Who We Are

Our History:

The name of the choir stems from the special relationship held between the RCMJD Chamber Choir and Estonia since being invited to perform at the Estonian Choral Director’s Seminar in Vigala Church, Estonia, and also in London with the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir in a joint premiere by composer Urmas Sisask to mark the Republic of Estonia’s 90th Anniversary, in 2008, supported by the Estonian Embassy in London.

For their launch, in 2009, Vigala Singers toured Sweden and Estonia, performing with St Jacob’s Youth Choir in Stockholm and with conductor André Thomas on a return visit to the Estonian Choral Directors’ Academy in Vigala as the guest choir in residence. They commissioned Gabriel Jackson to write a piece for the launch, A ship with unfurled sails, based on the text by Estonian poet, Doris Kareva, and first performed at the Klara Kyrka, Stockholm, on 15 August 2009.

They have since enjoyed much success performing in New York, Washington, Italy, Hungary and Sweden.

Vigala Singers typically meet 3-4 times a year, including taking part in the annual Carols for Shoppers Service at St James’s Church, Piccadilly. Their repertoire is diverse, and they often perform new works by leading composers as well as young student composers. In 2024, they were thrilled to return to the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, Mantova, Italy, where they performed a premiere Beyond by Licia Mari, an Italian premiere by Cecilia McDowall and a premiere by Gabriel Jackson, written especially for the occasion, In the Meadows at Mantua.

Meet Our Director:

Joy Hill is widely known for her work with young adult choirs and her commitment to the performance of works by young composers as well as leading contemporary composers. She formerly conducted the Royal College of Music Junior Department Chamber Choir, for over twenty years, and now works as a freelance conductor. She is currently a UK representative on the World Choir Council for Interkultur and has served as a member of the Artistic Committee for the World Youth Choir.

After extensive work in music and choral education Joy was awarded a Churchill Fellowship which gave her the opportunity to further study choral conducting and choral education in Sweden. She was also awarded an Arts Council England Artists’ Bursary to support her work at the Choir School and Cathedral in Kaunas, Lithuania. She has been senior lecturer, University College London IOE and member of the Centre for Performance Science at the Royal College of Music and teacher and conductor at the Purcell School. Joy has presented lectures and workshops at leading choral conducting institutions including the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Hungary, the Yale School of Music, USA, and the Ionian University, Corfu and was a jury member at the Riga Sings 2025 International Choral Competition. This October she has been invited to conduct Tallis’s Spem in Alium in the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, Mantova, Italy with musicians associated with the town and from the city’s conservatoire and university. Some members of Vigala Singers have also been invited to take part, making this a special musical collaboration, marking the joy and richness of international co-operation and friendship.