Marion Wood (2019-2022)

Marion Wood studied orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in London with a minor in singing. She had previously completed a Bachelor's degree in Music and Electronic Engineering at the University of Keele. During her 3rd year she conducted all the university music ensembles including the Philharmonic Choir and the New Music Ensemble. She was awarded the Roberts Memorial Prize for her commitment. In her rehearsal method and ear training technique Marion Wood is influenced by the Kodaly Method and in her vocal pedagogy by the Estill Voice Technique.

During her undergraduate studies, Marion was fortunate to work in a variety of University ensembles, from the Keele New Music Ensemble to the University Concert Band, Orchestra, Choir and Chapel Choir. She was awarded an organ scholarship and the Jim Roberts Memorial Prize for her contribution to musicIn 2006, Mar

Marion Wood was appointed director of the three choirs at the University of Münster, the collegium music vocale, in 2019. After a successful start in winter semester 2019/20, her work as choir director was severely restricted by the pandemic. It is thanks to her personal commitment and efforts during this time that the singers never lost their motivation for choral singing, even during rehearsals via Zoom or after some time with distance and masks outdoors. During the coronavirus lockdown, she led the pioneering music project mozart.distant, which pioneered virtual music installations in real physical spaces and reached audiences in person despite the restrictions. https://www.uni-muenster.de/Kustodie/mozart-distant/

We are deeply grateful to Marion Wood for her work during this difficult time. It is thanks to her that there was still an Ensemble 22 after Corona.

ion was appointed Director of Music at the University of Exeter, where she was responsible for establishing a wide-ranging scholarship program. She actively chose to make this program as cross-genre and wide-ranging as possible and successfully designed and led the redevelopment of a refectory as a music building. From 2008 she led the EMG Symphony Orchestra (now Devon Philharmonic) until 2016. In 2013, Marion moved to Germany for personal reasons (and partly to protest against fees at English universities). From 2014 she taught Applied Music Psychology at the WWU University of Music, and from 2015 also conducting and sight-singing. She chaired the committee of the University of Music Orchestra and conducted the orchestra for house concerts and prepared guest conductors. at the University. After leaving Keele, Marion studied orchestral conducting with Laurence Leonard at Morley College and sang in the London Philharmonic Choir. The following year she was accepted to study orchestral conducting at the Royal College, where she also continued singing as a second degree. She received the Janet Blacklock Memorial Award for her conducting studies and the Dulcie Nutting Prize for Choral Work. During this time she spent a short time as assistant conductor with the London Philharmonic Choir and founded the Torn Halves Music Theatre Group.

After studying at the Royal College, Marion worked with various London ensembles; the Romantic Symphony Orchestra, London Gay Symphony Orchestra, London Irish Symphony Orchestra, Candid Opera Company and Situation Opera, gaining experience in a variety of styles and repertoire from early music to Stravinsky and working with young composers in a variety of styles and genres. For a time she also returned weekly to Keele to conduct the University Orchestra and Keele Bach Choir and was appointed Choirmaster of the Belfast Philharmonic Choir and later Orchestra Manager and Assistant Conductor of the Nation Youth Orchestra of Ireland.