Venera Bojkova has been the society's conductor since 1995.
She was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and studied at the State Conservatoire of Music. Her piano professors were graduates of Moscow Conservatoire, Nicolai Evrov and Lubomir Dinolov, both being among Bulgaria’s foremost recitalists and teachers. Miss Bojkova has performed throughout Bulgaria in recitals and as a concerto soloist.
In 1991 she became pianist in residence in the Northern Province of South Africa, coming to the United Kingdom in 1993.
As well as performing throughout the UK, Miss Bojkova has performed in Europe, Russia, South Africa, the USA and China.
In July 2014 , Miss Bojkova gave a recital and Master classes in Xiamen University, China , for the International Piano Festival and in 2015 she was an adjudicator for the Hong Kong Schools Music Competition.
She has adjudicated for the BBC Young Musician Of The Year, European Piano Teachers Association and is an internal examiner for the University of Newcastle – upon – Tyne .
Miss Bojkova`s recordings include CDs as a piano duo with Valentina Seferinova, most recently two of the music of Weinawski and Pachulski for the Polish record label, Acte Preable. She currently performs and records as a member of the Vladigerov piano trio with ‘cellist Sacho Somov and violinist Lucy Jeal.
She teaches at the Sage Weekend Music school and Newcastle and Durham Universities , Miss Bojkova is Conductor and Artistic Director of Bishop Auckland Choral Society.
Miss Bojkova plays the harp as well as the piano and appears as a soloist and orchestral harpist in concerts.
Duncan Brown is a pianist, choir conductor, former professional orchestral double bass player and composer.
As a composer he was written works for the concert hall, theatre, including four youth operas, and community groups, including an oratorio for children’s and adult choirs and brass band, The Painter and the Patriarch, on the story of the Zurbaran paintings in Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, performed at Auckland Castle and Durham Cathedral.
Recent premieres for the concert hall, include Ah Pek’s Favourite Nanyin for the Xiamen Piano Festival in China and One Song, One Voice for twelve community choirs, premiered in Durham Cathedral in February 2018. He is a published composer of original works and arrangements for choir.