HAZEL RICKETTS – New Co-Director of Music at St Mary’s, Fordingbridge

Music Director

We are delighted that Hazel has been appointed Co-Director of Music at St Mary’s, Fordingbridge, to succeed Clive. Hazel is a Music Teacher, choir director, organist and enthusiast for Church Music and, especially, young people – we hope she will also be able to work in our schools. I’ve put a little bit about her below, taken from the Wareham Choral Society , which she conducts. She will start in early November. Gary.

Hazel Ricketts lives in Salisbury. She has a music degree from the University of Surrey and an MA in Musicology from the University of Southampton.

Hazel works as a freelance musician in the Salisbury Area, working largely within church music.

She runs a monthly singing group at St Birinus Church, Morgan’s Vale, introducing new and modern hymns to the group which are then incorporated into church services, and plays for services (piano or organ as needed) both monthly at St Birinus, and as required at several other churches in the area.

Other work includes accompanying music exams, and, on a voluntary basis, working with the local RSCM committee organising and running events.

In addition, Hazel is the Conductor of Castle Singers, which is Hampshire County Council’s work place choir; a mixed ability group who meet once a week in their lunch hour to sing for fun. Their repertoire is diverse, including Renaissance Madrigals through to modern popular music, mainly in 4 part harmony.

She is also a peripatetic keyboard and piano teacher for Hampshire Music Service. teaching individual and small groups of up to 4 children, and a Teaching Member of Salisbury Area Music Co-operative, teaching the piano and clarinet to children aged between 6 and 11 at three schools in the Salisbury area.

Hazel also teaches from home; piano, clarinet and theory, and pupils have ranged in age from 6 – 71.