Luca Wetherall
Artistic Director of The London Choral Service. He chooses every musician on the team, and he plans your music with you.
Where he trained
Luca started as a scholar at Liverpool Cathedral under Lee Ward. He went on to study music at the University of Oxford as a choral scholar at Merton College, recording four albums for Delphian Records and singing at the Barbican alongside the Britten Sinfonia. His master’s research at Royal Holloway was funded in full by the University of London Headley Trust music scholarship.
He is now a Clarendon Scholar and doctoral researcher at Oxford, and a Tutor in the Faculty of Music, where he teaches analysis, popular music, and conducting. His faculty page is at the University of Oxford Faculty of Music, and his own site is lucawetherall.co.uk.
Conducting
Luca is Director of Music at St Barnabas, Ealing, and a Choral Director at St John the Baptist, Holland Road. Between them that is a working week spent in front of church choirs, which is the same job we do for you on the day.
He directs Alma Consort, the ensemble that takes our private and international engagements, and works as Music Supervisor and conductor for Company Carpi, whose Arts Council-funded opera tour of Disunited Jukebox he conducted.
Singing and arranging
Luca sings as a low bass in opera and choral music, and has appeared with Mosaic Voices, the Armonico Consort, Ensemble Pro Victoria, and the Liverpool Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Recent solo work includes a residency at Kings Place, recitals at Jesus College Oxford and the Royal Academy of Music, and appearances with the Instruments of Time and Truth and the Orchestra of St John’s. His debut release, The Blue Bird, premiered on BBC Radio 3.
He composes and arranges as well. His work has been sung by the BBC Singers, Mosaic Voices, the Choir of Merton College Oxford, and the Illumni Men’s Chorale, which is why we can write an arrangement for your occasion when the printed version does not suit the voices you have booked.
Why he started the service
Luca founded The London Choral Service after years of directing music at ceremonies and seeing the same problem: families wanted live music but had no reliable way to find trained singers at short notice. He built a small team of conservatoire-trained musicians who could be trusted to arrive prepared, know the building, and lead the music without needing to be managed.
He auditions every singer and instrumentalist on the team himself, and he selects for two things: a voice that can carry a building, and the awareness to hold back when the occasion calls for it. When you book with us, you are booking musicians Luca has heard and chosen. Read more about the team.
Working with Luca
Every booking starts with a conversation with him. Tell him the occasion, the venue, and the mood you have in mind, and he plans the repertoire with you. If you are unsure what you want, that conversation usually settles it.
He knows the acoustics of hundreds of churches and ceremony venues across London and the South East, so he can recommend the ensemble size that suits your building. Our pricing page sets out what each option costs.
“Luca understood straight away what we needed. He suggested pieces we’d never have found on our own, and the singers were faultless.”
Start a conversation with Luca
Text us on WhatsApp for the fastest reply, or call Luca on 07356 042468. We respond within a few hours.