About us
Now in its eleventh year, Blackheath Centre for Singing runs choirs, Come & Sing days and workshops to suit all abilities. We can advise which of our three choirs best suits your level of musical experience. Our friendly adult choirs continue to flourish, and newcomers are always welcome!
As well as regular performances each term, we hold social events – such as our popular quiz nights – and UK and international residential singing weekends.
We rehearse in the welcoming venue of Mycenae House, 90 Mycenae Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 7SE.
Meet The BCS Team
Joel Thomas
Director & Founder
Award-winning conductor Joel Thomas is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, where he performed as both a concerto soloist and conductor.
He was soon selected to compete in the BBC Young Musician Conductors' Workshop, at which he conducted the BBC Philharmonic in Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.
In addition to heading Blackheath Centre for Singing, Joel leads workplace choirs for JP Morgan Bank and Thomson Reuters, in association with City Music Services.
In demand as a workshop leader, he has led choral events both in the UK and abroad - including several alongside Francis Steele, celebrated Bass of the Tallis Scholars.
Joel's work for the Association of British Choral Directors has seen him coach a new generation of conductors, and he frequently adjudicates choir competitions - most recently in Southwark Cathedral.
He has enjoyed the opportunity to hear his original compositions performed and explored on numerous occasions - notably by the BBC Singers in a workshop led by Paul Brough.
Joel is also Director of Music at St. George's Church, Greenwich and is committed to bringing choral opportunities to singers of all ages and abilities in this dynamic part of London.
Vincenzo Scarafile
Guest conductor
Vincenzo is an Italian choral conductor and counter-tenor, specialising in Early Music and choral pedagogy. He has worked as a Lay-Clerk in the professional cathedral choirs of Southwell Minster (Nottinghamshire), Lincoln and Christ Church, Oxford. He has performed, broadcast and recorded in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
He is a member of the award-winning 'Ars Cantica Choir' (Milan) and is much in demand as a vocal coach and conductor in Italy and abroad, inspiring passionate performances from singers of all abilities.