RSNO Chorus

Meet the team

Gregory Batsleer is widely regarded as one of the leading Choral Conductors and most innovative musicians of his generation. Gregory is Chorus Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Director of the Huddersfield Choral Society. Gregory has received widespread critical acclaim for his work in both raising musical standards as well as widening the artistic activities of each ensemble.

He has held the position of Chorus Director with the RSNO since 2015 and has in that time overseen an improvement in the overall standard of the RSNO Chorus, as well as a rise in the RSNO’s choral activity. This has included the inauguration of the RSNO Chorus Academy, Singing Days, and the establishment of regular Come and Sing events with the Orchestra.

As Guest Conductor; recent and forthcoming highlights include performances with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Hallé Orchestra, Black Dyke, National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Orchestra of Opera North, Manchester Camerata, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Academy of Ancient Music, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra; with whom he appears on a number of occasions throughout each season.

Read Gregory’s full biography here.

Liverpool-born, Polly lives in Greenock. She studied at the RSAMD, and later won the entrance scholarship to the Postgraduate Opera Course at the RNCM where she achieved her MMus and won many prizes and awards including the Peter Moores Foundation Award, the Countess of Munster Prize and the D’Oyle Carte Scholarship.

Polly later returned to Scotland to work with Scottish Opera. As a soloist Polly has sung with several UK orchestras, and appeared in many festivals throughout the country, including the 40th anniversary Aldeburgh Festival.

Her operatic roles include many of the great Wagnerian heroines such as Sieglinde and Brangäne. More recently she has sung with Lyric Opera Dublin and for the Royal Opening of the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock.

Polly has many years teaching experience. She taught Singing, as well as Performance classes, at the Junior RNCM and at Scottish Opera Education Department. Currently she enjoys her role as a Vocal Instructor for Inverclyde Music Service, teaching Voice and Performance Skills. She is also Vocal Coach for Inverclyde Senior Choir, and contributes on the committee of the Inverclyde Festival.

In addition, Polly teaches at the University of Glasgow, the Junior Conservatoire of the RCS and the National Youth Choir of Scotland.

Ed trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Indiana University, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he currently holds a position as part-time lecturer and staff accompanist. He regularly works with numerous choirs in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and enjoys a busy freelance career, frequently performing across the UK and further afield.