"Laurel has great energy on stage and in rehearsals. She’s an amazing allrounder: singer, conductor and instrumentalist. She can do it all."
Gareth Malone, TV Choirmaster
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Laurel Neighbour is an accomplished, versatile, and dynamic Musical Director and singer based in South London, with a passion for sharing music-making with others.
She is in demand due to her musical leadership, thorough knowledge different vocal styles, and extensive performance experience. Laurel also brings her sense of fun, creative play, and humour to all groups she works with.
Laurel has been working with choirs in London since 2012, currently leading the Note-orious Community Choir, Kings College London Staff Choir, and London Youth Choir North East. She was Musical Director of the London Humanist Choir for ten years, Assistant Musical Director for St John of Jerusalem Festival Chorus, and she completed an Apprenticeship with Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus in 2018.
In September 2019 Laurel made her conducting debut at the BBC Proms in September 2019, leading one of eight choirs in John Luther Adams' In the Name of the Earth. Other conducting highlights include leading choirs singing the French and Italian national anthems at Twickenham stadium for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, conducting Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem with orchestra with Wokingham Choral Society in 2022, and leading an International Women's Day Event with Music in Offices in 2024 in the City of London, which ITV News covered.
Laurel channels her passion for getting everyone singing through her work as a singing leader, especially with younger voices. She believes music should be a core part of every child’s education. She currently leads education projects for Voces8 Foundation, Music Education Islington, and works as a workshop leader for The Sixteen. She has held posts as Project Director for Dartford Choral Outreach, with Southwark Music, and as a Choral Practioner with Voices Foundation.
In her spare time, Laurel can be seen pedalling around south London.
SINGER
Laurel has performed with many professional choirs in London, for example, London Contemporary Orchestra, Echo Vocal Ensemble, London Choral Sinfonia, St Martin-in-the-Field's Voices, National Portrait Gallery Choir, and St Paul’s Cathedral Consort.
She has toured the UK and made several TV and radio appearances with Gareth Malone's Voices, most recently as a lead vocalist on his Singalong-a-Gareth tour (2022, 2023, 2024). She has performed in Europe with acapella group Apollo5, and sang with The Rolling Stones in 2012 at the 02 as part of the choir for "You Can't Always Get What You Want".
Laurel has completed internationally renowned chamber choir The Sixteen’s training programme, Genesis Sixteen, and studied Music at the University of Nottingham. Growing up in Kent she benefited from Kent Youth Choirs training, played in Ashford Youth Jazz Orchestra, and learnt to play several instruments in her Mum's folk band.
Laurel is known for her versatility in both classical and pop styles, with her upper vocals having a unique and ethereal sound, whilst she maintains presence and expression in her lower range. She is a strong sightreader and can also learn by ear, and is used to memorising parts quickly for professional performance. She is also experienced at studio and home recording, as well as arranging.