Conductor – Andrew McTaggart
Andrew McTaggart graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2012, where he studied at the Alexander Gibson Opera School. He has gone on to develop a diverse career as a baritone, conductor, teacher and leader in the field of education and outreach. Andy’s Edinburgh International Festival debut was singing Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs in the Usher Hall in 2019. Other notable concert engagements include Messiah at the Royal Festival Hall and Mozart’s Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall and the Bridgewater Hall.
His operatic roles have included Falstaff and Gianni Schicchi (Opera Bohemia), Bottom A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Samuel The Pirates of Penzance with Scottish Opera and Lakai in Ariadne auf Naxos (Opera de Lorraine). Andy also sang the roles of Noye in Noye’s Fludde and the premiere of An Cadal Trom with the Lammermuir Festival. Andy has given recitals in the Musikfestspiele Saar and the Blanc et Noir Festival as well as Westbourne Music and St Andrew’s Voices festivals. He released his first solo disc in 2020 called A Landscape of Song with Timothy Dean featuring the music of Finzi, Gurney, Howells and Ireland.
Andy is a Lecturer in Voice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland within the Vocal Studies department, and teaches at Aberdeen University. He appears regularly with Scottish Opera, creating and delivering workshops and he is currently the Musical Director or Ayr Choral Union, The Wordsworth Singers, Director of the NYCOS Renfrewshire Choir, Chorus Master of James MacMillan’s Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus and recently conductor and vocal coach for the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.
Assistant Conductor – Jenna Martin
Our assistant conductor for 2025 is Jenna Martin. Jenna recently graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a Masters’ in Choral Conducting, under the tutelage of Andrea Brown and Greg Hallam. During this time, she attended masterclasses with renowned conductors such as Sarah Tenant-Flowers, Neil Ferris, Patrick Russill, Paul Spicer and Jeremy Summerly. In January 2023, Jenna was the chorus master for the BBC NCW recording project of Missa Cambrensis by Grace Williams. Whilst studying, Jenna was the Director of Music for Cardiff University at the Anglican Chaplaincy Choir. Jenna has recently moved to Glasgow since completing her studies and is looking forward to working with the Ayr Choral Union!
Accompanist
We are in the process of recruiting a new accompanist.
