Andrew has enjoyed a successful twenty-year career in music education, latterly as Director of Music at St. Paul’s Cathedral School, London. In 2022 he was appointed to the shared role of Chief Examiner for ABRSM, which he undertakes alongside a varied freelance career encompassing performing, adjudicating, presenting and consultancy.

As an engaging and experienced provider of INSET and workshops, he has presented to conferences in the UK, Spain, Malaysia and Thailand. His adjudicating work has taken him to many of the UK’s leading schools and BIFF festivals.

Andrew won the Organ Scholarship to The University of Hull, held in conjunction with the post of Assistant Organist at Beverley Minster, before undertaking performance studies in organ with Margaret Phillips and Gordon Stewart at the RNCM.

In addition to directing and playing on BBC broadcasts, he has performed as both soloist and accompanist in major venues across the UK, including the cathedrals at Bradford, Carlisle, Chichester, Ely, Lincoln, St Asaph’s, St Paul’s London, Ripon and Rochester.

Photo by Andrew Mason

Toby Carr is a lutenist and guitarist who is known as an innovative and versatile artist, working with some of the finest musicians in the business.  He studied guitar at Trinity Laban with Graham Devine, where he was also introduced to the lute by David Miller.  Postgraduate studies followed at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, with Robert Brightmore, David Miller and William Carter.

Toby is in demand as a soloist, accompanist, continuo player and chamber musician, performing with most of the principal period instrument groups in the UK as well as modern orchestras and opera companies.  These include the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Concert and Dunedin Consort, as well as orchestras and opera companies such as the Royal Ballet, London Philharmonic Orchestra and English Touring Opera.

A specialism in song accompaniment has led to collaborations with singers such as Emma Kirkby, Nicholas Mulroy, and Alexander Chance.  2022 saw the release of ‘Battle Cry: She Speaks’ with the mezzo Helen Charlston, to universally positive reviews, with the Guardian describing his playing as ‘sensuous and vivid.’

Toby is a professor at the Guildhall school of Music & Drama, where he specialises in guitar chamber music.  Creative collaboration is at the heart of everything that he does, and he is delighted to share this passion with the next generation of musicians.

Andrew is a virtuoso recorder player and has been a finalist in major competitions and performed at prestigious venues across the UK including St.John’s Smith Square and the Barbican.Festival appearances include the Brighton,Birmingham and Cheltenham International Festivals.He studied with Paul Clark in Birmingham and Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music before further studies with Eve O’Kelly. His critically acclaimed CDs “Exposure” and “Fusion” combine a wide range of musical styles and premiere recordings. Andrew has commissioned new works from British composers for his Early music group The Stanesby Players and has appeared as part of contemporary music series. Performances abroad include Malaysia and Australia. As an examiner for Trinity and an adjudicator he has worked in the UK and worldwide.He is in demand as a tutor on a variety of courses and has taught in primary,secondary and adult education.He conducts the Exeter Recorder Orchestra and coaches ensembles around the UK.Online recitals and workshops are now part of his portfolio.He was been active in promoting and supporting younger recorder players through his charity work and competition organisation.  www.andrewcollismusician.com

Mark Witter NW10

NATHAN WILLIAMSON performs at the world’s leading venues and festivals as soloist and chamber musician, composes new work for a wide variety of artists at home and abroad, and directs projects on a local and national level.

Recent highlights include 100 Years of British Song, a three-CD project for SOMM Recordings with tenor James Gilchrist, the complete Beethoven Concertos with the Prometheus Orchestra, recording Sonatas and Nocturnes by Malcolm Lipkin for Lyrita, the premiere of Christopher Brown’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, and international tours with the renowned new music ensemble Piano Circus. During the pandemic Nathan gave online recitals for City Music Live and streamed regular live music into schools and care homes.

Nathan’s own compositions include the piano quartet Crystal, premiered in October 2021 by the Rossetti Ensemble, a major Sonata for cello and piano premiered in 2018 by Charles Watt, as well as new songs for James Gilchrist. Other recent commissions have come from the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Endymion, NOW Ensemble, Bury St. Edmund’s Cathedral and Pushkin House.

Nathan’s first CD for SOMM, Great American Sonatas (2017), was hailed by Musical Opinion as ‘a landmark in recordings of American piano music’ and Colour and Light (2019), of British 20th century piano repertoire, was chosen as Album of the Month in International Piano Quarterly. His recording debut, Brahms and Schubert: Late Piano Works, was reviewed by Donald Sturrock as ‘a truly electrifying debut from a musician with a rare marriage of thoughtfulness and passion’.

Ruth Faber studied the harp at the Royal College of Music with Marisa Robles. Since then she has worked with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras, along with the English Chamber Orchestra and London Mozart Players. Regional orchestral work has included Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh Opera and Birmingham Royal Ballet, a post she held before moving to the West Country.

Ruth’s busy solo schedule has featured recitals all over the UK and abroad, notably concerts at the Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. She has played concerti with the English Chamber Orchestra and Bournemouth Sinfonietta. Performances for television have seen her appear for BBC 1 and BBC 2 and also on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4.

Teaching is an important part of Ruth’s life and she currently teaches at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Wells Cathedral School, Junior Guildhall, Bristol and Bournemouth Universities. Ruth also holds her own residential childrens’ harp courses each summer.

On a lighter note, Ruth has travelled the world playing for British Airways Promotions.

Harriet Adie is a highly respected teacher who, in addition to maintaining a busy private studio, coaches the LRAM course at the Royal Academy of Music and has taught at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Harriet enjoys working with students at the highest level, and in recent years has been invited to give classes at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Purcell School. She is passionate about education and outreach work, having performed for several years with the charities Music in Hospitals and Vital Arts, and concert series Classical Babies and Bach to Baby.

An accomplished chamber musician, Harriet has performed with renowned ‘cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber, and was for many years, a member of the Swan Duo with ‘cellist Jessica Burroughs. Together they reached the String Finals of the Royal Over-Seas League competition, were Recommended Artists for Making Music, and performed many recitals under the auspices of the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme.  Harriet is a founding member of the internationally recognised ensemble 4 Girls 4 Harps, whose music has been broadcast on Classic FM, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4.

Harriet is also the author of several educational publications including the popular series, The A-G of Sight Reading for Harp. Her compositions and arrangements have been performed across the globe, and by many student ensembles such as the National Youth Harp Orchestra of Great Britain and the American Youth Harp Ensemble.

Chamber music has been at the core of Sophie’s fascination with music since she was a child and it will always be an integral piece in her life. As a teenager Sophie lead the Mimosa Quartet, later the Cavell Quartet, and now the Holywell Quartet, and has been the violinist in the internationally renowned Barbican Piano Trio since 2009. Sophie leads a busy freelance career working with orchestras including the London Chamber Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra, and invited Guest Principal Second for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Sophie is the leader of Albert’s Orchestra, the Royal Albert Hall’s in house orchestra, and their educational ensemble, Albert’s Band. A passionate teacher of her craft, Sophie teaches the violin and chamber music privately and also at both the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and Eton College. In 2017 Sophie was awarded the accolade of Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Helen Neilson is a committed music educator, regularly teaching cello and double bass across an eclectic range of environments. She is Head of Strings at Latymer Upper School, teaches at St Paul’s Girls’ School, and on the whole class strings programme at the Aldgate School, and she runs a thriving home studio and supporting group programme in SW London, called “Our Cello Community”. Fully trained as a Suzuki teacher, she is qualified to the top level, including extensive international study with teacher trainers in Spain, France and the USA. She specialises in large group teaching and in designing and delivering large scale events for young string players.

Helen was a principal syllabus consultant for the current Trinity Strings syllabus, and has lectured at the University of Cambridge. She mentors and trains teachers for the Music Masters programme, which puts string teachers into state primary schools across London, including mentoring on their iPGCE course. She writes regularly and has articles published in magazines including ‘Music Teacher’ and the ESTA magazine. Formerly Director of “Cello Club”, the Junior Division of the London Cello Society, she now regularly teaches on their events for students, including the popular “Cello Day”. She has taught cello and double bass at courses and events including LSG International Summer School, CelloFest, Pro Corda and South London Youth Orchestra.

Helen regularly performs on double bass with orchestras in and around London, including being regular principal bass for St Paul’s Sinfonia. She has toured further afield, including to China and India. Helen studied double bass with Cathy Elliott and Jurek Dybal, co-principal of the Vienna Philharmonic. She came to the bass later in life after first training as a cellist, including studies with Anna Shuttleworth, Melissa Phelps and Naomi Butterworth. She holds postgraduate performance degrees from the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music.

She likes packing up the car to travel with her instruments, and both have names. Her bass is called “Raband”, as he used to be in the Royal Artillery Band, and her cello is called “Phoenix”, as he was made just after a terrible fire in his maker’s workshop in 1784. When not with her instruments, she can often be found swimming outdoors in the lido or in the sea!