BIOGRAPHY

Quintin Beer is a choral director, prize-winning conductor, and a versatile musician known for his collaborative approach to music-making. He thrives on the collective energy of a group, drawing out something greater than the sum of its parts. His aim is to lift music off the page and into something more animated and deeply felt. With a playful and imaginative rehearsal style, Quintin’s distinctive personality creates inspiring musical moments, whether with amateur or professional musicians.
 
Currently, Quintin serves as Director of Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford, a role he has held since 2021. He is also the Musical Director of Saffron Walden Choral Society and Director of Music at St Cuthbert’s Church, Earl’s Court. Quintin completed his MA in Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, studying under Patrick Russill. He graduated with Distinction in 2019, earning the DipRAM for his exceptional final recital and the Academy’s Foundation Award for his all-round contribution to the institution. In 2024, he was named Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of his achievements and ongoing contribution to the field.
 
Before attending the Academy, Quintin studied music at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he held a choral scholarship. He became an Assistant Conductor for the University Musical Society in 2013, where he conducted fully-staged performances of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mozart’s The Magic Flute with the Cambridge University Opera Society.
 
Quintin’s recent professional highlights include chorus-mastering Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman at the St Endellion Festival under Anthony Negus, Assistant Conductor for Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress at The Grange Festival Opera, and chorus-mastering the BBC Singers for Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly at the Barbican. He has also prepared the adult chorus for Jonathan Dove’s Uprising at Saffron Hall (March 2025) and will return to the St Endellion Festival this summer to chorus-master Verdi’s Falstaff under Paul Daniel.
 
As an orchestral conductor, Quintin has had the privilege of working with prestigious ensembles, including the Chameleon Arts Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Dresden Sinfonietta, Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the East Anglian Chamber Orchestra, conducting works by Elgar, Britten, Handel, Mahler, and Haydn. His international accolades include third prize at the 2022 International Choral Conducting Competition in Preveza, Greece, and second prize at the 2018 Dima International Music Competition in Romania. He also won Best Interpretation of a French Baroque Piece at the 2019 International Competition for Young Conductors in Paris.
 
Quintin's passion for choral conducting is also reflected in his ongoing work with major choral ensembles. Notably, he conducted a concert of English Baroque music with Les Pages et Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles in the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles in May 2022. He was also Chorus Master for an immersive performance of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes at the St Endellion Festival in 2022, which was directed by Rory Kinnear and conducted by Ryan Wrigglesworth, with a cast including Mark Padmore, Roderick Williams, and Sophie Bevan.
 
A passionate advocate for new music, Quintin released his debut recording as a conductor with the Choir of St Peter’s College, Oxford, titled Fresh Stone: Music by Piers Connor Kennedy (February 2025). The album features the work of Piers Connor Kennedy, St Peter’s Associate Composer, and is a testament to Quintin's dedication to contemporary music. In 2023, Quintin and Saffron Walden Choral Society commissioned Roderick Williams to compose Sing Joyfully for the society’s 150th anniversary. The piece won Making Music’s Award for the Best Music Creator for a Voluntary Organisation in 2023, reflecting Quintin's commitment to enriching the choral repertoire through new works.
 
Beyond conducting, Quintin is an accomplished baritone, regularly performing in the choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, St George’s Chapel Windsor, and Westminster Cathedral. His vocal expertise enhances his understanding of choral music, and his dual role as conductor and performer informs his musical approach.
 
Quintin has received several prestigious fellowships and awards, including a fellowship to the Yale School of Music Summer School program in Norfolk, Connecticut (2019), where he studied under Simon Carrington. He was appointed Associate Conductor of the Brandenburg Choral Festival in 2019 and has been contracted by the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris, where he conducted movements from Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil and a new commission by Cecilia McDowall’s Brightest Star.
 
Quintin has also held posts as Musical Director of Yateley Choral Society, University of London Chamber Choir, and Musician in Residence at North London Collegiate School. He has been serving as Associate Conductor with Ex Cathedra since 2021.
 
As a dedicated educator, Quintin has tutored on the Rodolfus Foundation Choral Courses (formerly Eton Choral Courses) since 2012. He has taught Musicianship at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and Choral Conducting at the University of Oxford. Quintin’s deep understanding of music, combined with his approachable and playful rehearsal style, has made him a sought-after mentor for aspiring musicians.
 
Quintin’s work has been generously supported by the Stanley Vann Scholarship, the Alan Kirby and Irene Burcher Awards from the Royal Academy of Music, and the Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, Royal College of Organists, and St John’s College Cambridge Choir Association.