About the Pentland Junior Singers
The Choir
Formed in 1987, The Pentland Juniors exists to enable children to experience and develop their love of singing choral music in a vocally healthy and fun environment. As a trained singer and singing teacher, Sarah ensures that the young singers of the Pentland Juniors cultivate a healthy singing technique. They explore a range of styles throughout the year – from the more traditional choral repertoire, to folk, world songs, and songs from shows and films – in order to develop their ability to sing in unison, and 2 or 3 parts. During weekly rehearsals, the Pentland Juniors also work to develop their musicianship and sight-singing skills through Kodaly-based singing games and the learning of solfège notation.
Rebecca, our musical director, firmly believes that learning and enjoyment go hand-in-hand, especially where singing is concerned. So, whilst some hard work is involved, singing in the Pentland Juniors is also extremely fun and rewarding!
The Junior Singers meet at Balerno Parish Church every Tuesday evening between 6.00 and 7.00pm
There are three sessions a year the first is from September to December, the second is from January to Easter, with a break for mid-term. The third term is from Easter to June. In line with school holidays
The Pentland Junior Singers perform in the Christmas and Summer concerts of the Pentland Singers. They also take part in the Edinburgh Competition Festival and have won the Scots Song section twice ( 2017 and 2019) and the Choir of Mixed Ages (2019).
The Pentland Singers
The Pentland Junior Singers are supported by the Pentland Singers which is an adult community choir of mixed voices formed in 1984. The choir performs Christmas and Summer concerts in Balerno High School. They have hosted succesful Come and Sing events as part of the Balerno Music Festival and have performed in St Marys and St Giles Cathedrals, Edinburgh and the Swaledale Music Festival.
Musical Director
Isabella Gonzalez Diaz
Isabella is a French Hornist, Educator, Composer, and Conductor from Venezuela, now currently based in Glasgow. A recent graduate with a BMus in French horn performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Isabella's musical journey began in Venezuela singing in choirs as a child until her move to the U.S. at the age of 14, where she started playing the horn. In 2020, driven by her devotion to music, she relocated to Scotland to further develop her studies.
During her time in Scotland, Isabella has collaborated with numerous orchestras across the U.K., including notable performances alongside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sonica Festival, Royal Marine Band of Scotland, Berlin Opera Academy, Celtic Connections orchestras and National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. In addition to horn, Isabella is an emerging conductor, having participated in conducting courses and competitions such as Semi-finalist of the BBCA Competition, George Hurst Conducting course, Glover-Edwards Conducting Course at Royal Academy, among others. Isabella is a dedicated community musician and educator, motivated by a profound desire for continuous learning and passion for music. Her extensive experience includes roles such as Ambassador for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, mentor and Emerging Composer for the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, International Women’s Brass Conference mentee, and Benedetti Foundation Lead Ambassador.
Currently, Isabella serves as the musical director of the Partickhill Community Choir and Pentland Junior Choir. She also works with the Africa Music School in Uganda, in addition to offering private horn lessons and being a support musician for Big Noise, Sistema Scotland. Furthermore, she collaborates with organizations such as the International Horn Society as a student advisor and manages social media for the British Horn Society. Isabella advocates for social change through music, aiming to raise awareness of its transformative impact on people and communities.
Junior Choir Co-ordinator
Alison Marr
Alison undertakes all the administration to support Pentland Junior Singers and attends all the rehearsals.
Alison is a member of the Pentland Singers and represents the Pentland Junior Singers on the choir committee.
Alison is the child protection officer for the Pentland Junior Singers