After teacher-training Bruce was appointed by Essex County Council in charge of music in a newly opened secondary boys' school in Harold Hill. Having seen the first intake through until they left, he decided that a mixed school might offer new opportunities and moved to Ingatestone Secondary School, which in those days had about 450 pupils. He soon established an annual Gilbert and Sullivan production. When these singers left school many of them continued to sing with his four part Youth Centre Choir, which met in the evenings.
In 1964 this group was invited to join Ingatestone Choral Society in a combined concert, Bruce sharing the conducting with Alf Witney. When Alf retired in 1969 Bruce was asked to become their regular conductor and has been with them ever since, as conductor and as a tenor during five years when Martyn Heald conducted.
Bruce has always welcomed the opportunity to join with other choirs in combined performances and was Chairman of the Brentwood Choirs Festival until 2008 and of the Essex Musical Association for twenty years until its final concert in May 2009 when it was disbanded.
CONDUCTOR - BRUCE PENNICK
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