The team
Tim and Toni Allen
BeVox is owned and run by the husband and wife team of Tim and Toni Allen.
Tim is responsible for the musical side of the choir. He is an internationally-acclaimed arranger, with his music regularly being performed across Europe, the USA, and Australia. He has been involved in leading vocal ensembles since 1991, when he MDed his first musical (an amateur production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). Since then, he has trained choirs that have performed in venues such as Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall. He has worked alongside household names such as Brian May, Toyah Willcox and Jane McDonald. His choral arrangements are published by ChoirCommunity, for whom he also works as a musical proof-reader. He is the founder of the Choir Leaders' Choir UK, and alongside Toni he also directs New Horizon Choir in Gateshead.
Toni looks after the administration, finances and logistics of the choir, but her favourite part of her job is greeting every singer when they arrive at sessions. She prides herself on getting to know every singer, and is the first point of contact for most people within the choir.
Toni and Tim got engaged at the end of BeVox's "Circle of Life" concert in December 2013, and were married in 2015. They live in a small village in South Yorkshire.
Kate Shipway
Co-leader in Sheffield
Kate is a choral conductor, vocal coach and community music leader known for her work directing and inspiring choirs across the UK. As well as co-leading the Sheffield branch of BeVox, she is Musical Director of The Sheffield Chorale and Romulus Singers, and works as a Vocal Music Leader for Sheffield Music Hub, where she teaches voice, works on whole class singing and leads One Voice, a project that brings primary school children from across Sheffield together for massed singing performances. Kate is also Creative Director of Singing In…, an organisation that supports inclusive music-making through community choirs, vocal workshops and community music-making events. In addition to her conducting roles, she sings with the Northern Collective Big Band. Passionate about empowering singers and choir leaders, Kate regularly delivers coaching to help groups create engaging and moving performances.
