Working Together to Create Confident, Expressive Choirs
Choral Conductor | Educator | Clinician
Peter Futcher is a choral conductor and music educator specialising in working with choirs to build confident, expressive performance.
His work is rooted in the belief that the connection between conductor and singer is central to musical success. Through clear, intentional gesture and a collaborative rehearsal process, he helps ensembles develop a shared sense of energy, communication, and musical understanding.
He believes that deep immersion in the preparation of music is fundamental to choral success. Interpretation should never be the copying of another version; instead, choirs should strive to create something distinctive and meaningful. It is in performance that the conductor’s role becomes most visible—shaping, guiding, and enabling those moments where the music truly comes to life.
Alongside his own conducting, Peter works with teachers and conductors to develop their practice, focusing on the relationship between gesture, sound, and ensemble response.
Recent Projects
Peter works regularly with Canterbury Chamber Choir,
Thanet Chamber Choir and Sound Waves Choir;
sometimes at the same time….
Forthcoming Projects
Faire is the heaven
Join Canterbury Chamber Choir for a captivating evening of sacred music, performed in the stunning setting of Holy Trinity Church, Broadstairs. This concert brings together a rich tapestry of choral works spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century, showcasing the finest in English and European choral tradition.
The programme opens with John Blow’s majestic Salvator Mundi, a fitting invocation of the Saviour of the World, setting the tone for an evening steeped in reverence and beauty. We then hear two exquisite works by the great English Renaissance master William Byrd — the serene Ave Verum and the jubilant Sing Joyfully, a glorious anthem bursting with energy and intricate polyphony.
Also from the Renaissance comes Richard Farrant’s tender Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake, alongside Orlando Gibbons’ uplifting O Clap Your Hands, both exemplifying the elegance and devotion of early English church music.
The concert continues with works by modern British composers who have enriched the choral repertoire: Harold Harris’ ethereal Faire is the Heaven, Herbert Howells’ deeply expressive Like as the Hart, and John Ireland’s moving Greater Love, each piece exploring themes of faith and longing with profound sensitivity.
Mendelssohn’s heartfelt Hear my Prayer brings a romantic and heartfelt plea to the programme, followed by the evocative contemporary work Vox Dicentis by Philip Naylor, adding a fresh and contemplative voice to the evening.
The sacred beauty of Marian devotion is celebrated in Christopher Parsons’ Ave Maria, a luminous setting that complements the rich Baroque spirituality of Henry Purcell’s Hear my Prayer and Remember not Lord our offences.
Moving forward, we encounter John Stainer’s dramatic I saw the Lord, and Charles Villiers Stanford’s serene Beati, both staples of the English choral canon that showcase majestic harmonic textures and stirring textual settings.
The programme culminates with works by the beloved Ralph Vaughan Williams (O Taste and See), the passionate William Walton (Set me as a seal), and two heartfelt anthems by Samuel Wesley — Blessed be the God and Thou wilt keep him, alongside Wood’s radiant O thou the Central Orb, celebrating the divine light.
This concert is an extraordinary journey through sacred music’s emotional and spiritual landscape, performed by one of Kent’s most accomplished choirs. Whether you are a seasoned choral music lover or new to this sublime repertoire, you will be moved and inspired by the sheer artistry and devotion on display.
Reserve your tickets now to secure your place at this unforgettable evening of choral splendour in Broadstairs.
Sunrise
Join Thanet Chamber Choir at ARK, Cliftonville's cultural space, for a musical journey that will stir the soul.
Featuring Ola Gjeilo’s captivating Sunrise Mass and Matthew Coleridge's much-acclaimed Requiem.
This concert invites you to embrace hope, transformation and wonder. Together with our guests The Echo Ensemble (Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School) TCC will perform luminous works for voices, strings and piano ... and we’ll awaken something new—together.
Let’s Make Choirs Better. Together.
Would you like to work with me? Would you like me to work with your choir? Perhaps you are starting conducting, or a choir (or both!) from scratch. Perhaps you would just like some advice or someone to bounce ideas off; whatever it is, do be in touch.