Associates
Our Associates have a confidential and formalised relationship within the charity. They work closely with the charity’s Trustees, advising on new projects; leading on project research and management; preparing our fundraising publications, and carrying out the day-to-day running of the charity.

Louise Stewart
Louise is an advocate and educator with a background in Music. She has a particular interest in interdisciplinary studies and the commonalities which can be identified across different areas of underrepresentation and marginalisation.

Andrew Stewart
Andrew is

Anna Williams
Brief description

Louise Stewart
Project manager and founder
Biography:
Louise began her musical education at Primary school in the 1970s at a time of free and flourishing Music provision in the Maintained sector. Everybody sang. (The accessible repertoire included diverse composers; women have long been included as Primary educators. Favourite resources included the BBC Schools programme, Singing Together, and Elizabeth Poston’s Children’s Song Book). At Primary school pupils had the opportunity to learn an instrument free of charge. Louise had a taste of the world beyond South Somerset aged 11 as a ‘cellist in the first generation of the National Children’s Orchestra.
Growing up with a severely disabled sibling within an environment intensely focussed on community service gave her an insight into the dynamics of social exclusion and inclusion, though she didn’t realise this at the time. Her local church gave her her first opportunity to discover the world of liturgical singing – a key memory is of a boy chorister leaving the parish choir to become a chorister at Wells Cathedral. (‘Why not me?’ she wondered).
At her Secondary school the director of Music led a skilled and ambitious department – one of Louise’s favourite concerts included Olivier Messiaen’s challenging Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine (which she would love to sing again one day). Despite attending an all-girls school the O Level and A Level syllabi (in 1985 and 1987) included no music by female composers or people of colour. Whilst at Secondary school Louise was a ‘cellist in Somerset Youth Orchestra which introduced her to some of the established orchestral repertoire of the 19th and early 20th centuries (all by men).
Louise went on to read Music at Exeter University in the late 1980s where her degree included a small focus on Music Therapy. She was a first-study recorder player and a second-study ‘cellist and was privileged to be taught by the maverick and brilliant recorder player Piers Adams and the esteemed ‘cellist Naomi Butterworth. The additional joy of occasional viol lessons from Alison Crum, one of the country’s finest exponents of the viol, allowed her to indulge in her love of early music. The free provision of all this tuition at university enabled Louise to access expertise which would otherwise have been beyond her means. (Still no female composers though..).
While at university Louise thoroughly enjoyed learning some ‘cathedral’ repertoire as a soprano in Exeter University Chapel Choir and in the exceptional chamber choir Counterpoint which performed diverse historical repertoire and challenging works by living composers including multiple world premieres.
Following a PGCE in General Primary and Music teaching – before the dismantling of the cross-curricular approach to primary teaching in favour of the National Curriculum - and a short period working at a Primary school in an area of social deprivation she worked at Exeter Cathedral School where her roles included general teaching and pastoral and musical support of the probationer [boy] choristers (before that school went co-ed). She then moved to Salisbury Cathedral School to take on a similar but more extensive role during the first extraordinary phase of that cathedral’s girl choristers. (‘What opportunities will there be for the women the girl choristers will become?’ was a frequent thought).
Louise was one of the founder members of Salisbury Cathedral’s amateur (adult) Chamber Choir, and through her marriage to Andrew - a longtime professional countertenor layclerk at the cathedral - Louise was able to broaden her knowledge of liturgical (‘Anglican’) repertoire.
In 1999 Louise extended her professional skillset and life experience by becoming the manager of the country’s first Oxfam Fairtrade Shop, in Salisbury. The role introduced her to the challenges of addressing complex social-justice issues in a conservative environment.
Following that work she returned to the classroom, working in the Maintained Sector across several Primary schools in the Salisbury area; she taught across the Primary curriculum, led curricular and extra-curricular Music from Years R-6 including a particular focus on Music for Worship in both Roman Catholic and Church of England schools, and used those connections to build up intergenerational and social-justice projects in the Salisbury area using Music as a tool for inclusion.
In 2006 Louise studied for a PG Cert in Dyslexia and co-occurring neurodivergence to develop her teaching knowledge and practical teaching skills. Following that qualification she undertook several years’ part-time work teaching children who were unable to access regular schooling, adults with unaddressed literacy needs, and Duke of Edinburgh students volunteering for Barnardo’s. This period of more holistic teaching led her to a major shift towards professional advocacy and five years’ work at Swan Advocacy (Wiltshire) where her wide-ranging role included supporting adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Mental Health issues, and women living in refuge. She studied for a National Vocational Qualification in the Purpose and Principles of Advocacy which formed the bedrock of her later work with Multitude of Voyces (MoV).
In 2016 Louise began to draw all of her work and personal experience together under the umbrella of Multitude of Voyces which began as an informal network of interested teachers, writers, musicians, schools, charities and churches in the Salisbury area. Each team of project partners explored, developed and led services, commemorations, workshops and other events, with social-justice and Music at their heart. Some of this work included the co-commissioning of several anthems for International Women’s Day which formed part of MoV’s ‘Julian of Norwich’ project and which led to the publication of MoV’s anthology series Sacred Music by Women Composers.
In 2019 Louise formalised the network, becoming the sole director of a Community Interest Company (CIC): this enabled Louise to take her ideas beyond Salisbury and to work more intensively with some of the co-leaders of previous local projects* and with other local part-time contractors and volunteers.
In November 2019 the CIC published the first volume of its groundbreaking anthology series Sacred Music by Women Composers, Louise having searched in vain for professional publishers willing to take on the risk of a project which challenged the status quo. Louise converted the CIC to registered charity status in November 2022, passing legal responsibility over to a Board of Trustees and relieving her of onerous personal financial risk; this has enabled her to focus on developing the charity and its current and future projects.
Louise was privileged to be the Salisbury Area Ambassador for Inclusive Church for several years and was a founding trustee of the Species Recovery Trust. She has made a particular study of the history of the gardens in the former Bishop’s Palace (now Salisbury Cathedral School) and will write the book one day!
Louise has sung with the pro/am group Sarum Voices, directed by Ben Lamb, since 1999, with which choir she has made several recordings.
In 2022 Louise was awarded Associateship of the Royal School of Church Music (ARSCM) for her work leading MoV’s anthology series.
Biog v.2 12/07/2025
*notably Dr Alison Daniell and Olivia Sparkhall