New accompanist for Croydon choir

Croydon Male Voice Choir has a new accompanist.   Musical director Richard Hoyle has told the choir that its new pianist is to be Lana Bode, a versatile and gifted performer with an impressive cv to her name.

American-born Lana said she was looking forward to joining the choir at the end of February.  “I have never before met a choir with so much spirit and enthusiasm."

Lana will succeed the current accompanist, Arnfinn Tobiassen, who has accepted a new job.  Richard Hoyle told the choir at its Sandilands rehearsal on January 28 that he was delighted to have found such an accomplished replacement.

Lana grew up in Northern Virginia and studied at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music in London.   She has won an array of prizes and has performed regularly in concerts, recitals and master classes in both the US and the UK.

Lana played two pieces with the choir, Moon River and the Hallelujah Chorus, in a try-out at Sandilands on January 21.  She was applauded by the choir and accepted the offer to become choir pianist that evening.

Lana said that, having never played for a male voice choir before, she wasn’t sure what to expect.

“But from the beginning of the rehearsal, I was impressed by the precision and unity of the choir.  It is truly a rare thing to find a group of singers so dedicated and committed to excellence in their performance, and so quick to follow the conductor’s instructions, all while having a jolly good time.”

She added that she was “confident that I am in for some great music and lots of laughs”.

Lana is currently teaching at Ealing Junior Music School and the Gower School in Islington. She is also studying psychology at University College London.

You can hear her playing via links on her website:  http://www.lanabode.com/index.html