Our Chorus Director is Dave Smith who started out in barbershop in 1974 with the Reading Barbershop Harmony Club. His first directing experience was with Reading doing a spell as Assistant Chorus Director. He quickly became involved in the national barbershop scene and was part of the team setting up the arrangement category (now defunct) in both BABS (British Association of Barbershop Singers) and LABBS. He was the first Chorus Director with Guildford Harmony and was actively coaching choruses and quartets by this stage. He helped coach 'Shades' quartet to a LABBS gold medal. Since then he has performed in various quartets and had a spell directing Surrey Fringe men's chorus, achieving 12th place at Convention with them.
In addition to barbershop Dave has always had an interest in mixed voice a cappella and has been involved in forming several groups. With his wife Beth he is currently setting up a new five part mixed a cappella choir called 'Choir Remix'. He has also arranged a large number of songs over the years in various styles and parts. Dave has also played guitar and bass for shows and pantos with various amateur dramatic groups and recorded a CD of his own material in 2000.
Kath Roodhouse (Assistant Musical Director) has been a barbershopper for longer than she cares to remember. As Tenor Section Leader, she sings tenor with the Chorus when she's not directing, arranges some of our music and writes original material too - in 1995 she won the LABBS (Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers) International Song Contest with 'Musical Daisy Chain'.
Korrine Cakebread (Lead Section Leader) has always loved singing and barbershop, so seeing the advertisement promoting Guildford Harmony in the Surrey Advertiser in August 2005 really excited her, though it took about three weeks to pluck up courage to come along to one of our rehearsal evenings. She is so glad she did, as she was hooked within minutes.
Korrine says that being asked to take on the role of Lead Section Leader was a pleasant surprise.
Isabel Cockram (Baritone Section Leader) and Maureen Hallett (Bass Section Leader) make up the rest of the Music Team. Both are experienced barbershoppers with 20 years experience under their waistbands who, like Dave and Kath, know how to make learning barbershop fun as well as educational.
