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THE VIGO SINGERS - WHO'S WHO find us on Instagram find us on twitter find us on facebook

John Hayden - Musical Director

John Hayden John Hayden was born in Pelotas, Brazil, to Irish parents. John and his family relocated to London when he was three, settling soon after in Maidstone. He began learning the piano at the age of nine and studied at the Royal College of Music Junior department for seven years before continuing his studies for a further four years at the Senior department.

John was the choirmaster at St.Mary's church, Thurnham, for eleven years and has worked with numerous adult and youth choirs as an accompanist, leading rehearsals whenever their musical director was indisposed. In 2018 and 2019 he led an office choir for Kantar UK's London branch, culminating in two successful Christmas concerts.

John was the Vigo Singers' accompanist for many years and is delighted to have now been appointed their new Musical Director.




Ciara Considine - Musical Director, Autumn 2009 to Summer 2023

 CiaraConsidine

Ciara grew up in Maidstone within a musical family and gained a prestigious County Scholarship to study the flute and piano at the Kent Music Academy (formerly KCYI). While a pupil at the Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, she won her places in the Kent Youth Choir, the Kent County Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. She then went to Manchester in 1993 to train as a concert-pianist at the Royal Northern College of Music. After getting her Bachelors’ Degree in Music, she went on to gain both a Postgraduate Diploma and a Masters' Degree in Music Performance (Piano) at the RNCM.

In 2007 Ciara turned to her Irish roots and made her albums of Irish folk music, O Mo Chroi and Beyond The Waves. Both albums continue to have radio-play and sell online via all the major distributors, whilst she regularly performs solos in the 'traditional music sessions' in the West of Ireland.

Ciara began conducting in 2009 and now conducts around 450 people in choirs catering for ages 6 to 90. She recently formed the Maidstone Voices choir and is the Music Director of the East Malling Singers and formerly the Vigo Singers. She formed the large youth choir 'MYMS Voices' and conducts the Kent County Junior Choir and the Kent Youth Choir. She worked with the Maidstone Jammers, the choir of inmates in HMP Maidstone, run by the trailblazing charity 'Beating Time' and she also worked with Gareth Malone on the 2014 BBC2 series, Sing While You Work; Ciara was the 'behind-the-scenes' conductor of the P&O Ferries choir, who won the series competition.


For further information, consult Ciara's web site at http://www.ciaraconsidinemusic.com/


Elizabeth Clark - Musical Director to July 2009 and Patron of Vigo Singers

Elizabeth Clark Elizabeth attended the Royal academy of Music for four years where she studied singing with Olive Groves. She has performed as a soloist in many operas, operettas, oratorios and recitals. Elizabeth recently retired from Kent Music School ,after seventeen years, where she taught singing and was vocal coach to the Kent Junior Singers, Junior Choir and Kent Girls Choir. She co-conducted the Junior Singers and, over the past few years, the Kent Girls Choir.

Elizabeth retires from the Vigo Singers having first established the choir in 1995. She is looking forward to spending more time with her three children and grandchildren who live in Cornwall, France and New Zealand.

Elizabeth was Vigo Singers' founder musical director and conducted the choir until July 2009