Susan Digby (Lady Eatwell) OBE, BMus Hons, Churchill Fellow

Founder and Principal, The Voices Foundation

Suzi Digby Eatwell is a leading light in the revival, over 2 decades, of singing both in schools and the community. She is a choral conductor and music pedagogue, with teaching experience both in the UK and abroad, including 12 years as Head of Music at Diocesan Girls Junior School, Hong Kong.

In 1993 Suzi founded The Voices Foundation – the UK’s leading music education charity – having been inspired by her Churchill Fellowship travels in 1990 to Hungary and other countries. The charity’s main aim is to transform inner-city and rural primary schools throughout the UK with its dynamic, singing based curriculum programme involving every child and every teacher in each school. So far it has reached nearly 300,000 children and trained over 7,500 teachers.

Suzi currently serves as one of the Foundation’s 35 advisory teachers and is in charge of its education project in primary schools, having personally delivered the programme up and down the country since 1993. She also established Young Voices, a central London after-school singing club for primary age children to learn musicianship skills in a fun, informal atmosphere.

Suzi has worked with and lobbied successive governments and education departments for 16 years, and she was instrumental in the establishment of the Music Manifesto. In 2007, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her outstanding services to music education.

As a conductor, Suzi has performed in some of London’s most prestigious concert venues including the Royal Albert Hall, St John’s Smith Square, St James’s Piccadilly and the Royal College of Music. Abroad, she is guest conductor of St. Stephen’s Oratorio Choir, Budapest. Her expertise is in great demand as a judge at choral festivals and competitions, including the Choir of the Year competition; last summer she was a judge on BBC TV’s Last Choir Standing – a competition to find Britain’s favourite choir – and has presented The Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, as well as contributing regularly on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Suzi is also a Trustee of Music in Country Churches and Between the Notes; a board member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain; a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians’ governing Council; Honorary President of Sing A Capella; and choral advisor to Novello, the renowned music publisher. In 2007 she was appointed to act as overall Music Co-ordinator for the global charity ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) in the UK.

Download a full biography (pdf) here.

Download Suzi’s House and Garden feature here.

For media enquiries please contact Suzi’s agent:

June Ford-Crush
Personal Management and Representation
PO Box 57948
London W4 2UJ

Tel/Fax: 0208 742 7724
Mob: 07711 764160
Email: june@junefordcrush.com
Web: June Ford-Crush.