'Songs for a Summer's Evening
Reg. Charity No. 1136716
a concert fundraising for local charity...
THE OAKVILLE SINGERS
Introduction: The Oakville Singers, is a chamber choir based in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. Members are drawn from across the South Midlands and the name Oakville derives from SellyOAK and BournVILLE where the choir began, under the direction of Roger Gay, in 1965 with just a few singers. It now has a membership of over 40.
Oakville perform both sacred and secular music of all styles. They have sung at most of the Cathedrals in the UK as well as tours abroad singing in the Cathedrals of Notre Dame, Chartres, Brussels, Cologne and Aachen.
The choir is proud to work closely with local schools, giving children the opportunity to take part in concerts and perform with an adult choir, an experience that many of them would not otherwise have. Over the years, Oakville has raised many thousands of pounds for charity, including Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly known as CLIC Sargent) raising over £11,000 in 2023.
Musical Director:
Ivan Oliver, has been associated with the Oakville Singers for over 40 years, first joining them as a guest boy treble soloist, singing the Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s requiem. Prior to becoming musical director of the choir in 2005, he was an Associate Director and accompanied the choir for rehearsals and concerts.
He has had a keen interest in music from the age of 9, when the family inherited his grandmother’s piano. He sang with The Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir where he became Head Chorister and won The Bishop of Worcester's Chorister Award. Alongside piano and organ, he also studied french horn and cello to an advanced level. He is involved with a number of local music groups and was organist at Claines Parish Church for many years and continues to play at St Oswald's Chapel, Worcester - a post held for over 35 years.
Ivan has a joint honours degree in biology and geography from the University of Birmingham, and is a project and site manager in the renewable energy industry, specialising in Solar PV.
