC’s and Night of the Proms events with various Brass Bands.

She also sang for two consecutive years at the Saltaire Festival and also became a Wedding Singer and did solo performances at functions in Bradford and the surrounding areas.

Later on, she paired up with a keyboard player and their repertoire included anything from Musical Theatre, American Songbook and Opera at various events/weddings.

She was a member of the Halifax Choral Society and sang solo in the performance of the Armed Man at Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Black Dyke Band.

She has recently retired and is enjoying pottering around and doing lots of walking and hopes to be having lots of fantastic holidays in the very near future.

Craig Lees is a Contemporary Vocal Coach, Choral Director and Arranger.

He is a Senior Lecturer on the Popular Music degree at Leeds Conservatoire, where he founded the LCoM Contemporary Pop Choir in 2014. He is also the Musical Director behind ‘Leeds Contemporary Singers’, winners of BBC One’s Pitch Battle show.

Craig leads regular choirs for the West Yorkshire Playhouse, John Lewis Partnership and Workplace Choir Company. He also delivers weekly sessions for Mind The Gap Theatre Company (England’s Largest learning-disability theatre house). He has delivered projects for leading voice technology manufacturer TC-Helicon and worked with internationally acclaimed artists Marc Almond and Will Young (whilst on Pitch Battle).

Craig is a president-elect for the British Voice Association (BVA) and was awarded the ‘Sing For Pleasure Young Conductors Scholarship’ in 2015. He has presented internationally on the topic of choral pedagogy and has delivered choral workshops throughout the UK and abroad.

Samuel Hendricks, singer, musician and business owner, is not only a panellist at Choirs GO POP this year. But his Gospel Choir, H.U.M, will be bringing the energy in a pop-inspired gospel workshop for us. As well as bringing the house down, headling our evening choral extravaganza.

After many years of playing drums in the church band and directing the church youth choir, Sam quickly branched out to play with many respected, professional musicians and artists. Sam is a member of several high-quality professional bands, including H.U.M Gospel Choir, performing all over the country.

To date, his biggest achievement was supporting Jocelyn Brown in front of 900 plus guests.

A frontman in his element, commanding a crowd and giving an electric performance, Sam is bringing his expertise to our GO POP panel. Sam's advice and experience will help you take your performance as a choir to the next level.