Most conducting careers do not begin with a neat roadmap. They begin with a choir, a spark of curiosity, and a moment where you realise you would rather shape the sound than blend into it. We’re joined by Tori Longdon, Principal Conductor of the Covent Garden Chorus and Associate Chorus Director of the London Philharmonic Choir, to talk about what it really takes to build a respected, sustainable life as a choir director and choral conductor.

We go back to the foundations: youth choirs, early musical opportunities, and the social and emotional skills that group singing teaches long before anyone talks about “career development”. From there, we dig into repertoire and musical taste, including Tori’s brilliant reminder that all music becomes classical if you wait long enough. If you care about inclusive programming, singer engagement, and keeping rehearsals musically rich without getting stuck in genre battles, you’ll find plenty to take into your next season plan.

The conversation turns personal and practical with vocal health. Tori shares how vocal strain and limited guidance pushed her towards conducting, and how that experience shaped a more efficient rehearsal style. We also explore mentoring as a two-way street, why learning never stops after conservatoire, and how programmes and networks can replace the support structure many musicians lose after study.

Finally, we name the quieter realities of leadership: loneliness, fear of failure, fear of success, and the adrenaline crash after big projects. If you’ve ever wondered whether you are “doing it right”, this is an honest, hopeful listen. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a fellow choir leader, and leave a rating and review so more conductors can find the show.

***

More about Tori Longdon:

Website: https://torilongdon.com

Facebook: @torilongdonmusic

Instagram: @torilongdon

***

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

Most choirs don’t need more rehearsal time. They need rehearsals that feel alive. Russell Scott is joined by choral conductor, composer and educator Peter Futcher of Choir Matters to explore what actually lifts a choir from competent to compelling, even when you’re working with busy adults who arrive tired, stressed and short on headspace.

We talk about playfulness as a serious tool for better singing: taking musical risks, creating a rehearsal room where people belong, and staying focused on the journey rather than obsessing over a single performance date. Peter shares why some of the most memorable concerts happen with almost nobody in the audience, and how that freedom can unlock sound, confidence and connection. You’ll also hear practical ideas on choir positioning beyond the standard SATB block, including mixing parts and changing sightlines to improve listening, tuning and attention.

The heart of the conversation is conducting gesture and sound. Peter keeps returning to one blunt, helpful test: are we adding value, or are we just beating time? We dig into clarity, simplicity, watching, and why the “magic” is rarely in fancy patterns. Along the way we touch on repertoire choices, audience emotion, bold musical opinions, and the difference between reading vertically on the page and singing horizontally in a true line.

Subscribe for more rehearsal craft, share this with a fellow choir director, and leave a rating and review so more conductors can find the show.

***

More about Peter Futcher:

website: https://www.choirmatters.org/

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

The fastest way to improve a choir is not a new warm-up or a clever baton trick. It is building trust so singers feel safe enough to actually sing. Russell Scott sits down with Susan Cox, director of the Grand Union Community Choir, to explore what community choir leadership looks like when you take confidence, wellbeing, and real life seriously, especially in mixed ability groups.

Susan shares what she has learned from decades in music education and choral directing, including how different ages can experience rehearsal in different ways. We talk about why some older singers need more repetition, clearer visual cues, and a little more time, and how anxiety and self-belief can matter as much as raw musical capability. If you lead singers who bring past criticism, learning differences, or performance nerves into the room, you will find practical, compassionate approaches you can use straight away.

We also tackle one of the most sensitive topics for choir directors: singing off book. Yes, performing without sheet music can boost audience engagement and presence, but the push to memorise can create stress that stops people singing. Susan explains how to introduce off-book singing gradually, how to use a “safety net” without losing connection, and why there is no one-size-fits-all model across community choirs, SATB ensembles, and more traditional reading groups.

Along the way we dig into self-awareness, imposter syndrome, rehearsal planning, and why filming yourself can reveal habits your choir sees instantly. If you want better rehearsals, a healthier choir culture, and a more confident ensemble sound, subscribe, share with a fellow choir leader, and leave us a rating and review.

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

You can feel when a choir rehearsal has real trust, and you can also feel when singers are holding back. Maria A. Ellis, St Louis-based choral conductor, educator, and founder of Girl Conductor, joins us to get practical about how we create rehearsal rooms where singers take risks, learn faster, and actually enjoy the work.

We talk through high-impact rehearsal strategies that start with comfort and connection, then build towards excellence. Maria shares her “favourite auntie” leadership mindset, why children often lean into new ideas more easily than adults, and how we can normalise mistakes without lowering standards. One line lands especially hard: make the mistake loud, because we cannot fix what we cannot hear. If you lead a youth choir, school choir, community choir, or chamber ensemble, these ideas translate straight into better pacing, clearer feedback, and stronger sound.

From there, we move into inclusive repertoire and genre crossover with integrity: gospel, classical, pop, and musical theatre. Maria’s Bach And Beyoncé approach shows how to make classical music relevant by revealing its fingerprints in modern music, film scores, and sampling culture. We also dig into teaching music theory and intervals using references students already know, treating style as the character of the music rather than a box labelled “genre”, and helping singers connect to lyrics even when the text sits outside their belief system.

If you’re ready to sharpen your choral conducting, expand your repertoire choices, and help young singers find confidence and style, press play. Subscribe, share with a fellow choir director, and leave us a rating and review so more conductors can find the show.

***
More about Maria A. Ellis:

website: www.girlconductor.com
Facebook: @girlconductor
Instagram: @girlconductor

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

A choir can sing accurately and still leave an audience cold, so what actually creates a performance that feels alive? We sit down with Oliver Rudin, a Basel-based artistic director who works deeply with youth ensembles and the Basel Boys Choir, to get practical about the decisions that make a choir sound confident, expressive, and genuinely surprising.

We talk choral programming across styles, including how to introduce contemporary choral music to singers and listeners who prefer familiar repertoire. Oliver’s answer is not “pick safer pieces” or “market harder”. It is clarity: build a strong artistic idea, create bridges between styles, and choose music you love enough to lead with conviction. That authenticity, he argues, is the quickest way to get singers to commit emotionally, not just intellectually.

From there, we go into rehearsal craft. Oliver shares fast ways to unite a large group, including simple listening-based warm-ups like finding a shared pianissimo hum, then expanding towards harmony. We also unpack intonation as a focus and body issue as much as an ear issue, plus why stepping back can help singers listen, breathe together, and self-correct. Finally, we explore choir competitions and the World Choir Games: what adjudicators listen for, how repertoire choice can highlight a choir’s strengths, and why you “cannot fail” if the real aim is growth.

Subscribe for more practical choral conducting conversations, share this with a fellow choir director, and if it helps you, please leave a rating and review so more singers and conductors can find the show.

***

More about Oliver Rudin:

Website: www.oliverrudin.com

Instagram: @oliver.rudin

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

Pop and rock choir can sound electrifying or it can sound like a classical choir wearing a pop costume. We sit down with Craig Lees, Principal Lecturer in Popular Voice at Leeds Conservatoire and a leading figure in contemporary pop choral work, to get specific about what actually makes popular music feel authentic when sung by a choir.

We dig into the nuts and bolts that choir directors and vocal leaders wrestle with every week: how to avoid the “pretty by default” trap, how to teach rhythm so syncopation stays alive, and how to shape articulation and vowels so the sound sits closer to speech and style. Craig shares practical rehearsal approaches for mix and belt in a group setting, including the use of primal sounds like calls, sighs and yells, plus how to keep singers healthy while still getting that raw, emotional edge pop music demands.

We also explore groove as a whole-body skill, why movement can instantly change ensemble feel, and how consonant placement can create punch and projection without pushing volume at the vocal folds. On the arranging and section-leading side, Craig talks about gospel-influenced voicings, mixed tenor sections (including female tenors), and what “twang” really means as a controllable change in the vocal tract that can boost clarity and carry. If you want a more modern choir sound, stronger performances, and rehearsals that translate directly to the stage, this one is packed with usable ideas.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, leave a rating and review, and share it with a fellow choir director who wants their pop set to finally land.

***
More about Craig Lees:

Website: www.livingvocally.com
Instagram: @craigantonylees
Facebook: @livingvocally

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

A youth choir doesn’t thrive because you pick the perfect repertoire. It thrives because rehearsal feels like a place young singers choose to return to, week after week, even when life gets messy and confidence wobbles. I’m joined by Berlin-based choral director Johannes David Wolff, artistic director of Vokalhelden, the children’s and youth choir programme founded on the initiative of Sir Simon Rattle and Simon Halsey, to talk about what really builds that kind of rehearsal culture.

We dig into the small rehearsal habits that create big musical results: starting with human connection before you start “fixing notes”, setting expectations that feel supportive rather than strict, and making the room accessible when backgrounds, experience and self-belief vary. Johannes shares what it took to establish a youth choir over years, how the pandemic and online rehearsals affected young singers differently, and why long term momentum depends on trust more than talent.

We also explore how to inspire young people to listen to classical music without forcing it, using points of reference from their lives and helping them practise attention in a world that encourages quick judgment and constant swiping. If you’ve ever faced resistance to a piece, struggled to keep energy high for 90 minutes, or wondered how humour can sharpen focus rather than derail it, you’ll take away strategies you can use at your very next rehearsal.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, share it with a fellow choir director, and if it helps you, please leave a rating and review. What rehearsal habit has made the biggest difference in your choir?

***

More about Johannes David Wolff:

Volkahelden Website: www.vokalhelden.de
Instagram: @johannesdavidwolff

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

A choir warm-up on a whiteboard turns into a viral moment, then into a teaching philosophy. We sit down with Myles “It’s Mr Finn” Finn to talk about what actually makes singers lean in: not performative energy, but real craft, clear standards, and a teacher who shows up as themselves. If you lead a school choir, conduct a community ensemble, or juggle show choir and musical theatre, this conversation is packed with practical rehearsal thinking you can use straight away.

We get into the nuts and bolts of running school musicals at scale, where 120 plus students might be involved and the “cast” includes everyone from singers to set builders. Myles shares how he prioritises the ensemble so they do not feel like background decoration, how he thinks about ensemble versus chorus, and how staging challenges like sight lines and levels become solvable musical problems. We also talk about quality control with young people: building from musicianship, keeping rhythm honest, and obsessing over intonation because audiences notice it instantly.

Then the story shifts to a big life move: leaving the US for Zagreb, Croatia, and learning the realities of international school teaching where relationships can feel like a revolving door. Myles explains why family mattered in the decision, what changes in student culture surprised him, and why he is now building a new community choir in Zagreb to keep music-making open to more people.

Subscribe for more choir director interviews, share this with a fellow music educator, and leave a review so more conductors and vocal leaders can find the show.

***

More about Myles Finn:

Website: www.itsmrfinn.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/itsmrmylesfinn/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsmrmylesfinn/

***

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

The scariest moment for many choir directors is not the high note, it is the first time you ask the group to move and everyone suddenly forgets how to stand. We sit down with choir choreographer Daniel Raaflaub to get practical about choir choreography, staging, and how to build confident stage presence without turning your ensemble into a “dance troupe”.

Daniel shares how his background in performing arts and musical theatre shapes a storytelling-first approach: movement that clarifies meaning, strengthens expression, and supports clean ensemble timing. We explore what “show choir” really means, why tiny unified gestures can be more powerful than big routines, and how trust is the hidden engine of every successful rehearsal. If you work with adult singers who feel self-conscious, or youth choirs who jump in too quickly, you will hear clear ways to warm up, introduce movement step by step, and use repetition so singers can stop thinking and start performing.

We also get into real-world constraints choir leaders face: limited rehearsal time, the choice between planning and improvising, and how to scale choreography from a chamber choir to hundreds of singers using prep tools like demo videos. Daniel’s key message is freeing: perfection is optional, commitment is not, and audiences respond to believable emotion more than synchronised arms.

Subscribe for more tools for choir directors, conductors, and vocal leaders, then share the episode with a colleague and leave a quick review so more choirs can find it.

***

More about Daniel Raaflaub:

Instagram: @danielraaflaub

Website: danielraaflaub.com

***

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.

Music can be the loudest thing in the room and still not be the point. On his birthday, Russell goes solo for a personal, practical reflection on what truly drives choirs, festivals, mentoring, concerts, and all the unseen choices behind great musical experiences.

We talk about why choral conducting is really people work, and break down three forces that shape every strong ensemble: connection, transformation, and standards. Connection is what turns individuals into a unit over weeks and months. Transformation is what happens when someone who “isn’t a singer” finds confidence, steps on stage, and believes it. Standards are how we refuse to lower the bar and instead create the environment and expectation that lets singers rise higher than they thought possible.

Russell also shares how travel, culture, and collaboration expand a choir’s world, and why the best bonding often happens away from the rehearsal room. Food, social time, and shared stories build trust, deepen commitment, and feed straight back into rehearsal energy and performance impact. Along the way, we get honest about the hard days too: overwhelm, responsibility, and the reality of asking people to trust a vision they cannot fully see yet.

If you lead a choir, sing in one, or build musical communities, you’ll leave with fresh language for what you do and renewed motivation to do it at your best. Subscribe, share this with a fellow choir director, and please leave a review so more leaders can find the show.

Contact the Studio

Support the show

***

Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026.  All rights reserved.