Marcus Farnsworth
Conductor, Musical Director
Marcus Farnsworth performs in opera, concert and recital around the world. He is also a conductor specialising in choral and vocal music. He is a past first prize winner of the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Song Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Competition.
Marcus began his musical training as a chorister at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. He went on to study at Chetham’s School of Music, the University of Manchester and the Royal Academy of Music. In addition to a busy career as a performer, Marcus is Head of Vocal and Choral Studies at Chetham’s, Musical Director of the Southwell Choral Society and is Founder and Artistic Director of the Southwell Music Festival.
He has appeared as a principal artist with opera companies in the UK and abroad including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Bergen National Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and Teatro Real Madrid. Equally at home on the concert platform, Marcus has performed and recorded extensively with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort, Academy of Ancient Music, Arcangelo, and Aurora Orchestra. He is also a keen recitalist and an advocate for new music. He has given recitals at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, La Monnaie, the Oxford International Song Festival, Leeds Lieder and the Wigmore Hall.
Marcus lives in Southwell with his wife and two young sons. He is a keen cook and consumer of food, and enjoys cycling and hiking, both of which are good for working off all that food.
Peter Siepmann
Assistant Musical Director
Peter Siepmann lives in Southwell with his wife and young son, who is a cathedral chorister. He became Accompanist and Assistant Music Director of Southwell Choral Society in September 2025, alongside his role as Director of Music at Nottingham (St Barnabas) Cathedral and conductor of Nottingham Bach Choir.
Peter is well known in the region for his encouraging, enthusiastic and thoughtful approach to rehearsal and performance. As an accompanist and continuo player (a particular passion), Peter has performed with many of the UK’s leading soloists, and as a conductor, he has directed a wider range of the choral repertoire with choirs and orchestras of all sizes, both amateur and professional, on the concert stage and in a liturgical setting.
Alongside his performing work, and after sixteen years in the classroom (including a decade as Head of Academic Music at Repton School), Peter is currently working as a Fundraising Officer at Peterborough Cathedral. He also serves on the Grant Assessment Panel of the Cathedral Music Trust and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
