The Phoenix Singers Music Director is Geoff Lavery

GEOFF LAVERY began his professional musical career in Ipswich. From there, he and his family moved to Lancashire and then to Bedford, where he conducted many orchestral and choral performances and musicals. He returned to Suffolk twelve years ago.

Geoff is conductor of Beccles Choral Society and Musical Director of the Phoenix Singers, Framlingham performing many of the major large choral works. In April last year, he conducted both his choirs and Lambeth Orchestra from London at Snape Maltings, in an all-Elgar concert, with Diana Moore as soloist.

Concerts last season included “The Armed Man” by Karl Jenkins and Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” with Beccles. Phoenix concerts included Puccini’s Messa di Gloria in December 2022 and a Coronation Concert celebration in July.

This season, in November, there is a “Messiah” in Beccles and then Family Christmas Concerts in both Framlingham and Beccles. However, the high-light of the season is to be another concert at Snape in May 2024, with both his choirs and Lambeth Orchestra, in a Vaughan Williams programme that includes the “Sea” Symphony. A further concert at Snape is planned for 2026.

In the past, for ten years, Geoff was Director of the Gippeswyk Singers, a chamber choir in Ipswich that he founded many years ago, He has also directed and accompanied many “Come & Sing” performances of a variety of choral works in the East Anglian region.

As well as conducting, Geoff has written a series of thirteen booklets about the symphonic repertoire, regularly plays the organ at Aldeburgh and also works as an accompanist and adjudicator.