Keith Allen

Keith Allenstudied at: Royal College of Music, London; Birmingham University, Kingston University, with a Master's Degree from the University of West London.

He worked professionally with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Previous positions include: Clarinet/Saxophone Tutor: Birmingham Conservatoire; Head of Birmingham Music Service.

Current positions include: Music Director: Birmingham Symphonic Winds; Festival Director: National Concert Band Festival (UK); Conductor in Residence: Birmingham University Wind Band; Conductor: Solihull Youth Wind Orchestra; Consultant Editor: Faber Music Ltd, Director: Best-of-British-Music.com – international trade advisory service; Adviser: London International Music Festival. Adjudicating/guest conducting in America, Spain, Latvia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Australia, China and the UK.

Ann Bauer

Ann has spent her working life in education teaching in secondary and primary schools, theatres, university and therapy teams, as well as examining drama and theatre studies. Ann ran her own drama school for many years, and has now returned to mainstream education and research. Ann trained to teach under John Hodgson at Bretton Hall, his major influence was the importance of improvisation. Ann continues to be an enthusiastic teacher of improvisation for developing all performance skills. She strongly believes in the inclusive power of drama, that it offers confidence building, team work, and the discipline of controlling body, voice – and nerves. Combining that with her love of the written word she counts herself lucky to spend her life talking about what she loves. Currently, Ann combines her teaching with doctoral research into teaching maths to young people with complex special needs – drama skills are never far away in her teaching strategies.

Liz Childs

Liz studied Flute with Gareth Morris and Piano with Graeme Humphrey at the RAM and has performed all over the world both as a soloist and orchestral/chamber musician. Her varied career includes performing with many orchestras, Quintessimo, adjudicating both abroad and in the UK where she is very busy as well as an extensive teaching schedule. A founder and Musical Director of the Bedfordshire Woodwind Academy she is also flute teacher at Beechwood Park School in Markyate, Hertfordshire and St Francis College in Letchworth. Liz founded alongside the BWA a Bedfordshire Woodwind Academy Flute Ensemble which goes from strength to strength and which has made in 2019 its 3rd European Concert Tour with a proposed tour to Slovenia and Austria in 2021. Liz thoroughly enjoys her work as an Adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals, regarding it a real privilege to be able to encourage and inspire performers. She believes that a positive experience at a Federation Festival can change a performer’s life forever. It did hers!

Eva Maria Doroszkowska

Eva Maria Doroszkowska is an international pianist whose dramatic and colourful interpretation of the piano repertoire has earned her high acclaim. She enjoys a busy soloist and chamber performing career which takes her round the world and she has appeared on BBC and Polish television and radio. A keen interest in contemporary music has led her to work with two of the 20th Century’s finest composers, Gorecki and Per Nørgård leading to her giving the UK premier of Nørgård’s Cantica for Cello and Piano. Eva Maria won a scholarship to study piano at the Royal Northern College of Music. With awards from the Countess of Munster and government scholarships she also studied under the renowned Jasinski in Poland and took soloist diplomas in Amsterdam and Copenhagen winning many prizes and bursaries. Alongside her performing career, she is an adjudicator, gives masterclasses and workshops, teaches piano and chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, and is passionate about working with young musicians.

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.

Peter Hunt

Peter is an experienced choral trainer and conductor having worked with a wide variety of singers and choral groups for over 40 years. He studied at Dartington and London before a long career in secondary music education, later focusing more broadly on choral education. He was Head of Creative Arts at Chipping Norton School for 10 years and still conducts the local Choral Society after 19 years. Until 2015 he was Head of Voice and Deputy Head of the independent music service Berkshire Maestros. Peter is the inspiration behind the VOICEWORKS publications with Oxford University Press that have transformed singing activities for many people. He has a national reputation as a workshop leader, trainer and adjudicator.

Donal McCrisken

Donal is a Belfast-based pianist, accompanist, conductor, examiner, and adjudicator. He read music at Queen's University, Belfast and later read a Masters at the University of Ulster. Since 1999 Donal has been conductor of Cappella Caeciliana, one of Ireland's most exciting chamber choirs. Under his direction they have given concerts in Northern Ireland, Europe, and the USA. The choir has recorded four highly-successful CDs and has broadcast frequently on BBC Radio 4, Radio Ulster and RTE. Donal leads classes in performance at Queen's University, Belfast and workshops in the art of choral singing and direction. He works extensively with Northern Ireland Opera as vocal coach and repetiteur. He has adjudicated festivals throughout Northern Ireland, Eire and the UK. In 2013 he founded Cavehill Community Choir, a non-auditioned choir that currently numbers 160. He was the choral director/repetiteur for the exciting Belfast Opera project in June 2016, for which he was awarded the Classic FM/Musicians' Union Inspiration Award.

Fiona McLean-Buechel

Fiona studied at the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy of Music and has a passion for music in all forms. She combines a busy performing career with writing creative and collaborative national and international performance projects. She is Lead Tutor for Strings at Trinity Laban Junior Conservatoire and a specialist strings adjudicator and examiner, including syllabus development for the Guildhall Examinations Board. Teaching posts have included the Junior Guildhall School of Music, Goldsmith’s, and the National Children’s Orchestra. She has been visiting professor of violin at Dartington and Cardiff University. In 2005 Fiona co-founded and was course director of the Youth Strings Programme at the Dartington International Summer School. She subsequently founded and is Creative Director of South-West Camerata whose work was nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society for Education. Fiona has delivered sessions on 'Mindfulness for Musicians' at the 2016 Music Education Expo in Olympia, a Federation conference in Edinburgh, Musicians Union, and at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

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.

Dave Townsend

Dave is a performer of both traditional and classical music, playing mainly English Concertina, accordion and violin, but these form only a part of a range of activities which include composition and research.
He created the Mellstock Band and founded the West Gallery Music Association, and has also worked as musical director and stage musician at the National Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic.