Barbara Sumroy
Rehearsal Manager, Leeds
Barbara was born at a very young age – with a fine pair of lungs that were destined to be part of Inspiration.
The smell of the crowd and the roar of the greasepaint saw her treading the boards for over ten years with the Potato Room Players at the world famous Leeds City Varieties. She played many a part from a eunuch in the King and I (with not one word to say – many would say that was her best part which she hopes was due to her fab acting skills and not just because she never opened my mouth!) to the part of Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof with one very memorable night when she opened my mouth and nothing came out (her voice went). The sound people thinking her microphone wasn’t on, turned it up to full volume. Her voice came back which in turn sent it reverberating around the theatre and due to this the Leeds City Varieties is now under full refurbishment work.
After discovering that Gary Griffiths had set up Inspiration in Newcastle, and after a few gentle hints that he should start up in Leeds (jealous messages left under Facebook photographs of happy people rehearsing in Newcastle and several late night mysterious and anonymous heavy breathing phone calls to Gary’s home, which Barbara thinks he actually enjoyed), Gary decided to hold a workshop in Leeds to ”gauge interest”. Barbara asked if she could help on the door to let the expected ten people in. Around 350 people turned up on that first night, so Gary decided to bring his community choir to Leeds and we are so glad that he did. Again Barbara volunteered her services as a rehearsal manager and enjoys welcoming our singers into the fold every Monday evening with a smile (well most of the time anyway).
Inspiration (Leeds) is also very honoured to have on board for every concert the Orchestra of Opera North. Sometimes Barbara would just love to sit on the risers of Leeds Town Hall and listen to the heavenly music drifting up towards her but then that defeats the object of singing in a choir!
In Barbara’s other life (the boring part) her first job was selling bagels on a Sunday morning in a delicatessen; she has been a medical secretary and worked at BBC Look North for over 27 years – unbelievable as she is only 21! At present Barbara works as a personal assistant in one post and makes introductory welcome calls to people who are remortgaging with banks and building societies in her other job. Oh, and of course her third and most important post is as a rehearsal manager for Inspiration (Leeds).
