Choir Leaders
Jo and Cleo are both Natural Voice Practitioners and members of The Natural Voice Network - a network of people who work with voice and song, and who believe that singing is everyone’s birthright, regardless of musical experience or ability.
Joanna Foster has been leading choirs in and around London for over 25 years. She co-founded world acapella group KITE with Helen Chadwick and Venice Manley. She is a regular singer in the Helen Chadwick Group (recently featured on Radio 3 and regulars in The Linbury Studio at The Royal Opera House.)
In 2007 Jo formed ANIMA https://www.animaacapellasingers.co.uk/a four piece acapella group to show case her remarkable performance piece VISIONS OF SEVEN a mystical blend of jazz, poetry and folk which has performed to great acclaim in art centres, festivals and charity events across the country. Jo also sings in local Eastern European Folk Band BESKYDY often found raising the roof in Islington Folk Club.
As well as singing and composing music Jo's acting career includes work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre and a variety of work for television. She lives in Clapton, Hackney with her husband and son.
Cleo Bayley is a singer/song-writer/arranger and choir leader. She has worked with a cappella vocal groups for over 30 years. Having written and performed with various bands and been signed to Warner Chapel Publishing, driven by her belief in the unifying power of music, she went on to set up a variety of community music groups in and around London since the early noughties. Projects included MAKE SOME NOISE music workshops for parents and toddlers in Jackson's Lane Community centre and teaching singing and song writing skills to excluded children through the Children's Fund in Wandsworth schools and play schemes.
In 2002 Cleo co-founded CREATIVE INCLUSION and has managed and taught on a variety of exciting projects with young people and adults combining the mediums of poetry, art, musicianship and voice to produce original material in and of local communities.
In 2010 Cleo set up Hackney Voices Community choir with co leader Joanna Foster bringing a variety of folk world and pop music to the heart of Hackney in glorious acapella harmony.
Cleo also runs The Mudlarks Choir - founded 2012 and The Feel Good Choir - fresh out of the box last year!- in Southend where she lives with her husband and daughter.
As well as community Choirs, Cleo also runs Singing For Lung Health sessions at Guys and St Thomas's Hospitals and at All Saints Health Centre, East London:
“I Absolutely love running these sessions! We have fun, connect, build up friendships laugh and I see such a transformation in the participants’ posture and general state of well being in just an hour. It’s like magic!”
Cleo also enjoys singing, song writing and arranging for her 3 piece all female folk band THE ONDINES and in jazz/folk quartet ANIMA.