Bairbre Lloyd - soprano

What do you do for a living?
I look after the PR for Cheltenham Festivals, working across all four Festivals: Jazz, Science, Music and Literature.
Have you lived in Gloucestershire all your life?
No: I’m from Ireland and I studied and worked in Cardiff for several years. I moved to Stroud to manage the Subscription Rooms, then worked at Gloucester Cathedral and finally the Festivals.
Where is your favourite place in Gloucestershire?
Swifts Hill overlooking the Slad Valley. I first encountered it while doing the Five Valley Walk for Meningitis Now and couldn’t believe somewhere so gorgeous was just a short walk away from where I live.
Which bit of the building at Gloucester Cathedral do you love the most?
Sitting in the back row of the Quire listening to Evensong. Lift your eyes and you can see the amazing ‘coat-hanger’ arches and vaulted roof.
If you had to name your favourite choral piece, what might it be and why?
Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. It was the first piece of music I properly fell in love with, aged 15
Is there a choral piece that you would love to sing in, but haven’t yet?
Either/both of the Bach Passions
What has been your favourite moment or event during your time with the Saint Cecilia Singers?
Performing ‘For Dots Nuns’ – it was a concert I put together for the Singers telling the story of Elgar and his sister ‘Dot’ who was Mother Superior of the convent in Stroud . We commissioned David Owen Norris to write an arrangement for us and it was just the most wonderful occasion after months of hard work.
Where in the world would you most like to visit, but haven’t?
Japan
If you could read only two books from now on, which ones would they be?
Jeeves collection by P G Wodehouse (for when I need cheering up) and the collected poems of Seamus Heaney (for returning to again and again and reminding me of home)
Which four figures from the past would you like to have at your dinner table?
Oscar Wilde, Iris Murdoch, David Bowie and Hildegard of Bingen
What was your favourite subject at school?
Music
What other hobbies do you enjoy outside of music?
Paddle boarding and allotment gardening
What are you most looking forward to after lockdown eases?
Meeting friends at a gig or show.