Anu Omideyi is a non-practising criminal barrister who began her legal career in 2001 and paused it in 2014 when other areas of her life began to flourish. She ran a successful criminal practice spanning all areas of criminal law ranging from murder and serious violent and sexual offences to complex conspiracies to defraud from Furnival Chambers, a leading London set with nearly 100 members and 14 Queens Counsel. During this time she also sat on Furnival Chambers’ Board of Directors for 6 years - the youngest female and black person to have done so.
Regarding children’s advocacy, she founded the project Difficult Discussions Easy Songs which providesmusical resources for primary school children tackling difficult topics such as racism and protecting children’s bodies. She drew from her experience working with thousands of primary and secondary school children over the last few years and her passion for these sensitive subjects, born from experiencing and dealing with these issues personally, to create fun, child-friendly resource materials built around catchy songs and accompanying resources such as cartoon videos, karaoke material and lesson / discussion plans. Her openness yet sensitivity about her experiences; her criminal law, public speaking and music performance backgrounds combined with her warm and lively character have led to numerous public speaking - and musical - invitations to share on topics about protecting children and racism with young and older audiences alike. She is now in collaboration with the NSPCC, the Church of England, leading national safe-guarding law firm Farrar & Co and is in talks with other organisations to further the education, advocacy and protection of children.
She currently sits on the newly elected board of Directors of the Gospel Music Industry Alliance UK (2020), having previously sat on it between 2016-2018. She also held a trustee position of the board of Common Purpose Student Experiences between 2016-2019 and sat on the board and was trustee of Common Purpose UK between 2003-2009.
As part of her musical journey Anu has managed, directed or produced many choirs of all ages, abilities and backgrounds nationally and internationally. She is currently producing an album of the Hillsborough Memorial Choir to commemorate the final celebration of the 1989 Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster. She tutors multiple choirs, singing groups and individual singers comprising every age, background and level of musical experience. She is frequently called upon to provide masterclasses or vocal training workshops to singers, groups and choirs at educational institutions and music academies and has directed choirs in Norway (Sangfesten, Grenland) and Paris (Paris Gospel).
Most notably, she managed, directed and produced the award-winning The Reapers Choir for many years and still works very closely with them. Under her leadership the choir was a finalist in BBC1’s Gospel Choir of the Year 2014, won or was nominated for several awards and performed in venues including 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister, Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and the London African Music Festival 2015 amongst countless others.
Anu was an off-screen judge for BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year 2019 and has been an official vocal coach for the University Gospel Choir of the Year UK since 2018, having been a UGCY judge two years prior.
The numerous leadership roles that Anu has undertaken in her life’s journey has brought her to a point where she is both privileged and humbled to offer advice, inspiration and motivation, be it in large gatherings or one to one.
London
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