Dare To Sing! Workshop Facilitators
Get excited about this years Dare to Sing Choral Festival by reading a little bit about each of our Workshop Facilitators.
To find out more about the Dare to Sing Choral Festival itself click here
Craig Lees
Craig is a contemporary vocal coach, choral leader and arranger, and Principal Lecturer in Popular Music at Leeds Conservatoire, where he was one of the founders of the LC Pop Choir in 2015. He was Musical Director of Leeds Contemporary Singers, winners of BBC One’s Pitch Battle (2017), and served as President of the British Voice Association (2019–2021) following four years as a Director. As founder of The Workplace Choir Company International, he has led corporate choirs worldwide, and with his ensembles has performed at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Leeds Arena, Wembley Arena, and MIPCOM Cannes, as well as on BBC, ITV, RTE, Channel 4 and Sky. An in-demand workshop leader, he has presented at major international conferences such as PEVOC, ICVT, Hamburg Voice Symposium, Choice for Voice, Gospel Rising Festival, the UK Choir Festival and Stimmwelten. His educational and creative projects include work with the RNCM, Leeds Playhouse, Wakefield Theatre Royal, Mind The Gap Theatre Company, and collaborations with TC-Helicon, as well as advisory roles for WAVDA (Wales) and SIA (China).
Wagner Barbosa
Wagner is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, vocal producer/director, and vocal coach with over 15 years of experience. He’s worked with artists such as Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Carlinhos Brown, Vanessa Moreno, Criolo, among many others, and co-produced the Closing Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics. Wagner’s journey began with guitar at age 9, and despite early struggles and being told singing was “only for the gifted,” he dedicated years to mastering his voice and learning how to teach others. Certified by the Modern Vocal Training and Speech Level Singing, he holds postgraduate degrees in Brazilian Music and Voice & Coaching, and has taught internationally, including 11 times at the European Vocal Camp. Today, Wagner collaborates with Grammy-winning producers like Alê Siqueira and Kassin, while continuing to merge his passion for performance, teaching, and vocal innovation.
Ruaidhrí O Dálaigh
Ruaidhrí Ó Dálaigh is an Irish choir director and the founder of The Ramparts, an all-male a cappella award-winning group known for its blend of pop, traditional, and barbershop music. He also directs the Belvedere College Chamber Choir and the Maynooth University Chamber Choir.
Ó Dálaigh has led workshops for the Limerick Singd International Choral Festival and has appeared with his choirs on television shows like BBCs One Pitch Battle and Ireland's Got Talent.
We have worked with Ruaidhrí a number of times and love having him back because he is so talented. This year he will be leading workshops in Barbershop for Men and Close Harmony for women.
Carla Jane
Carla is an award-winning Singer, Choir director and choir Workshop facilitator.
Growing up in a Pentecostal church, a passion for singing vibrant gospel music was ignited. Singing in front of audiences from as young as 5 years old and singing in gospel choirs from age 12, afforded her the opportunity to learn from some of the UK’s finest choir directors and singers and she has gone on to sing and lead choirs in many different countries, as well as providing vocals for gospel luminaires Donnie McClurkin, William McDowell, Noel Robinson, Jekalyn Carr, Chevelle Franklin, Sinach, as well as R Kelly and Heather Small, to name a few.
Choirs are a brilliant way of bringing people together to sing and create wonderful sounds. When you add the power of the gospel message and vibrant music styling this has the potential to be life changing, and Carla welcomes every opportunity to be involved
Declan Davies
Declan Davies is a musical director, performer, and songwriter whose work spans commercial, educational, and artistic sectors across the UK and beyond. He directs the Leeds Conservatoire Pop Choir, leading them in appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, on Britain’s Got Talent, BBC Radio Leeds, and Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. As touring Musical Director for Adam Tucker (Better Man), he has performed at major festivals and theatres alongside artists including Ella Henderson, The Hoosiers, The Fratellis, and Gloria Gaynor.
Declan is really excited to be coming back to SUSO and working with Craig as accompanist and co-director for the large choir sessions they are running together.
CHARLEY WHITE
Charley has been teaching since the age of 16. She has worked in many different Schools, Stage Schools, Intensive Workshops, Summer Schools all over Ireland and in the UK. Also, Charley has worked for many different Production Companies over the years in various departments including Directing, Choreographing, Musical Direction, Costuming and Casting.
Charley has an array of stage and screen experience in her back pocket, including playing “Imelda Quirke” in “The Commitments” and playing the lead roles of “Snow White” and “Red Riding Hood” in the Causeway Productions Pantomimes. Charley has also performed with artists such as Paul Byrom, Rebecca Storm and Russell Watson, touring all over Ireland. Charley has also appeared on “Damo & Ivor”, “The Late Late Show”, “XFactor” as part of girlband FAE, “Winx Fate Saga” on Netflix and most recently as a finalist on “Last Singer Standing” on RTÉ.
Charley’s areas of teaching expertise lend themselves to many aspects of Musical Theatre including Dance, Singing, Creative Drama, Acting Through Song and Music Theory to name a few. Charley will be undertaking a workshop in choreography for the Choral Festival and looks forward to seeing you there.
Eimear Crehan
Our very own Eimear is the director of SpeakUp SingOut and an accomplished performer, teacher, songwriter, coach and all around passionate people person. She loves nothing more than connecting with her clients and choir members and helping them get the most out of their voice.
Eimear works internationally in development work partnering with Beyond Stigma and Dream Village in places like Rwanda and South Africa, she runs retreats in The Work Creative (based on the work of Byron Katie), and recently returned from coaching at the European Vocal Camp in Poland
Eimear will be leading workshops in creative development, looking at the areas of how to develop yourself further as an artist, how to get over the nerves, how to take the next step in your musical journey and how to be that little bit freer within yourself and acknowledge the creative person that you really are.
