Adjudicators for Singing Classes 2026
Read about the adjudicators for our singing classes.
Melanie Sanders
Melanie Sanders is a singer, educator and arts administrator. She read Philosophy and English at Sussex University before training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and ENO: Opera Works, and continues her vocal studies with Neil Baker. She is Director of Operations at Music in Offices.
Alongside her professional performing career, Melanie has extensive singing teaching experience in primary and prep schools; she taught for five years at Eaton Square School until December 2025, and has also worked at the Harrodian School, Westbrook Hay School, and Belmont Primary School teaching one-to-one to young singers across a wide age range. Her work centres on developing healthy vocal technique, musical understanding, confidence
and enjoyment of performance in a supportive and age-appropriate way.
Melanie’s professional experience includes performances at major international venues such as Carnegie Hall, the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh Festival, Snape Maltings and Palau Musica Barcelona, and the KKL Luzern. She sings regularly with London Voices and the Hanover Band, has toured with the Monteverdi Choir, and sang with Philharmonia Voices for over 10 years. She has also been closely involved in creative projects for young audiences including Meet Me a Tree, a sensory opera for 0–2 year olds, RBO Family Sundays, and Create and
Sing! all performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
Melanie was previously Competitions Coordinator at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and brings to adjudicating a deep understanding of child development offering constructive, encouraging and musically informed feedback that supports young performers at every stage of their development.
Catherine Bott
Catherine studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, after which she spent two years singing everything from Bach to Berio with the Swingles before beginning a distinguished solo career specialising in baroque music. Among her many recordings are Bach’s St. John Passion and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. She has also premiered and recorded works by contemporary composers Craig Armstrong, Jonathan Dove and Michael Nyman. She is a Fellow of the Guildhall School and an Honorary Fellow and former Governor of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
For 10 years from 2003 Catherine combined singing with regular presenting for BBC Radio, scripting and introducing more than 300 editions of The Early Music Show on BBC Radio3 as well as hosting many live evening concerts and Proms. For BBC Radio4 she’s made documentaries on subjects ranging from St Cecilia to the life of a backing singer, as well as presenting numerous editions of Pick of the Week.
In 2013, Classic FM invited her to make the move to a more informal style of music broadcasting: over the next decade she presented Everything you ever wanted to know about classical music, The Full Works Concert and a live Sunday lunchtime show. New ways of sharing her love of music continue to evolve: since 2020 she has introduced livestreamed recitals from London’s Wigmore Hall and digital concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, viewed by many thousands worldwide.
Jane Roberson
Janet Mooney
Janet has worked in the theatre and music industry for many years. She has played roles in musical theatre and opera, performed as a concert soloist with international orchestras, and has toured the globe with major artists.
Musical Theatre includes The Phantom Of The Opera, Fisherman Friends, Titanic, Violet, Love Never Dies, The Braille Legacy, The Woman in White, Les Misérables.
Roles in operas include Susanna, Musetta, Zerlina, Despina, Carmen, and many roles in contemporary operas.
Janet has been the featured soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Philharmonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, RTE (Dublin), Metropole Orkestra (NL), Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, National Symphony Orchestra and English National Orchestra.
Other credits include many recording sessions for television, film soundtracks and musical theatre cast albums. She was the featured soloist on the British Airways’ Flower Duet campaign, Mariah Carey’s ‘opera’ voice in the film The Bachelor, recorded the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, and was the soloist on Rule Britannia for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Classical Spectacular series. Her album of musical theatre classics, Secret Love, was recorded for BMG Sony (NL).