Come and enjoy Watford Philharmonic Society’s contribution to the Watford Live! arts festival with an evening of music from some of the greatest West End and Broadway shows ever.  Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and Oklahoma will all feature when conductor Terry Edwards brings his long experience of theatre and music to the Watford Palace in a concert he last directed in Chicago.

With West End professional soloists Deryn Edwards (Soprano) and Mark Williams (Baritone) and the chorus and orchestra of the Watford Phil, we are expecting a great evening - make sure you book your tickets well in advance to be sure of seats.

For all our concerts we have a family friendly pricing policy, with up to two free tickets for young people (18 and under) when ordered with each of our regularly priced ones.  For larger groups of young people, tickets will be available at half the regular price.  Note also that wheelchair users may order a free ticket for their carer. Follow this link for more information.

Deryn Edwards - Soprano

Deryn studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Royal Academy of Music. Upon leaving the Academy, she joined Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera Company, with whom she stayed for two years. Deryn has also toured with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for a season, performing the role of Métella in La Vie Parisienne.

In 1987, Deryn joined the international "a cappella" vocal group, The Swingle Singers, appearing in venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Centre, New York; Orchard Hall, Tokyo; and Ronnie Scott's and The Barbican Centre, London. Other performances with the group included the world premiere of Luciano Berio's Outis  at La Scala, Milan and concerts with various orchestras including the New York Symphony with Pierre Boulez; the Toronto Symphony with Steven Reineke; the Indianapolis Symphony with Steuart Bedford; and the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw with Luciano Berio. She also had the privilege of working with many eminent  jazz  musicians, including Stephane Grapelli, the Jacques Loussier Trio, and Cleo Laine and John Dankworth.

In recent years, Deryn has been in the West End production of Mamma Mia, played the role of Miss Andrew in the first UK tour of Mary Poppins,  has performed regularly at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and sung on numerous film soundtracks including Disney's recent Christmas Carol, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

Mark Williams - Baritone

Mark trained at the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music and the Bristol Old Vic TheatreSchool.

He is a former member and musical director of the international vocal group The Swingle Singers. With the group, Mark performed with several of the world's leading orchestras and conductors and participated in the world premiere of Luciano Berio's opera Outis at La Scala, Milan. With London Voices (under Terry Edwards) he has sung on many film soundtracks and a Deutsche Gramaphon recording of Berio’s Sinfonia. Small ensemble work includes The Consort of Musicke with Anthony Rooley.

In addition to around 50 vocal and orchestral arrangements for The Swingle Singers, he has also composed and arranged incidental music for several theatrical productions.

Under the name of Mark Meadows, he has also performed extensively as an actor. His credits include:

Theatre: Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Banquo in Macbeth (Regent’s Park), Cliff in Look Back in Anger (Bristol Old Vic), Dr John Hall in The Herbal Bed (Salisbury Playhouse), Herr von Hussler/George Banks in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Rochefort in The Three Musketeers (Rose, Kingston), Spini in Antony Sher’s play The Giant (Hampstead Theatre), Lord Morton in Arnold Wesker’s adaptation of Longitude (Greenwich Theatre), George Kittredge in High Society (Sheffield Crucible), The Wreck in Wonderful Town (Grange Park Opera),  Jean Cocteau/Dave Scherman in Six Pictures of Lee Miller, Tom Winter in 5/11 and Burgundy in King Lear (all Chichester Festival); also The Emperor and the Nightingale (Watermill, Newbury), A Streetcar Named Desire, Up the Feeder... and Aeroplane Bones (all Bristol Old Vic), Die Fledermaus (Diva Opera), White Christmas (Theatre Royal, Plymouth and Mayflower, Southampton) and Nöel and Gertie (Eye Theatre).

Film: High Heels and Lowlifes and Nicholas Nickleby.

Television: Eastenders, Doctors and Casualty.

Radio includes: The Good Companions, Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Wonderful Town, Candide and Company (Radio 3); also numerous plays, narrations and reading for BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Mark is currently appearing in the West End, as Lockwood in Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre.