History

The Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) has a rich history dating back nearly fifty years, see below to hear our story.

The 2020s

2020 – January: Eurovox 2020 website and Congress opens for bookings.
2020 – March: The Global Pandemic forces AOTOS to cancel Eurovox.
2020 We sadly lose our much-loved and long-standing council member Paul Deegan to Covid 19.
2020 AOTOS cannot meet in person and has to completely rethink its activities. Chair Nicola-Jane Kemp moves the whole AOTOS offering online and organises a series of free online, member-led sessions. September 2020 sees our first public Webinar hosted by the Chair on Covid 19 ‘Perform Study’, aerosol findings and mitigations for the singing sector led by Mr Declan Costello (Laryngologist), Mr Nicholas Gibbins (Otolaryngologist, Lewisham Voice Clinic) and Dr Natalie Watson. 500+ professionals from the singing and choral sector in the UK and overseas attend. All our Council meetings and one-day conferences move online, including our first live-streamed masterclass from Trinity College with Linda Hirst at the Autumn (online) Conference. Past Chair Heidi Pegler succeeds Margaret Aronson and Penelope Price Jones as Teacher Training Director.
2020 – October: AOTOS receives a generous legacy from the Dorothy Richardson Estate
2020 Penny Price Jones, Lisa Hobbs, Margaret Aronson and Margaret Hopes become Honorary Life Members.
2020 – November: Under Chair Nicola-Jane Kemp work is finally completed for AOTOS to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
2021 Most of AOTOS’s activities remain online due to the ongoing pandemic. AOTOS runs our first joint in-person/live-streamed Autumn Conference ‘Giving Boys a Voice’ at St Paul’s Girls’ School, London. Our inaugural Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) sub-committee is formed. Scotland is granted ‘Area’ status due to increased and active AOTOS members.
2021 – July: Kathleen McKellar Ferguson elected as the first Scottish Area Representative.
2021– September: Past Chair and Teacher Training Director Heidi Pegler with her advisory team launches the online ‘Essentials’ teacher development course as a successor to ‘Pathways’. Run over 3-4 weekends with pre-recorded video contributions used in live, interactive sessions with the AOTOS teachers and mentors. Applicants come from both the UK and Overseas. Accreditation (CPAS) for our teaching courses and conferences (negotiated by Past Chair Janice Thompson) is granted.
2021 Penelope Price Jones, Lisa Hobbs, Margaret Aronson and Margaret Hopes are awarded Honorary Life Membership.
2022 The first residential in-person (and live-streamed) Summer Conference in two years is successfully mounted by Chair Nicola-Jane Kemp in Cambridge. Joy Naylor becomes Teacher Development Director. Roderick Williams CBE and Mary Hammond become Honorary Life Presidents. Christopher Jennings, Heidi Pegler and Janice Thompson are awarded Honorary Life Membership.
2023 AOTOS continues to return to a fully live programme whilst retaining the online elements started during the Pandemic. ‘Global Connections, the Wisdom Amongst Us’ is a conference organised by Chair Edwin Pitt Mansfield, in association with NATS, EVTA and the British Voice Association (BVA), bringing together all four organisations for a two-day Summer Conference at the Voces8 Centre in London. Our first invited ‘abstract’ speakers are given a platform.
2023 AOTOS helps facilitate and host the NATS Pedagogy Tour with private visits to singing departments at London conservatoires, Cambridge University and also Eton College and the Arts Educational School.
2024 Editor Louisa Morgan launches ‘Voices of AOTOS’ publishing the newly presented abstracts from the Summer Conference.
2024 AOTOS launches a complete rebrand and new website designed and hosted by Granite 5, masterminded by Chair Edwin Pitt Mansfield and Sarah Taylor (Central Area) with their team.
2025 The 50^th Anniversary is celebrated with a conference at the Royal Opera House, London, organised by Chair Pamela Hay.

The 2010s

2010 AOTOS hosts the third European Vocal Pedagogy Week (EVPW3) at Marlborough School – organised by TT Director Penelope Price Jones.
2011 Serious progress is made on the rebranding of the Association and the development of a new website and general image led by Heidi Pegler and Ian Anderson Gray (Select Performers).
2011 Honorary Life Membership awarded to Hazel Wood.
2012 Newl- designed website launches in July 2012 by Select Performers at the AOTOS Summer Conference held at York University. Chair Coral Gould launches more local ‘Area Days’ around the UK.
2012 Janice Chapman AUA MOA, Mary King, Betty Roe MBE, Michael Pilkington and Dame Cleo Laine DBE are invited to join Sir Thomas Allen CBE as Honorary Presidents.
2013 Past Chair Coral Gould receives an MBE having been nominated by AOTOS for her service to the association and other charitable work.
2013 Chair Janice Thompson replaces the National Spring Conference with the new Area Days.
2014 AOTOS archives are set up by Margaret Hopes. Margaret Aronson succeeds Penelope Price Jones as Teacher Training Director – running the newly named Advanced Professional Development Course (APDC). Penelope Price Jones sets up ‘Pathways’ – a course for beginner teachers.
2014 Paul Deegan and Coral Gould MBE become Honorary Life Members
2015 AOTOS celebrates its 40th Anniversary at a summer conference in Oxford University organised by Chair Penelope Price Jones, who also sets up the ‘Songlines’ Bursary in support of ‘Pathways’. Due to continued success and growth, AOTOS appoints its first part-time paid Administrator and Membership Secretary – Beck Laxton. Communications Director Nicola-Jane Kemp sets up the Facebook Members Forum.
2016 The final printed issue of Singing Magazine edited by Sara-Lois Cunningham is released.
2017 A regular emailed newsletter containing articles, news and reviews, is sent to members. Heidi Pegler & Beck Laxton edit the first printed Annual Review Magazine. The decision to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) is taken – work begins to rewrite the constitution and amend all legal protocols – largely undertaken by Chair Heidi Pegler.
2018 AOTOS accepts to host Eurovox Congress 2020 – planned for Edinburgh by Chair Heidi Pegler, Past Chair and Conference Director Janice Thompson, and EVTA Rep Paul Deegan. A sub-committee is formed, and a large international conference is arranged in the next two years with some 75 contributors from across Europe, UK and the US.
2019 Stephanie Blake is appointed AOTOS Accountant. Chair Heidi Pegler increases and reorganises the AOTOS Bursaries and attributes names of prominent former Council contributors to them.

The 2000s

2000 The 25th year of the association sees a new logo in the enhanced Singing Magazine.
2001 Death of Norman Tattersall. The bursary bearing his name is established from members’ donations.
2001 Heidi Pegler is elected the first Publicity Officer. Coral Gould becomes Secretary.
2002 AOTOS is rebranded in royal blue.
2005 The 30th anniversary is marked by the publication of a book of memories collated by the Chair Dr Susan Yarnall. Honorary Life Membership is awarded to Eileen Price and Mollie Petrie.
2006 Penelope Price Jones succeeds Eileen Price as Teacher Training Director, continuing with the same ethos. Mollie Petrie produced the fiftieth Singing Magazine and was succeeded as editor by Sue Anderson.
2007 EVTA introduces their Pedagogic Week (EVPW1) in Poland. Penelope Price Jones and student attend along with teachers and their students from other EVTA countries.
2008 Chair Liza Hobbs streamlines AOTOS Areas to North, Central, Southwest and Southeast. AOTOS is awarded European Finance – the first ‘Leonardo’ funding – which enables Coral Gould and Joy Naylor to attend EVPW2 in Stockholm 2009, with their own students. AOTOS launches its public Facebook Page.
2009 ICVT Paris where again AOTOS is able to send both delegates and young professional singers to take part.

The 1990s

1990 EVTA’s first meeting in the UK.
1993 Edward Baird, the USA representative on the AOTOS Council, introduces the NATS International Program for Young Teachers. Current Chair Eileen Price travels to the USA to observe the working of this professional development programme.
1994 Eileen Price establishes the AOTOS Teacher Training Course with six attendees.
1997 – July: The fourth International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT), hosted by AOTOS, is held in London and masterminded by Pamela Bowden and Eileen Price. Eileen also moves the AOTOS Teacher Training Course to Harrow School where it runs for many years. Dr Constance Shacklock CBE becomes the next Life President succeeding Dr William Swinburne. Professor Horst Günter becomes the first AOTOS Honorary Life Member.
1999 Sir Thomas Allen becomes Honorary Life President. AOTOS membership reaches 500. Our Code of Ethics is devised.

The 1980s

1981 The summer conference moves from Aldeburgh to Dartington where the growing number of members could satisfactorily be accommodated.
1981 The first magazine is produced and edited by Mollie Petrie. Norman Tattersall becomes Conference Director, and a council includes representatives from seven areas, one of whom is Dr Richard Miller for the USA. Links are forged with American National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
1984 The 10th conference is held at Dartington – a joint AOTOS and NATS event.
1984 Additional one-day conferences are requested by members and the first is held in November.
Sir Peter Pears remained as Life President until his death in 1986, when his place is filled by Dr William Swinburne OBE.
1987 AOTOS becomes a registered charity.
1987 – July: A party travels to be present at the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) in Strasbourg – establishing further links with Europe.
1989 The European Voice Teachers Association (EVTA) is formed in Amsterdam. Paul Deegan helps write their constitution and becomes their first Chair of Council. He also becomes EVTA representative for AOTOS – a role he retained all his life. These liaisons have provided the conferences with innumerable speakers from around the world.
1989 Spring and autumn one-day conferences are introduced in addition to the residential summer meeting.

1975: The Beginnings

1975 Sir Peter Pears suggested that a meeting of singing teachers should be organised for the interchange of ideas. He enlists Dr William Swinburne to set it in motion.
A small advertisement appears in the Times Educational Supplement inviting teachers to attend a meeting, chaired by Sir Peter Pears at the Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh.
Fifty teachers respond and the two-day meeting includes discussions and the presentation of papers on such subjects as vocal technique, interpretation and methods.
The outcome of this meeting is the formation of a working party to consider the battle against ‘bad teaching, low standards and the mismanagement of young singers’ training and development.
1977 Future summer conferences are planned and that year, the group is entitled Association of Teachers of Singing (ATS) with Sir Peter Pears as Honorary President and Colin Schooling as Secretary/Treasurer.

Founder

Dr WH Swinburne OBE
(1986–1994)

Honorary Life Presidents

Sir Peter Pears
(1976–1986)

DR WH Swinburne OBE
(1986–1994)

Dr Constance Shacklock CBE
(1986–1999)

Honorary Presidents

Sir Thomas Allen

Janice Chapman

Mary Hammond

Mary King

Roderick Williams OBE

Honorary Life Members

Margaret Aronson

Coral Gould MBE

Liza Hobbs

Margaret Hopes

Christopher Jennings

Heidi Pegler

Penelope Price Jones

Janice V Thompson