Directors' Academy 2025

Eligibility and Booking

All BABS choruses will receive 1 free place. A limited number of additional places are available to BABS Music Team members, as well as MDs and Music Team members from LABBS and Sweet Adelines Region 31 choruses, at a cost of £130 (partially subsidised by BABS).

All delegates receive:

• 1 night's accommodation (Saturday 18th January)
• Saturday lunch and dinner
• Sunday breakfast and lunch
• Tea and coffee throughout both days

Additionally, rooms and dinner are available for Friday night, at a cost of £102 and £35 respectively. Delegates must book this directly with the venue before 16th December 2024 using promo code BARB2025 at www.nottinghamvenues.com. Please see here for full instructions.

All delegates must sign up using the link below. The booking deadline is 16th January 2025.

Directors' Academy Registration Form

Sessions

Sessions this year will include:

• Ballads
  • What choices might you make and why?
  • Singing through your ideas
  • Rehearsal techniques: how to implement your ideas
• Improving chorus unity through quartet (or octet) singing
• Singers in crisis: what do you do?
• Warm-ups, cool-downs, and why not all vocal exercises are created equal
• Differences if performing styles
• The chance to discuss and share as MDs and Assistant MDs in a safe and supportive environment

Directors' Academy Song

This year's song will be Yesterday I Heard the Rain. Please note that delegates will form the chorus for this year's event, and should learn the song in advance. Learning materials will be distributed to registered delegates.

Guest Educators

Stuart Sides

Stuart is a vocal and performance coach based in the Netherlands. He is a professional chorus director, coach, singing teacher, and quartet singer, with numerous national and European medals and championships to his name. Stuart is a regular faculty member at Harmony Colleges, Directors’ Colleges, and Quartet Schools across Europe and at Harmony University, and certified as a BHS Singing Judge in 2023. In addition, Stuart is a member of the Holland Harmony Education Team, organizing European events such as Colleges, Directors’ weekends, and the annual European Quartet School each January.

Having found barbershop in 1977, Stuart started quartet singing immediately and became a director of his local chorus in 1984 (at age 15)—he hasn’t stopped since! His (small) claim to fame is having won (National) quartet gold medals in each voice part! Stuart has now ‘settled’, having found bass again.

Stuart has directed ladies, men’s and mixed barbershop choruses as well as Gospel and pop choirs. He has had National and European success with his choruses throughout the years, most notably with his current chorus, No Borders Show Chorus, representing Region 31 at the SAI Harmony Classic competition in 2018 and 2022. His current mixed chorus, Mixed Nuts, founded in 2022, won the Holland Harmony chorus competition in 2023 with 84.3% after just 7 rehearsals and competed at BHS International in Cleveland 2024.

Stuart lives in Hellevoetsluis with his wife, Natascha, and their two Irish Setters!

Kirsty Bui

restorevoice.co.uk

Kirsty is currently the Principal Speech and Language Therapist at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust—managing the outpatient team alongside holding a specialist clinical caseload in voice and upper airway disorders—and has over a decade of experience working with a wide range of adult and paediatric clinical disorders in the NHS. Part of Kirsty’s current role includes running the joint voice clinic with leading UK Consultant Laryngologist, Mr Declan Costello, who completed the research that helped lift the restrictions on singing imposed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic in August 2020. Alongside her NHS work, Kirsty offers independent appointments, workshops, and supervision through her company Restore Voice. 

As well as her clinical work, Kirsty is completing a master’s degree in Professional Practice in Healthcare, and has already obtained a distinction mark for her project related to setting up a upper airway service in the NHS. Kirsty is also the Treasurer of the London Voice Clinical Excellence Network—a peer run group that provides events and training days to further the knowledge and skills of Speech and Language Therapists with a special interest in voice. 

Kirsty has a special interest in breathing pattern disorders and particularly enjoys working with singers and professional voice users. As a singer herself, she is co-founder and Chair of Quire Voices, a chamber choir based in Windsor, Berkshire, and thoroughly enjoys singing with the current LABBS Champion Chorus, Amersham A Cappella. 

Additional BABS Educators

Sean Bui

BABS Head of Musical Directors' Education | seanbui.com

Sean is an experienced conductor, composer, singer, and teacher with a background in music editing, having previously worked for Oxford University Press before focusing on a freelance musical career. Sean read Music at Royal Holloway University of London, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During this time, he joined the choir of The Royal Chapel, Windsor, subsequently becoming Composer in Residence in 2008 and Assistant Director of Music in 2009, positions he continues to hold today. 

In 2011, Sean took up his first directing position when he co-founded Quire Voices. He also currently directs The Knights of Harmony, The Royal Harmonics, The Marist School Senior Choir, Spelthorne Choral Society, and West Sussex Philharmonic Choir. He is a sought-after choral clinician and directing coach, working with choirs throughout the United Kingdom, as well as being Head of Musical Directors’ Education for the British Association of Barbershop Singers. 

Sean is in great demand as both a composer and arranger and has been published by the Royal School of Church Music. Recent commissions include Let my prayer come up; Thy throne, O God, endureth forever, commissioned in celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III; and They that go down to the sea in ships, commissioned by the Association of Royal Naval Officers in celebration of Trafalgar Day 2024. 

As a professional singer and singing teacher, Sean has a keen interest in vocal technique and has completed training with Janice Chapman and Dr Ron Morris at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He currently teaches singing at The Marist School, Ascot, as well as offering private tuition. 

Simon Lubkowski

BABS Acting Director of Music & Education

Simon is an experienced teacher, musical director, singer, composer, arranger, BABS Singing Judge and a Quartet Champion in both Men’s (The Locksmiths) and Mixed (The Light Fantastic) contests, as well as being the (nominated) incoming Director of Music & Education for The British Association of Barbershop Singers.

He worked in Secondary Schools as a Head of Music, Director of Music and Head of Performing Arts over 18 years from 2004, instilling a passion and love for music in students from the ages of 11 to 18, and introducing many of them to both A Cappella singing and Barbershop!

Over the past few years, he has worked as a freelance Musical Director, and currently directs “The Ratcliffe Chorale”, co-founded and directs the LGBT+ Choir “The Pantones”, directs the 130+ member “Groby Sings!” Choir and linked Youth Choir, founded and directs “The Knighton Community Choir” and works as a singing/voice leader for Leicestershire Music Hub, leading on Secondary School singing engagement.

He also founded and still leads the well-known (and much loved!) virtual Choir “The Collective” and co-founded the current BABS Silver Medal Mixed Chorus “Lux A Cappella”, who are travelling to represent BABS at the Barbershop Harmony Society International in Denver in July 2025.

Simon is also a sought-after singing teacher and vocal/singing coach, working with groups and music associations across the UK and Europe, as well as offering private vocal tuition at his studio in Leicester.

In addition to his musical and educational endeavours, Simon is a keen coffee drinker, mostly patient father of four (Ellena, Samuel, Charlotte and Isabelle), and husband to a very patient and understanding wife, Kathryn.