Jonny Leonard, 1961 - 2010

Jonny Leonard was Director of Music at St Luke's Chelsea from 2000 until his untimely death on June 1 2010. He was instrumental in expanding the repertoire and activities of the choir, and built it up to an exceptional standard as one of the best voluntary choirs in London. Jonny's warmth and charisma made the choir a rewarding and friendly group with which to sing. We plan to celebrate his life in a concert at St Luke's, and also to buy a music stand as a permanent memorial to him.

On Saturday 23rd July, current and past members of St Luke's choir joined together to perform a memorial concert as a tribute to Jonny. The concert featured some of Jonny's favouirte music, including masterpieces by Tallis, Howells and Whitacre. We welcomed Jonny's family to St Luke's once more and the retiring collection of over £500 will go to a trust in Jonny's name at the Royal School of Church Music.

As a permanent memorial we commissioned a conductor's stand for the church, which was hand crafted to our specifications by Luke Hughes & Co., a firm renowned for their beautiful creations. The wood and other materials have been chosen to complement St Luke's and include a plaque and inscription to celebrate Jonny's life and work. The extra money we raised also enabled us to restock the music library with more of Jonny's favourite music.

The stand (pictured to the right) was completed in Autumn 2011, and was dedicated at a festival evensong at St Luke's on Sunday October 16th. Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to make this possible.