Our staff team is made up of tutors ready to pass on their expertise and love of music to all students. With a diverse range of specialisms and passions between them, all of our staff members are selected for their professionalism, experience and passion for education.
Music Director · Violin & Chamber Music
Martin was born in Sheffield into a musical family: his great-grandfather was leader of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and his great-uncle was principal viola player in the BBC Philharmonic for thirty-five years. His father, violinist Peter Cropper, founded the Lindsay Quartet and his mother is the violin teacher, Nina Martin. Until the age of five he thought everyone played the violin! He began lessons with his mother until he was awarded a scholarship to study with Howard Davis at the Royal Academy of Music. Martin is passionate about chamber music and has been fortunate to study and perform with some of the world's most inspiring chamber musicians. He has played many of the major concertos with orchestra and continues to enjoy sharing music throughout the UK and beyond. Martin has always been interested in education, and has taught the violin since he was 16. Martin enjoys a long standing relationship (22 years) with CSYO and regularly gives workshops for Music in the Round and the European String Teachers Association (ESTA).
Violin
Henrietta enjoys a varied career, with a special interest in Chamber Music and Contemporary Music. She was among the first students of Sheffield Music Academy when it opened. She studied viola and violin with Robin Ireland. It's lovely to be seeing it from the other side as a strings tutor. Henrietta works for numerous Arts organisations, as a performer, freelancer and educator. She has recently become a Trustee of Arts Charity 'NW Live Arts' who look at bringing Classical and World Music to local communities. As a violist, Henrietta performs with prize-winning chamber groups including Trilogy Ensemble. As an educator, Henrietta brings her chamber music knowledge to coaching for organisations such as Pro Coroa, Arpeggione and Cambridge Suzuki Young Musicians. She especially loves leading improvisation workshops for all ages and abilities. Henrietta works with Rosie Bowker, flautist for 'Live Music Now' bringing chamber music to SEND schools, Hospitals and Care Homes where the community can't normally access high quality live music.
Violin
Originally from Hampshire, Eleanor started playing the violin at school at the age of six. After graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2016 with a first-class honours degree in Music, she moved to Manchester to complete her Master’s degree in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. Here, she studied with Pavel Fischer and Jim Clark, graduating in 2019. Eleanor is now a freelance violinist and enjoys a varied career across orchestral, session, and theatre work. She performs regularly with leading ensembles, including the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, Manchester Camerata, and Oxford Philharmonic. Her orchestral work has included appearances at the BBC Proms, as well as recordings and tours across the UK and internationally. Alongside her orchestral work, Eleanor is an experienced session musician. She has performed with the Northern Film Orchestra on projects including the Royal Variety Performance and major commercial recordings for television, and has toured extensively with film productions such as Home Alone, The Muppets, and Batman in concert. Eleanor’s work extends into musical theatre and screen, including regular deputy work on the recent UK tours of Fiddler on the Roof and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and television and film projects such as appearing as an actor/musician in A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+). Eleanor is passionate about teaching and supporting young musicians at all stages of their development. She has been teaching at SMA since 2019, and also teaches at Birkdale School, as well as privately in Manchester.
Guitar
Ian Griffiths is the Guitar Tutor at the Academy. As a youngster, he took classical guitar lessons, and cut his teeth playing guitar, bass and the occasional harmonica, and performed in church bands, youth rock groups and the open mic circuit. More recently Ian has studied under acclaimed performer and composer Nick Fletcher. Having studied Architecture at university in Sheffield, Ian found his passion for music outstripped his planned career, and soon moved into the musical field. He has since taught guitar and mandolin privately, at Birkdale School and the Sheffield Music Academy as well as performing regularly in Sheffield and the surrounding area. Ian has also worked in Artist Management as a press writer and publicist, and has promoted a number of international touring musicians in this role. Outside of the musical world, he enjoys old computer games and digging up the allotment with wife Jenny.
Flute
Originally classically trained at the Royal Northern College of Music, Henrik has had a hugely varied career as a classical solo and ensemble flautist as well as a freelance session musician, working in film, radio and theatre including pop sessions in and around the UK, (tracks with 'Take That', 'S Club Seven', Donny Osmond, Emma Bunton, Des'ree and many more). Henrik fronted the quartet 'LJQ' for 9 years with which he recorded two highly acclaimed albums of his own jazz originals ('Journeys from Nether Edge' and 'Dancing Peak to Peak') playing concert, alto and bass flutes. He later explored Indian Classical/Euro fusion music, working with the ensemble 'INDUS', culminating in an Arts Council sponsored tour of the UK and another successful album, 'Firefly'. Since 1982, Henrik has continued to teach and perform from his base in Sheffield and has remained much in demand for his ability to comfortably improvise in a wide variety of musical genres.
Flute and Recorder
Alieza lived in Canada until the age of 17 and started learning flute at the age of 12 in a band class at school. She was involved in a wide variety of music at school including wind band, pit band and jazz ensemble in Canada and orchestra and choirs when she came to England for the 6th form. She holds a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music in flute teaching. Alieza has had a wide variety flute teachers including Clare Southworth and has also been lucky enough to participate in Masterclasses given by some highly regarded flute players such as Ian Clarke and Michael Cox. Alieza has been teaching flute in Sheffield since 1991 and joined Sheffield Music Academy in 2007. She particularly enjoys her involvement in the Infants Academy and is pleased to have seen it grow from the initial few pupils to the size it is now. She has played principal flute and piccolo with Sheffield Symphony and The National Flute Orchestra and currently plays with the Windstruments Flute Orchestra. She also plays both descant and treble recorder and sings with Sheffield Singers. Alieza adores cats and can often be found at Tabby Teas Cat Café, her favourite place in Sheffield. She also goes to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband Ed whenever possible. They are aiming to see all of Shakespeare's plays performed there, with only 5 more to see.
Trumpet
Will is an experienced trumpeter with a wide-ranging career performing with some of the UK's top orchestras. He has played as Guest Principal Trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Opera North, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Victoria. Outside of orchestras, Will enjoys performing chamber music. He has worked with groups like Onyx Brass, European Brass Ensemble and Ensemble Resonanz, relishing the chance to explore a mix of styles and genres. Will has toured extensively across Europe, Asia and Australia. Since 2022 Will has been a brass teacher at the Sheffield Music Academy, and since 2023 has been brass tutor for the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra. He is extremely passionate about the confidence of young performers, and alongside Garrath, developing an exciting and flourishing brass department.
Trombone
Bass Trombonist Garrath Beckwith hails from Saddleworth, a musically rich area in the heart of the Pennine hills! Garrath started playing the bass trombone at the age of 10 years old and is a former member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and has played for many of Europe's leading Brass Bands including the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band, the Yorkshire Building Society Band, the Williams Fairey Band and BNFL amongst others. Garrath is a proud graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he studied the bass trombone with Adrian Morris (Hallé Orchestra), Chris Houlding (Opera North), John Iveson (Covent Garden / BBC Symphony and Philip Jones Brass Ensemble), Ben Van Dijk (Rotterdam Philharmonic) and James Gourlay (International Tuba soloist), he also featured in masterclasses with Ian Bousfield (internationally acclaimed trombone teacher & soloist / LSO and Vienna Philharmonic), Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic) and Dave Taylor (NY Recording Artist), Doug Yeo & Ron Barron (Boston Symphony), Roger Bobo (International Tuba Soloist) and the world famous Canadian Brass. Upon leaving the RNCM Garrath has led a busy and diverse musical life performing with many different ensembles. He has worked with the Hallé Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Swan, Hallé Brass 10tet, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Andy Prior Big Band, Underdog Ensemble, Remix Ensemble (Portugal), Holland America Cruise Line Big Band, The Royal Variety Performance Orchestra in 2005 (Cardiff), 2007 (Liverpool) & 2009 (Blackpool), Dame Shirley Bassey's Orchestra, the British Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble11, Sinfonia Cymru, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, Bluejuice Big Band, Georgina Bromlow Big Band, the Nelson Riddle Tribute Orchestra, and the Equale Trombone Quartet. Pro Theatre Orchestra Productions include - Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and 42nd Street as well as performing in the BBC Voice of Music Theatre Orchestra. Closer to home Garrath taught brass instruments for local education authorities in Bradford, Leeds and Calderdale, and has previously been a guest trombone tutor at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, in Manchester. Garrath has also previously worked as a guest brass tutor for MeninVonk music in Dublin, Ireland and has had the pleasure of coaching chamber ensembles and brass sections throughout the UK, Europe and further afield. In 2010 Garrath was awarded the PGCE music teaching qualification by the University of Huddersfield and has worked in music education as the Head of Music at Ecclesfield school in Sheffield, before accepting his current role as the Head of Music at Saddleworth School in 2014 - a position he still enjoys immensely. In 2016 Garrath was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award by One Community UK at the annual Oldham Education awards for presenting outstanding musical opportunities for the young musicians of Saddleworth School - building, nurturing and strengthening relationships with numerous professional ensembles, musicians and arts organisations. Outside of the classroom Garrath is the bass trombonist of Flat Cap Brass a funky, poppy, drum n brass seven piece band from Yorkshire, he regularly performs with The World Famous Elvis Show and he is the bass trombonist of Sheffield's very own Brigantes Orchestra. Garrath is the low brass tutor for the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra - a position he takes great pride in and enjoys immensely. Passionate about the future of brass playing in the North of England (and beyond) Garrath is committed to delivering high quality brass tuition to his students building excellent technique, designing and developing practice programmes, setting / achieving musical goals and working on a variety of repertoire in preparation for examinations and conservatoire auditions. Garrath is very excited to be working with the talented young trombonists at Sheffield Music Academy and looks forward to the future as the brass department grows and strengthens.
Piano
Annabelle Lawson has established herself as a pianist and chamber musician who exudes subtlety and vivacity in equal measure. She has performed widely, in venues including the Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Kings Place, as well as broadcasting live for BBC Radio 3 and national Australian radio. She is a passionate advocate of both new and obscure repertoire, having commissioned and premiered a large number of works with the Lawson Trio and recently performing Stanford's little-known 2nd piano concerto, as well as chamber music by Rebecca Clarke, Louis Vierne, Ye Xiaogang and Paul Juon. Having performed recently as concerto soloist with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra in Germany, played trios in a French château, worked as a cabaret artist in the Far East, played 'Carnival of the Animals' with kangaroo impersonating dancers from Ballet Rambert and, last but not least, worn an Octopus Hat on stage for Wigmore Learning – her career is notable for its variety and versatility. Recent CD recordings include a disc of the Complete Solo Piano Works of Gordon Crosse (due for release in early 2023) and a disc of chamber music by the late David Golightly (due for release in December 2022). Annabelle enjoys a distinguished career as a music educator. She currently teaches at Sheffield University, where she is also a collaborative pianist working with singers and instrumentalists, as well as being a Main Panel Examiner for the ABRSM. She taught piano and chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music for 10 years, while living in London and, as the Artistic Director of Chamber Music 2000, she has organised and hosted numerous education workshops and inter-school showcase concerts, in venues including the Purcell Room, Menuhin Hall and Howard Assembly Rooms. Annabelle also ran a busy 2015/16 concert series for the West Essex branch of the hugely successful Bach to Baby enterprise and has participated in outreach projects for Music in the Round, Live Music Now!, CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust and Westminster's Go Sing!. Annabelle studied piano as a child at Chetham's School of Music, before reading music at King's College, University of Cambridge. After completing her BA she undertook a one-year BMus, for which she gained a Distinction, during which time she researched the social role of the Argentine tango in Paris in the years preceding World War One. She then pursued postgraduate tuition in chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music, who went on to award her piano trio a two-year Junior Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship. Annabelle's teachers have included her father, Peter Lawson, Ronan O'Hora and Philip Fowke. In 2015-16, Annabelle also completed a graduate diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy at the Minster Centre, London and she has a keen interest in student mental health and wellbeing. Annabelle lives in Sheffield, on the edge of the Peak District, with her husband and two small sons. In her spare time, she enjoys a daily Ashtanga yoga practice (virtuous!) and cake baking (not so virtuous!).
Musicianship, Theory and Aural
The conductor and researcher Christopher Gayford studied at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). He won joint first prize at the International Conducting Competition in Besançon, and second prize at the Cadaqués competition. He was subsequently offered engagements throughout Europe and the UK and spent a year working with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was appointed assistant conductor. In 1995, he was appointed conductor of the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra, with whom he has since given over 120 concerts across the U.K. and Europe, and from September 2018, he's joined the staff of Sheffield Music Academy. He has long been interested in tackling the problem of shrinking audiences, and in 1999, embarked on an audience development project called Feeling Sound. From 2000, he started working with two leading music psychologists, professors John Sloboda and Jane Ginsborg. They ran large-scale research projects at Trinity College of Music and the RNCM; Gayford became a visiting researcher at both institutions, was made an Honorary Research Fellow at Keele University and received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts, Kharkiv, in 2017. In 2008, Gayford and Ginsborg created an online laboratory, recruiting over 1,000 participants with the help of BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, and BBC Radio 3's 'Discovering Music.' In 2009, he delivered a lecture at the Royal Institution in London, reporting on the results of the online experiments. Since 2010, Gayford has broadened the scope of his work, looking for links between peak emotional experiences in both music and visual art. He's just finishing his first book on the subject, Genius.
We also have a dedicated team of external tutors who teach our pupils mid-week.
Violin
Young and bursting with vibrancy, Nazar is a passionate musician who values joy and confidence building within music. Nazar is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music where he studied under the tutelage of former Liverpool Philharmonic Concertmaster James Clark. Following this, Nazar spent an additional year studying between the RNCM and Manchester Metropolitan University, where he was awarded with a postgraduate certificate in education with specialist instrumental training. Throughout his musical journey, Nazar has had a wealth of opportunities to work with critically acclaimed musicians and conductors such as James Ehnes, Ning Feng, and Sir Mark Elder. He has also worked with comedian Sue Perkins for a musical chairs charity event with Orchestras for All. Nazar adores chamber music and being able to play with others; having received expert guidance from chamber musicians such as Donald Grant, Petr Prause and Jeremy Young. He has enjoyed playing in a variety of ensembles ranging from piano trios and string quartets to even playing alongside harp, flute, and clarinet. When not surrounding himself with music, Nazar has a keen interest in gastronomy, where he likes to discover, experiment with, and combine a variety of flavourful foods. Additionally, he also enjoys travelling and the exploration of new places; a particular favourite being Japan and experiencing its historic culture. Nazar currently enjoys a rewarding career consisting of secondary and instrumental teaching as well as various types of freelance work.
Violin and Viola
Jenny grew up in Birmingham and started learning the Violin at the age of six. At thirteen she transferred to the Viola after the school's only Viola player left, and it turned out to be the best decision she made. Jenny worked her way through the Birmingham Schools Orchestras and the CBSO Youth Orchestra, studying the viola under the CBSO's Liz Fryer. Jenny chose to study music at Sheffield University. There she studied performance with Robin Ireland for three years, and focussed her academic studies on Music Education, conducting research on the role of ensemble playing has in the development of beginner musicians. She also performed with working string quartets and orchestras as a student and beyond graduation. After graduating she continued to focus on teaching. She has worked in early years, music outreach in disadvantaged areas, including prison outreach with the Leeds Piano Competition, and as a private tutor of both young and grown learners. In her role at Sheffield Music Academy, Jenny teaches the Violin and Viola as well as helping students navigate the world of music theory and helping them engage with listening to music in different ways. Outside of the musical world Jenny was a long-serving Brownie and Guide leader in Sheffield, is an avid knitter and handicrafter, and enjoys spending time with her husband Ian and their two children.
Cello
Richard Jenkinson started to play the cello at the age of 5 studying with Florence Hooton, Raphael Wallfisch and William Pleeth. In 1994 he won the Guildhall School's coveted Gold Medal and a prize at Vittorio Gui competition in Florence. He has made several recordings the latest of which (British 'cello & piano sonatas with Benjamin Frith) was released in May 2015 on the EM label. He is currently a Bramall scholar at the University of Birmingham where he is a final year Ph.D studying the music of Zoltan Kodaly. In 1995 Richard was appointed principal 'cello with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and in 1998 joined the CBSO as principal 'cello. Since 2012 he has been the cellist of the Dante String Quartet. He has made several recordings with the quartet including Kodaly String quartets for Hyperion Records and began a project to record the Stanford String Quartets in December 2015 for Somm Records. Concerts with the Dante Quartet this season have included the Wigmore Hall and a series of Beethoven concerts at Kings Place in London. Future highlights include a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast from Belfast, tours to France and Japan and several complete Beethoven String Quartet cycles in the Autumn of 2016. Richard is becoming increasingly in demand as a conductor and is Artistic Director of the Innovation Chamber Ensemble. He has led the ensemble in many performances and recorded three discs for Somm Records. He is Musical Director of the Orchestra of St John (Bromsgrove) and the British Police Symphony Orchestra. Highlights for the current season include Verdi Requiem and a further instalment in the OSJ's cycle of Beethoven Symphonies. Richard conducted the BPSO in a performance at Worcester Cathedral (April 2016 including a premiere of a new work by Ian Venables) and will conduct this orchestra at Beacon Park, Gloucester Cathedral (October 2016 including Elgar's Second Symphony) and Symphony Hall, Birmingham (December 2016).
Cello
Clara Hope Simpson is a cellist based in Sheffield with a passion for performance and music education. Full biography coming soon.
Double Bass
Saulo Martins, born in Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil, started learning double bass at 12 years old at the Grupo Pão de Açúcar Institute (IGPA) in Osasco, guided by Renata Jaffé. At 14, he joined the IGPA Orchestra and went on tours to Argentina, the United States, and France. He received instruction from Eriko Mestrinari in 2015 and had private lessons with Rafael Rodrigues in 2016 and 2017. Sergio de Oliveira was his teacher for 2018 and 2019. In November 2017, at 17, Saulo got a scholarship with the renowned São Paulo State Youth Orchestra, working with conductor Cláudio Cruz and other soloists and guest conductors. He won the orchestra's Young Soloists contest in June 2018, granting him the opportunity to play Kossevitsky's Double Bass Concerto in F# with the Orchestra at Sala São Paulo, one of São Paulo's most important venues for musical performance. He became the leader of the orchestra's double bass section in September of the same year, also receiving the Ernani de Almeida Machado award in December. In the summer of 2019, following a triumphant audition, Saulo received an invitation to join the highly regarded orchestra course Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra in northern Germany. During this enriching experience, he had the privilege of performing under the batons of esteemed conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Manfred Honeck, Ton Koopman, and Michael Sanderling. Additionally, Saulo collaborated with outstanding soloists including Kian Soltani and Emily D'Angelo and had the distinct honor of performing at the renowned Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. He continued his studies with São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP)'s principal bass player Pedro Gadelha in 2020 and received the Ernani de Almeida Machado award again. With this award, Saulo received financial help that allowed him to pursue his dream of studying abroad. In 2022, he was again invited to participate in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival where he worked with conductors Omer Meir Wellber, Krzysztof Urbanski, Ludwig Wicki, and Christoph Eschenbach and soloists Sean Shibe, Veronika Eberle, and Steven Isserlis. Shortly after finishing the festival, Saulo moved to Manchester to start his undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music with Jiří Hudec. His arrival in the UK was followed by one more successful audition. This time, the Black Lives in Music Recruiting Classical initiative, which allowed him to be part of the extra players list of four professional British orchestras, RPO, RLPO, RNS, and BSO. In Manchester, Saulo is one of the members of the Bassically Double Bass Quartet. All of the members came from Brazil to study at the RNCM at different times. The group has performed both at RNCM's concert hall and at Bridgewater Hall's Foyer.
Violin
Josh is a highly accomplished violinist and educator, dedicated to both performance and pedagogy. He completed his Bachelor of Music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he studied with Ulla Benz, Suzanne Stanzeleit, and Zoe Beyers. He subsequently pursued a Master of Music in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music under the guidance of Yair Kless, Jim Clark, and Callum Smart, graduating with Distinction for his final recital. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Josh has received coaching from members of distinguished ensembles including the Fine Arts Quartet, the Maggini Quartet, the Endellion Quartet, the Lindsay Quartet, and the Heath Quartet. His further studies have included lessons with renowned musicians such as Remus Azoitei, Tasmin Little, and Annette Isserlis. Alongside his performing career, Josh is deeply committed to teaching. He has extensive experience as a violin teacher and orchestral tutor, including a previous role with the Birmingham Music Service. From 2022 to 2023, he served as an Instrumental Ambassador for the Nicola Benedetti Foundation. He has also observed the teaching of Dr Robin Wilson at the Yehudi Menuhin School, further informing his pedagogical approach. His students consistently achieve strong results in examinations, as well as success in scholarship and chorister auditions. As a performer, Josh has appeared at leading venues across the UK and Europe, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Bridgewater Hall, and Symphony Hall. He regularly collaborates with ensembles such as The Brigantes, The Piccadilly Sinfonietta, The International Film Orchestra, and the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra. In addition to live performance, he has contributed to film recordings featured on major streaming platforms including Netflix and Amazon Prime. Josh performs on a violin by Vincenzo Sannino, loaned to him by a generous supporter
Clarinet
Emily graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Distinction in 2016. During her studies Emily won the RNCM Gilbert-Fell prize for contemporary solo performance, a music at Beaulieu award and third prize in the Virovitica international clarinet competition. She has played principal clarinet for contemporary music group Divertimento Ensemble in Milan, and also in a contemporary Britten-Pears ensemble led by Jessica Cottis, creating new music with young composers for the 2020 Aldeburgh Festival. Solo performances include Weber's 1st clarinet concerto with the Loughborough Symphony Orchestra, Copland's Clarinet Concerto in Huddersfield Town Hall and the world premiere of Fisher's Bass Clarinet Concerto. Emily also does extras work for multiple UK orchestras such as the Ulster Orchestra, the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Opera North and the CBSO; this has included a recent Grammy nominated recording on Deutsche Grammophon playing bass clarinet for the CBSO under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla in Weinberg's Symphony No. 21. As well as performing, Emily has a love of teaching the clarinet: as well as spending her Saturdays at SMA, she also teaches at Manchester Grammar School, and is a chamber music coach for the National Youth Concert Band.
Recorder
Juliana is a professional recorder player and teacher based in Sheffield. She has performed for TV soundtracks, theatre, opera and radio including for the BBC, Disney+ (Renegade Nell), The Royal Shakespeare Company, Manchester Collective and Northern Silents. Juliana completed her undergraduate degree in Music Performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and studied recorders with teachers Annabel Knight and Chris Orton. It was there that she developed her love of using the recorder as a contemporary instrument. She co-directs Emergence Collective, an improvised minimalist ensemble, featuring a revolving line-up of around 30 musicians. They regularly perform and have sold out venues around the UK. Juliana also plays for Northern Silents, performing improvised film scores around the North of England, and performs as a soloist, exploring the recorder with live electronics, extended techniques and the relationship between the recorder and the voice. As well as performing, Juliana is also an experienced teacher and workshop leader, and achieved Distinction in her master's degree in Music Psychology from the University of Sheffield.
Clarinet and Saxophone
Bethany studied clarinet with Nicholas Cox, Chris Swann and Raphael Schenkel at the Royal Northern College of Music where she graduated with Distinction. From there she became a NEXT Musician with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, performing in concerts at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Symphony Hall, the CBSO centre. The scheme included composition workshops with Emily Howard and Michael Zev Gordon, leading to Bethany giving the concert premiere of Zev Gordon’s Three Short Pieces for Clarinet in April 2022. Bethany performs regularly on both clarinets and saxophones in a variety of settings. As an orchestral musician Bethany has performed with, amongst others, the Hallé, NEW Sinfonia, London Concert Orchestra, Manchester Concert Orchestra, Brigantes, and Northern Film Orchestra. She also enjoys musical theatre work, playing on the acclaimed run of Oliver! at Leeds Playhouse and Spend, Spend, Spend! at Manchester Royal Exchange. Bethany is a keen chamber musician, having performed Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps at the Edinburgh Festival and Nielsen’s Wind Quintet at Buxton International Festival. In summer 2025 she performed as a chamber musician at the Walton Foundation in Ischia, Italy. Bethany is the clarinettist and one of the founding members of wind quintet Northerly Winds. As a soloist, Bethany has recently played the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Leeds Haydn Players conducted by Melvin Tay, and Weber Clarinet Concerto in F Minor with Hive Sinfonia conducted by Benjamin Draper. Bethany enjoys teaching and is a Chamber tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, where she leads the clarinet choir, tutors wind chamber music, and often takes sectional rehearsals. She has been a clarinet tutor for the summer schools at both Wells Cathedral School and Chetham’s School of Music, and a woodwind tutor for City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra. Bethany teaches clarinet and saxophone at Sale Grammar School and Sheffield Music Academy.
Piano
Helen joined the Sheffield Music Academy in 2022. Born at the Sheffield University Music Faculty (formerly Jessop's Maternity Hospital!), she holds a First-Class degree from the University of Cambridge where she studied MML (MA) and European Literature (MPhil), before completing an MMus in Piano at Trinity College of Music in London. Helen's playing is noted as much for its passion as for its sensitivity and cultural authenticity. It has been praised by critics as 'so beautiful' (BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour), and 'satisfyingly understated' (Music & Vision). She was described by Telecinco as 'a magnificent musician'. Helen has performed internationally as well as live on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and across the UK's major venues, including the Purcell Room, Milton Court Concert Hall, St John's Smith Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James's Piccadilly and The National Gallery. With a passion for chamber music and vocal accompaniment, Helen has collaborated with many illustrious names, including Dominic Miller, Lizzie Ball, Luis Gomes, Ian Anderson, Vanessa Lucas-Smith, Omar Puente, Coro Cervantes, Clara Rodríguez and Nina Corti, and she has also shared a platform with Morgan Szymanski, Fábio Zanon and Marcelo Bratke. Helen is a specialist practitioner of Ibero-American repertoire and a committed advocate for cultural diversity in classical music. She has premiered many works by Latin American composers in the UK, including Villa-Lobos and Guastavino, and has also commissioned new works by pre-eminent Latin American composers such as Lorenz and González-Medina. Helen's recent projects include the recording of her debut album TangOpera (due for release later in 2023), which explores the lyric routes of the tango; and a programme with Spanish soprano, Lorena Paz Nieto, bringing to light the secret works of Luso-Hispanic women composers, titled Mujeres: ¡Presentes! Helen also works in event production, promotion and programming as Artistic Director of ILAMS and Echoes Festival. She is currently co-curating a special 2023 Latin American edition of the Leeds Opera Festival.
Piano
Tom studied music at the University of Sheffield and stayed on for a PhD in composition, supervised by George Nicholson and graduating in 2012. He is now settled in Sheffield working as a pianist, conductor, composer, tutor and writer. As a conductor/director Tom has a close association with STOS Theatre Company, and was musical director for their productions of Gypsy (2018), Shrek (2019), Elf (2021) and Sunshine on Leith (2022) at the Lyceum. He was also M.D. for the first ever amateur performance of Flowers For Mrs Harris by Southey Musical Theatre Company, and the first ever performance of the teen edition of Everybody's Talking About Jamie with Notre Dame High School, Sheffield. Away from musical theatre, Tom conducts the Aurora A Capella Chorus in Chesterfield. Tom is a founder member of the collective Platform 4: Contemporary Composers, which has led to performances of his work by artists such as Ensemble 360, Opera on Location, and world-renowned pianist Philip Thomas. Elsewhere, his work has been featured at the London New Winds Festival, and by Sounds of The Engine House. He worked on the completion of Bernstein's unfinished ballet Conch Town, which finally received its full premiere at the BBC Proms in 2018. He is currently chairman of the Northern Composers Network. Tom has worked as an accompanist or repetiteur for Leeds Conservatoire, Mount St Mary's College, the Worksop Festival of Music and Drama, and previously for many years at Bailey-Cox Dance Academy here in Sheffield. He also does a huge amount of playing that hardly anybody gets to see, having accompanied over 1,000 exams and auditions. As a writer, Tom has contributed programme notes for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as local groups such as Hallam Sinfonia.
Piano
Valentina was born in Ukraine. She studied music at the Kiev specialist music school, and in the State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Kiev. Valentina has studied with Prof. Irog Ryabov and Prof. Valery Kozlov (head of jury of Horowitz Debut piano competition). She graduated from Kiev Conservatoire in 1979 with MA(Hon) as a concert pianist and piano tutor. Valentina began her career as concertmaster and later as a piano tutor at Kiev Glier Music College (currently the Music Institute), home of the Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition. She was also Head of piano practice at the College Piano Department, and she lectured the history of piano performance styles. She is an inspirational and dedicated teacher. Her students have been selected, taken part in, and received prizes in a number of regional and international piano competitions, such as; the International Horowitz Piano Competition, "Concertino Prague" Junior Radio Competition, Athens' Piano Festival and the M. Lysenko International Piano Competition in Kiev, Ukraine. She was a member of the Association of Piano Teachers of Ukraine (Ukrainian branch of EPTA) and the Kiev Piano Methodical Board. She has also acted as a judge for several piano competitions. In 1996 Valentina was invited to teach piano at the Music Institute in Kwangu, South Korea. Valentina has given many piano recitals in Ukraine, South Korea, and Italy, as well as here in Sheffield. Since moving to Sheffield she has provided piano master classes at the Lindsays and Friends Series and Sheffield Piano Club. She currently teaches piano at the University of Sheffield, Music Department to undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students, as well as at Sheffield Music Academy. In recent years Valentina's students gained high recognition, i.e. Victor Hsu won piano competition in Taiwan in 2012, Peter Marshall Russel won the final year recital prize of Sheffield University Music Department in 2014, Jonathan Cornish got Sir Thomas Beecham music scholarship for MA study at the University of Sheffield in 2015, Philip Jack won Julian Payne Prize and the Bryony Hollands Music Performance Award in 2019, in the same year SMA student David Ning performed Grieg piano concerto at Sheffield City Hall.
Piano
Victoria Proudler graduated with honours in music, specialising in piano performance, from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1997. She went on to perform as a soloist, including a solo piano recital for BBC radio, as well as performing as a piano accompanist and in ensembles. Victoria has experience in adjudicating piano competitions including the Epta Piano Competition in 2024 and 2025. Victoria is an ABRSM Music Examiner, examining all instruments at grades 1-8 and ARSM Diploma. She has worked as a music examiner for over twenty years, previously examining for Trinity College London where she was also Keyboard Advisor and Syllabus Consultant, presenting at conferences and training examiners. Victoria holds a PGCE in music teaching and has 30 years' experience in highly dedicated piano teaching. Her students achieve outstanding results in examinations and have performed at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, often going on to study music at conservatoires and other higher education establishments. As an educational composer, Victoria is the author of "Piano Grades are Go!" book series, published by EVC Music. The series won the prestigious Presto Music Classical Award for "Best Sheet Music of 2024". Several of Victoria's piano compositions feature on current exam board syllabuses.
Piano
Rachel studied with scholarships to Pembroke College, Oxford and the Royal Northern College of Music, where she was a Junior Fellow in Accompaniment and won many prizes for her collaborative work. Following her performance as a Leeds Lieder Young Artist 2018, Rachel was awarded the Hester Dickson Prize to study at Oxenfoord International Summer School with Malcolm Martineau. Following graduation, Rachel pursued some private study with Julius Drake. Rachel performs regularly across the UK and has been featured on BBC Radio 3. She has a particular interest in song and choral music. Rachel works for the RNCM School of Vocal Studies and Opera and the University of York as a collaborative pianist and teaches at Yorkshire Young Musicians, Sheffield Music Academy and on the Rodolfus Choral Courses. She is also passionate about musical outreach, and works regularly for Leeds Lieder Festival, Live Music Now and SoundUp Arts to bring music to the community. She is the accompanist for Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus and Congleton Choral Society. In 2023, Rachel was a prizewinner in the Stella Jockel Memorial Prize for choral composition. Recent work has included repetiteur work for an AHRC project on Julia Perry, a French song project with Jackdaws Music Education Trust, a children’s opera with Clonter Opera Theatre and concerts at Oxford Lieder Festival and Leeds Lieder Festival. Full biography coming soon.
Piano
Hyuk Namkoong is a South Korean classical pianist currently based in Sheffield. He has a wide range of performing and teaching experiences. He completed his Masters of Music in Piano Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2017) and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music (2015). He is an active performer who regularly performs in places such as Beverley Minster, St Michael's Church in Macclesfield, the Sheffield Cathedral, Cafe#9 in Sheffield, and so on. He is also the conductor for the University of Sheffield Concert Orchestra. Hyuk was previously under the tutelage of Petras Geniusas during his time in the RCS and won the first prize in the New Stars Piano Competition in Glasgow in 2015. He has also received the following testimonial from Herald Scotland: "Power-driven Korean Hyuk Namkoong was first off with Nikolai Kapustin's Sonata-Fantasia, which began its journey out east but wandered into Hollywood, Tin Pan Alley and 52nd Street, picking up widescreen and jazz influences wherever it walked. Hyuk gave it a knockout performance. I don't know if he got the jokes, but this listener, corpsing quietly in the back row, was dazzled." - Michael Tumelty (Classical music writer), Herald Scotland, 29th February 2016. At a young age, Hyuk achieved the following: 1. First prize in the Young Musician of the Gulf, alongside with the Best Pianist Award and Most Promising Bahrain-Based Musician Award (2010) 2. Third prize in the First International Chopin Competition in Kuwait (2010) 3. Received an invitation to participate in the Second Aegaeon Art International Festival in Greece and was also invited to perform in a Winners Concert in the Crescendo Summer Institute in Hungary (2014) Hyuk is passionate about music performances and sharing his knowledge with the next generation. He also has experience working with neurodivergent young people (ASD, speech developmental delay, etc) and is always ready to explore different ways to help students enjoy music in their own way.
Piano
As member of the exciting and esteemed Frith Rolfe Piano Duo, Heidi performs two piano repertoire and four hand works in recitals throughout the UK and abroad with her husband, Steinway Artist Benjamin Frith. The Frith Rolfe Duo received the honour of invitation to give a complete Piano Duo Day at Wigmore Hall and have appeared at many of the UK’s leading Festivals and venues. Much in demand their performances are renown for their synchronicity, insight, intensity and sheer impact of spontaneity. Double Piano Concerto performances and collaboration with CBSO Players have run alongside Heidi’s solo performances and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. As an advocate of contemporary music, Heidi performed and tutored works by György Kurtág at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival where she also gave the World Premiere of Tarot Conway’s Premiere Piano Concerto. Later this year brings the release of ‘Trinitas’, an album of solo and four hand works by Martin Ellerby. Future recording projects include works for two pianos and the latter part of the year sees a recording and recital of works by Delius; being sponsored by the Delius Society to promote the works of this British composer. Taking musical guidance from the late Dame Fanny Waterman and having the privilege to work with the legendary and inspirational Andre Gavrilov, Heidi continues to develop her musical insights and enjoys sharing her knowledge. Invited as a Faculty member at Chetham’s International Piano Summer School this year Heidi is also a Main Panel Examiner for the ABRSM. In formative years Heidi spent time spent riding racehorses in the UK and Italy. Returning to her musical studies and completing an MA in Piano Performance with Sally Ann McLeod, Heidi was singled out for many concerto performances and was awarded the gift of a Grand Piano. Heidi is a published composer (Stainer and Bell).
Musicianship and Composition
Tom studied music at the University of Sheffield and stayed on for a PhD in composition, supervised by George Nicholson and graduating in 2012. He is now settled in Sheffield working as a pianist, conductor, composer, tutor and writer. As a conductor/director Tom has a close association with STOS Theatre Company, and was musical director for their productions of Gypsy (2018), Shrek (2019), Elf (2021) and Sunshine on Leith (2022) at the Lyceum. He was also M.D. for the first ever amateur performance of Flowers For Mrs Harris by Southey Musical Theatre Company, and the first ever performance of the teen edition of Everybody's Talking About Jamie with Notre Dame High School, Sheffield. Away from musical theatre, Tom conducts the Aurora A Capella Chorus in Chesterfield. Tom is a founder member of the collective Platform 4: Contemporary Composers, which has led to performances of his work by artists such as Ensemble 360, Opera on Location, and world-renowned pianist Philip Thomas. Elsewhere, his work has been featured at the London New Winds Festival, and by Sounds of The Engine House. He worked on the completion of Bernstein's unfinished ballet Conch Town, which finally received its full premiere at the BBC Proms in 2018. He is currently chairman of the Northern Composers Network. Tom has worked as an accompanist or repetiteur for Leeds Conservatoire, Mount St Mary's College, the Worksop Festival of Music and Drama, and previously for many years at Bailey-Cox Dance Academy here in Sheffield. He also does a huge amount of playing that hardly anybody gets to see, having accompanied over 1,000 exams and auditions. As a writer, Tom has contributed programme notes for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as local groups such as Hallam Sinfonia.
Musicianship and Composition
Aural and Chamber Music
After graduating from the University of Sheffield with an honours degree in 2012, Charlie has been working hard to build her musical career here in her adopted city. An enthusiastic teacher of all ages, and a specialist with beginners, Charlie has been working in schools for over five years both as an individual cello teacher, but also leading classroom music lessons and taking specialist assemblies. She currently works for Derbyshire Music Partnership, working across many primary schools in Chesterfield teaching individuals and groups, and is very excited to be joining the team at the Music Academy this year. Before heading to Sheffield to read music at University, Charlie studied at the Royal College of Music Junior Department for three years with Christine Livingstone. During her university studies, Charlie started to build her reputation here in Sheffield and now works freelance for professional groups and recording companies, professional orchestras and other ensembles. Charlie's favourite musical pastime is playing for any sized ensemble and she can often be found in rehearsals or concerts for many of the orchestras based in Sheffield. She also plays regularly for the contemporary composer's collective, Platform 4. As well as music, she is also keen to start a career in voice-acting and narration and has a serious passion for cooking (and eating).
Musicianship
Jenny grew up in Birmingham and started learning the Violin at the age of six. At thirteen she transferred to the Viola after the school's only Viola player left, and it turned out to be the best decision she made. Jenny worked her way through the Birmingham Schools Orchestras and the CBSO Youth Orchestra, studying the viola under the CBSO's Liz Fryer. Jenny chose to study music at Sheffield University. There she studied performance with Robin Ireland for three years, and focussed her academic studies on Music Education, conducting research on the role of ensemble playing has in the development of beginner musicians. She also performed with working string quartets and orchestras as a student and beyond graduation. After graduating she continued to focus on teaching. She has worked in early years, music outreach in disadvantaged areas, including prison outreach with the Leeds Piano Competition, and as a private tutor of both young and grown learners. In her role at Sheffield Music Academy, Jenny teaches the Violin and Viola as well as helping students navigate the world of music theory and helping them engage with listening to music in different ways. Outside of the musical world Jenny was a long-serving Brownie and Guide leader in Sheffield, is an avid knitter and handicrafter, and enjoys spending time with her husband Ian and their two children.