People List
Lucia Boué
Prep 1 & 2
Biography
Lucia started singing at Oxford Youth Choirs in 2008 and stayed all the way through school, finishing as Head Girl of the choir in 2018. After A-levels, she decided to follow her passion for early years teaching and is currently a full-time early years apprentice. She thrives on encouraging musicality in young children, and following three years as a student helper in the Prep 1 choir, she was delighted to return as a teacher. She holds a DipABRSM in singing and is keen to develop her musical practice. She is also an experienced ballet and modern dancer, and enjoys choreographing and teaching the dances for the OGC Spring operas.
Monica Nelson
Musical Mayhem
Biography
Monica is a musician, singer and songwriter specialising in early years music. As an alumna and former Head Girl of Oxford Girls' Choir, Monica was trained by OYC director Richard Vendome and remains a lifelong friend of the choir. She left the choir in 1995 to read English at Glasgow University but continued to sing, performing with several choirs and bands. She spent over a decade working in journalism and PR before having children, which prompted a career change. She now has three children and runs an award-winning toddler music company, Musical Mayhem, which provides live music classes and parties for hundreds of 0-4 year olds across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Monica plays a number of musical instruments including piano, guitar, ukulele, melodeon and trumpet and writes children's songs for Musical Mayhem. She also runs workshops and events for nurseries, pre-schools, primary schools and children's charities. She has a passion for inspiring an early love of music and singing and a friendly, enthusiastic approach.
Margaret Lingas
Juniors, Combined Choirs, Vocal Coach
Biography
Margaret Lingas was born in Cyprus, raised between the UK, Greece, and the USA, and earned her BMus in vocal performance with linguistics at the University of Victoria, Canada, where she studied with Benjamin Butterfield. While in North America, she sang with the Pacific Opera Victoria chorus, and was a soloist with groups including the Victoria Baroque Players, the Sooke Philharmonic, and Fretwork.
Margaret originally sang Oxford Youth Choirs as a student (2006-2014), and then returned to teach and direct with them in 2018. She also directs chamber ensemble Rad Camerata and has led workshops/participated in community music outreach projects with organisations including City University London, Pacific Opera Victoria, Genesis Sixteen, and Ex Cathedra. She attended the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society's Women Conductors programme, and is particularly interested in modern premieres/revivals of works by female composers, participating in projects recording and presenting music by Kassiani, Strozzi, Lang, the Boulangers, and many other - from the court of Ferrara to English convents displaced in France during the Reformation.
Margaret continues to perform regularly as a solo and small ensemble singer, touring and recording with groups including Ex Cathedra, The Sixteen, the Tallis Scholars, Cappella Romana, the Carice Singers, and Echo. Having grown up around a variety of musical traditions (Byzantine chant, jazz, baroque opera, and Greek folk music are all family favourites) she particularly enjoys improvisation, singing in new languages, and exploring vocal styles less often heard in UK choral circles.
Keep up with Margaret's latest projects here: https://www.facebook.com/mlingas/
Colin Danskin
Boys, Combined Choirs, Administrator, Designated Safeguarding Lead
Biography
Colin Danskin is a freelance teacher, conductor and tenor, working in Oxford and London. He enjoyed work as classroom music teacher for several years before completing a masters in Solo Voice Ensemble Singing at the University of York, and has completed the Advanced conductor training course with Sing for Pleasure.
Colin has several years experience directing residential weekends for both youth and adult choirs, ranging from Early Music to Close Harmony. He was Musical Director of renowned jazz a capella group, The Oxford Gargoyles, including a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022, and now directs Oxford Harmony.
During 2022-23 Colin was a lay clerk at Magdalen College, Oxford and a scholar with the Oxford Bach Soloists. He is currently a Voces8 Scholar.
