Barry Hawken (Musical Director)
Barry Hawken was born and brought up in the small village of Whitemoor which lies on the edge of 'China Clay Country'. Upon leaving school he joined English China Clays and trained as a Works Clerk. Later, he moved into the Purchasing Department, where, in 2003 he was appointed Senior Buyer. Barry holds a Diploma from the Royal Society for the Arts and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. In 2006 Barry left Imerys (formerly English China Clays) to pursue other business opportunities and interests.
His involvement with music was, initially, with Brass Bands and Barry considers himself extremely fortunate to have been a member of the St. Dennis Senior and Youth Bands under the direction of the late, Eddie Williams. During this period, the Youth Band were unbeaten in the South West and held the title of 'National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain'. In as much, prestigious concerts, standing ovasions and invitations for television and radio broadcasts were common-place - a time of great excitement and opportunity.
When Barry was in his mid-twenties he was asked to lead the singing for a musical production at his local Methodist Church. This proved to be the beginning of his involvement with Choral music through a series of hugely successful annual Musicals which packed the Chapel to capacity night after night. From the cast of these Musicals, Barry formed the mixed-voice Choir, Halwyn-a-gan, which draws on the talents of singers from throughout the Mid-Cornwall area and which he continues to conduct. In addition, Barry has been heavily involved in encouraging young people to become involved in singing and has recently been working with the Foundation for Youth Music in local schools and, currently, has a group of thirty young people who meet on a weekly basis in order to develop their singing potential.
Having taken over as Musical Director of the Imerys Engineering Choir in July, 2006 it is very much 'early days' but Barry looks forward to working with the choir and building upon its present position.
