ABOUT | Peregrine Orchestra

Peregrine Orchestra

Peregrine Orchestra is a new, vibrant amateur orchestra based in North London. We were formerly based at the church of St. Mark's, Hamilton Terrace before the devastating fire in January 2023. Our goal is to bring the joy of music to our community by performing a wide range of music to a high standard. Our orchestra is made up of dedicated musicians who are passionate about sharing their love of music with others, and enjoy playing in each others company. We welcome new members who share our passion for music and our commitment to excellence.

The orchestra was founded in the summer of 2021 by Daniel Collins, Resident Conductor and Artistic Director of Live@StMark's concert series, and member of the internationally-acclaimed vocal ensemble The Sixteen. The orchestra consists of some of the finest amateur players in London and beyond, and includes students in its ranks where possible. We are linked to Live@StMark's, a concert series whose purpose is to provide performing experience for emerging artists from London and across the UK, and as such we are dedicated to providing opportunities for students to gain experience through leading us and taking on solo roles. Our resident choir, Peregrine Voices, is made up of amateur singers from across London, with a core team from the choir of St. Mark's, Hamilton Terrace, where Dan is currently Director of Music. Vocal soloists are taken from the choir's four choral scholars, and forms a part of their scholarship.

The name of the orchestra comes from the Latin translation of the word 'pilgrim'. This is a dedication to Giles Pilgrim Morris, a superb countertenor and good friend of Dan's, who sadly contracted neuroblastoma and passed away in 2017. Giles very kindly donated many of his orchestral scores to Dan, who immediately took to studying them, thus inspiring him to take up orchestral conducting.

We are hugely grateful for the support of our patrons and sponsors, who make it possible for us to continue to achieve our goals - in particular Mr. Roger Mayhew, who has supported us throughout our journey.

Daniel Collins

Daniel Collins is a professional singer and conductor, both choral and orchestral. He was a chorister at Christ Church, Oxford, gained a music scholarship to Charterhouse School in Surrey, before being awarded a choral and academic scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford. After obtaining a first-class honours degree in Music, he studied vocal performance at The Royal College of Music.

Since 2006 he has been singing with many of the world’s top choral and instrumental ensembles, including Tenebrae, The Gabrieli Consort, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and The Sixteen, with whom he has been singing regularly since 2008. Recently he has performed as a soloist in venues including the Sistine Chapel, Wigmore Hall, Barbican theatre, and the Wien Konzerthaus. He has appeared as a soloist on many of the recent recordings released by The Sixteen, including their Purcell Odes and Anthems series, MacMillan's Stabat Mater, and recordings of Polish renaissance music, conducted by Eamonn Dougan. Alongside his work with The Sixteen, he was a member of the choir at the church of All Saints, Margaret Street for over 15 years.

In 2020 Daniel was appointed Director of Music at the church of St. Mark's, Hamilton Terrace, and it was here that his conducting career has begun to flourish. He founded his own concert series, Live@StMark's, his own amateur chamber choirs in London and in Naples, and his own orchestra, Peregrine Orchestra. Since 2021 he has been in demand as a choral and orchestral conductor throughout the UK and abroad, including recently conducting The Sixteen in concert.