Biography
Job title: Principal Lecturer in Popular Voice || MD of Leeds Conservatoire Contemporary Pop Choir
Courses taught: BA (Hons) Popular Music, MA Music
Specialisms: Vocal Coaching, Choral Direction & Vocal Arranging
Instruments taught: Popular Voice
Craig Antony Lees BA(Hons), MA(dist) is a contemporary vocal coach, choral leader and arranger. He is a Principal Lecturer on the Popular Music Degree at Leeds Conservatoire, where he founded the Leeds Contemporary Pop Choir in 2015. He was also the Musical Director behind Leeds Contemporary Singers; winners of BBC One's Pitch Battle television show (2017). Craig was a Director of the British Voice Association for 4 years (2015 – 2019), after which he was elected as President (2019 - 2021) He is also the director of The Workplace Choir Company, one of the UK’s leading providers of corporate choir experiences.
Together with his choirs, Craig has performed at numerous prestigious venues and events, including The Royal Festival Hall (London, 2016), MIPCOM (Cannes, 2017) and Children In Need (Wembley Arena, 2018) as well as appearing on television broadcasts for the BBC, ITV, RTE, Channel 4 & Sky. Craig has delivered workshops/presentations internationally as a choral director and workshop leader. These have included (but are not limited to) the Pan-European Voice Conference (Italy, 2015), The International Congress of Voice Teachers (Sweden, 2017), Gospel Rising Festival (Ireland 2018 & 2019), Choice For Voice (UK, 2021), The UK Choir Festival (UK 2019, 2022, 2023) the Hamburg Voice Symposium (Germany 2016, 2022, 2023), The International Tutorial Symposium (Austria, 2023) and the National Singing Symposium (UK 2023).
Craig has delivered educational projects and Masterclasses for the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Leeds Playhouse, Wakefield Theatre Royal and ‘Mind The Gap Theatre Company’ (England's largest learning-disability theatre house). In 2016 & 2017 he also collaborated with leading technology manufacturer TC-Helicon, on a unique ‘electronic choir’ project. In 2021, Craig was an external advisor to the Welsh Academy of Voice & Dramatic Arts (WAVDA) during the creation of a selection of their Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses, and in 2024 will be working as an external practitioner for the School of International Art (SIA) in China.
Quote: 'Where words fail, music speaks'
