Press Release: – 10/03/2026
ASPIRATIONAL CHOIR SEEKS INSPIRATIONAL LEADER
As they speed towards their 14th Birthday, Bolton Cancer Voices – one of the country’s few dedicated Choirs for people living with or beyond cancer – is embarking on a search for their next dynamic Musical Director to replace current postholder – Katie Geelan, who steps down in June after almost 3 years in the role. Instrumental in getting the Choir back into the swing of singing together following a protracted period apart due to the Covid pandemic, Katie is a popular, well-respected musician and choral leader; her drive, commitment and vibrant personality have been integral to the continued success and popularity of the Choir and she will be greatly missed. But with the demands of her business ever-growing, the time has come for her to hand on the baton.
The Choir is seeking an exceptional individual with the passion to embrace their ethos and the desire to make a positive impact on the lives of members. The position calls for excellent musicianship, sound knowledge of vocal techniques, established experience of conducting amateur Choirs and familiarity with working across a diverse range of choral genre: combined with the patience and skill to bring out the best in singers of all levels, balancing ambition with engendering a sense of fun and community spirit. The ability to play the piano would be an added advantage to cover in the absence of the Choir’s Accompanist. Over the years the Choir has enjoyed the services of 3 exceedingly talented Musical Directors, so have high hopes of maintaining this standard.
The 35-strong Choir, a third of whom are men, is open to people 18 and over who have received a cancer diagnosis of any kind, at some point in their life: there are no geographical restrictions to membership; the Choir is free, there are no auditions and it’s not necessary to have had previous singing experience or for members to read music. Like community Choirs across the land, the Choir comes together to share their love of singing, meet new people, learn or develop a skill and spread joy through their performances. The Choir rehearse on Monday evenings throughout the year, 7-30pm – 9pm, in the centre of Bolton.
The therapeutic benefits of singing in a Choir are now widely recognised and Bolton Cancer Voices have been trailblazers in harnessing this to great effect. In addition to possible health and well-being benefits, the Choir crucially offers an informal forum to link-up with others who share a similar life-experience and benefit from mutual support and understanding around the impact of a cancer diagnosis and the challenges it can bring along the cancer pathway and beyond: for many the Choir has proved an important part of their cancer journey. Remarkably, though cancer brings this Choir together it has never been permitted to define or restrict them.
Karen Elliott – Founder & Chair said: –
‘We have been very fortunate to have had Katie as our Musical Director for almost 3 years and it’s sad to be saying ‘goodbye’; she’ll most definitely be missed. We are profoundly grateful she entered the life of the Choir and will leave behind many happy memories.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch the Choir grow in strength, confidence and technical ability over the years since we formed; capturing the hearts and imaginations of audiences and earning their respect and support with increasingly competent performances.
This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of something very special! We know the right person for us is out there, we just need to connect with them.
We do things our way and stand up to cancer. No one knows better than our members that receiving a cancer diagnosis can be life-changing but being part of Bolton Cancer Voices can be life-affirming. Our members are truly amazing; they seize the day and live life to the full no matter what their story.
We’re tremendously proud of all we’ve achieved to date and look forward to scaling new heights and setting off on new musical adventures under the baton of our next Musical Director.’
Enquiries pertaining to the vacancy of Musical Director or membership of the Choir should be directed to Karen on 01204 595562 / 07773 164235 or email [email protected] including a contact number.
