Pete Cooper

Pete performs, composes, teaches and writes about fiddle music. He is also a singer. His band “Rattle on the Stovepipe”, with Dave Arthur and Chris Moreton, performs English and Appalachian Old Time music. Born in Stafford, Pete started violin at the age of 9, and took his degree in English at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1979, he recorded “Frosty Morning” with American singer Holly Tannen and toured widely in Europe and California. He also worked on the folk scene with singer Peta Webb, with whom he recorded “The Heart is True”. He has released many other recordings and has composed for films as well as for BBC TV and Radio. Best known as a fiddle teacher and workshop leader, Pete is a stalwart of Hands on Music weekends in Oxfordshire and popular tutor at Folkworks events in the northeast of England. Keen to introduce vernacular fiddling to classical players, he has directed courses at the Wigmore Hall, Dartington International Summer School and London’s Royal Academy. He runs the London Fiddle School sharing his enthusiasm for the traditional music from around the world.

Betty Roe

Betty studied piano, 'cello and singing at the Royal Academy of Music was awarded an ARAM for services to the music profession. She has been composing since teenage years and studied composition with Lennox Berkley. She is best known for her songs, choral music, musicals and instrumental music for schools.

Ruth Gerald

Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal College of Music in London until August 1999 and is a Fellow of the Royal College. An international adjudicator, she is actively involved in many aspects of the work of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Viviane Ronchetti

Viviane won a Junior Exhibition to the Royal Manchester College of Music to study the violin with the international concert artiste, Endre Wolf, at the age of 13. She became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain a year later and ultimately, the NYO’s sub-leader. In 1966, Viviane was awarded a place to study music at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music concurrently. She was a pupil of Professor Alexandre Mouskovsky at the RMCM and graduated with Bachelor of Music Degree with special Honours awarded in Performance. After graduating, Viviane studied with Manoug Parikian and started on a career combining teaching with free-lancing with the major London chamber orchestras. Viviane has held Head of Strings posts at Harrow School and Queenswood School and was Professor of violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior department for five years from 2003 to 2008. She is Director of the National Youth Strings Academy – founded in 1995 to promote the string orchestra repertoire and to develop the ensemble-playing skills of talented young string-players aged 9 to 21. She travels extensively in both the UK and overseas as a specialist strings adjudicator.

Luise Horrocks

Luise has held teaching positions in both the Junior and Senior departments of Birmingham Conservatoire and as a visiting lecturer at Birmingham University. She runs an extensive private teaching practice and regularly gives masterclasses, choral workshops, presentations and teacher sessions both at home and abroad. She has worked as a mentor on the CT ABRSM panel and as a vocal coach on residential courses for singers. She has also trained and conducted the Wyre Forest Young Voices Choir.

For many years as Associate Chief Examiner in music for Trinity College London, Luise has worked on syllabus setting and leading projects for diplomas, examiner training and teacher support. Publications include a series of books on Musical Theatre repertoire and graded songbooks.

Luise is an experienced adjudicating member of the British and International Federation of Festivals.

Gary Ryan

Gary studied as a junior at the Guildhall School of Music, where he won the Director’s Prize, and later was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). In 1991 he graduated with first class honours and many awards including the Julian Bream Prize. Post-graduate studies followed at the RAM with an award from the Fleming Trust and was made an Associate of the RAM in 1997. Gary's London recital debut at the Purcell Room in 1994 was highly acclaimed by the critics. He subsequently performed a series of recitals for the Kirckman Concert Society at the South Bank Centre. In 1996, aged 27, he became Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music (RCM); he currently combines his role there as Assistant Head of Strings with a varied international career as a performer and composer. In 2013, he was awarded a Fellowship of the RCM becoming the first guitarist to be given this accolade since John Williams in 1983. Gary has also collaborated with John Williams and jazz guitarist John Etheridge to form 6 Hands. The guitar trio has since toured the UK extensively and has a new recording; further performances are scheduled for 2018. His celebrated compositions are often broadcast on Classic FM and have broadened the instrument’s appeal, combining traditional classical techniques and contemporary styles with a rich variety of musical influences from around the world.

Robert Latham

Founder Director of the Bristol Cathedral Girls’ Choir, he now teaches at the Bristol Academy of Performing Arts which specialises in the training of students for Music Theatre. He lectures on ensemble technique, and preparing pupils for individual diploma examinations. Robert is also an examiner for Trinity College.

Stuart Smith

Stuart is an instrumental and vocal accompanist that has worked in Europe and North America. Founder, producer and conductor of the New Opera Group and Musical Director of Wide Angle Voice Theatre, he now works in England as a vocal coach both privately and at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

Simon Lole

Simon read music at King’s College University, London and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He was later Organ Scholar at St Paul’s Cathedral, London and is Director of Music and Master of Choristers at Salisbury Cathedral. In May 2005, Simon was honoured by the Guild of Church Musicians with a Fellowship for services to church music.

Colin Touchin

Colin studied clarinet and recorder (Performer’s Diploma at age16) and earned an Oxford University music degree. Later hisinterests developed into conducting and composition. Heconducts and composes for orchestras, bands, choirs and alllevels of ensembles and has founded a number of groupsincluding Warwick Orchestral Winds and Spires PhilharmonicChorus, Orchestra and Youth Orchestra in Coventry. Composer-in-Residence and Conductor with various UK schools and youthensembles. He has inspired and conducted orchestras, bands andchoirs internationally, leads workshops in performance, conducting andcomposition, and is a festival adjudicator in the UK, Europe and Asia. Colin has woninternational awards with his instrumental and choral ensembles from theUniversity of Warwick.

Norma Redfearn

Norma trained at the Northern College of Speech and Drama and researched at Leicester University. She has taught and lectured at a variety of schools and colleges and was Head of Drama at Yorkshire College of Music and Drama. She began her acting career in Rep, before going on to perform in professional theatre in many parts of the country. As an examiner for Trinity College London, she has examined students, lectured and performed throughout the UK, Europe and in many countries around the world.

Norma now examines extensively for LAMDA and continues to teach students from six years old to 60. She gives concerts and recitals as well as ‘voice-over’ recordings for radio and a variety of companies. Her greatest joy, however, is equipping students with “life skills” and the ability to take their place in society confidently. She believes that festivals are an opportunity to develop confidence. This is her second visit to the Festival.