Musical Director
Jenny Sumerling is a graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and London, where she studied under John Rutter, Robin Holloway, Hugh Wood and Philip Ledger. While still a student, she founded and conducted The Arcadians – a small, mixed-voice choir with whom she gave many concerts throughout the UK. Since then she has worked extensively as an accompanist and conductor to soloists and choral groups and regularly adjudicates at Music Festivals. She is an examiner and moderator for the Scottish Qualifications Authority and in 2011 was appointed SQA Senior Examiner for Music (Higher).
In her capacity as Curriculum Leader for Music and Expressive Arts at Portobello High School, Jenny has undertaken many projects, including musicals, foreign tours and world premiere performances with composers and musicians. As director of the Senior School Choir she has worked with composer Rory Boyle and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on the world premiere of “The Fires of Bride” and associated composition projects, as well as preparing singers from Edinburgh schools to work with the Swingle Singers. More recently she has been involved in a number of jazz projects, musicals and foreign tours as well as hosting visits by Julian Lloyd-Webber, Allan Neave and Mehboob Nadeem.
In 1996 Jenny Sumerling became Musical Director of The Hadley Court Singers in East Lothian. During her four years with them she gave many concerts including a highly successful programme of music from the 16th century celebrating the Siege of Haddington, and featuring the first performance of ‘Song for Saint Cecilia’, a specially commissioned work by Scottish composer Ken Johnston. She became Musical Director of Cadenza in 2000.
She has worked with many ensembles and choirs, including the Garleton Singers, the Edinburgh Renaissance Band and the Orchestra of St. Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh. She is a member of the Association for British Choral Directors and was one of the judges for the Waverley Care’s international Carol Writing Competition.
Jenny became Cadenza’s Musical Director in September 2000, and under her direction the choir has cointinued to go from strength to strength, attracting capacity audiences and critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with performances of major works by composers as diverse as Bach, Mendelssohn, Durufle and Maxwell Davies. She also directed Cadenza’s most recent CDs, Voices and Joy and Bright Star – Cadenza at Christmas, both of which were well received by critics and audiences alike.