New festival director

Following the latest resounding success in May this year, the organisers have also confirmed that the fourth festival will take place in 2009 from April 30 to May 4.

They have also announced that Dr Roy Wales has retired as festival director. He will remain as a consultant and has been succeeded by Peter Davies, musical director of Huntingdon Male Voice Choir since 1995 and organist and choirmaster of All Saints Parish Church, Sawtry, for the past 24 years.

Dr Wales directed the first three Cornish festivals, with this year's event breaking all records - including the largest number of choirs participating - 56 adult and 12 youth and boy choirs - the largest number of singers (over 3,000), and the largest aggregate audience (over 30,000).

Mr Davies, who lives near Huntingdon, sees his new role as "showcasing the very best in male voice singing while working with directors, committees and singers in the development of repertoire, vocal technique and presentation".

For nearly all his professional life as a teacher, youth worker/officer, community development leader and consultant, he has pursued music as a performer, teacher, composer, arranger, conductor and through study. He has broadcast widely on radio and television with his choirs.

For most of the past 13 years, he has been musical director to three choirs, undertaken major administrative roles for the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) and fulfilled the demanding role as a consultant of national repute in post-18 education data and systems issues.

Over the past seven years he and his wife June have developed their consultancy practice - CCCS (Sawtry) Ltd, of Sawtry, Cambridgeshire - and now employ five staff, who will contribute their own skills to the Cornwall festival where relevant.

Mr Davies has delivered specialist workshops to choirs in East Anglia, seminars on male voice repertoire at ABCD conventions and individual piano, organ, singing and accompaniment lessons.

With a small team, he organised the 1999 ABCD Annual Convention in Cambridge. It was the largest convention ever staged by the association, involving over 200 musical director delegates, 30 tutors (including John Rutter and Sir David Willcocks) and presenters, a composer in residence and six visiting choirs.

In 2002 Mr Davies was co-ordinator and musical director of the National Association of Choirs Group 20 concert in Ely Cathedral which involved 12 choirs and 420 singers.