Meet the teenage conductor keeping Wolverhampton choir veterans in tune despite huge age gap
As Hannah Spedding raises her baton, members of the City of Wolverhampton Choir know they need to be on top of their game.
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"She'll soon tell us if we are singing out of tune," says stalwart Mike Todd.
Which is all the more remarkable given the 71-year age gap between Mike who, at 88, is the oldest member of the choir, and its thrusting 17-year-old musical director who is still at school.
"She's great, she brings new life to us," says Mike, who joined the choir 55 years ago. And far from being resented by seasoned veterans who were singing long before Hannah was born, the senior members really enjoy learning from the fresh perspective that she brings.
"She introduces us to new music. If you are learning all the time, it keeps you on your toes."
Hannah, 17, took up the role in September after the choir, which meets at St Andrew's Church in Whitmore Reans, put out an appeal to find a young conductor.
"I had never conducted a choir before, and it was always something I was interested in," she says.
"They set up a practice and interview, and it went well.
"They were all so welcoming.
