The Conductor Marion Best

Marion studied music at Durham University, took a Post graduate certificate in Education at what was then St. John’s College, York and then taught music in Tyneside and Northumberland before returning to York in the early 1970s. She ran the music department at Mill Mount Grammar School and Millthorpe Comprehensive before moving to Queen Margaret’s School, Escrick where she was responsible for all the choirs and choral society. She started singing in choirs as a teenager at school and in the local choral society, in spite of a junior school report which stated ‘Marion tries hard to sing in tune’! She also gained her first experience of choral conducting in the 6th form – something that has since been an essential part of her life. She sang for many years with Chapter House Choir, York and with Beningborough Singers and remains indebted to the conductors of all the choirs she has sung with for teaching her an enormous amount about choral direction. Although choral music is her first love she is also an experienced orchestral conductor having directed major choral works and light operas with orchestra, and is currently musical director of Kirkbymoorside Rehearsal Orchestra in North Yorkshire.
In 1999 she left school teaching and now makes her living through a combination of private teaching, conducting and music examining which on the whole enables her to devote more time to researching programmes and sourcing music than was previously possible.