SARAH ALEXANDER OBE

As Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the National Youth Orchestra, Sarah Alexander OBE has grown the institution from working with 164 young people to one that reaches 10,000 teenagers, opening access to young people from all backgrounds. It is now widely celebrated as the world’s greatest orchestra for teenagers. Sarah spent many years in Wales leading the education department at Welsh National Opera and has won prestigious awards from the Association of British Orchestras and the Royal Philharmonic Society among others. Sarah was made a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2022.

ERROLLYN WALLEN CBE

Errollyn Wallen CBE is a multi award-winning Belize-born British composer, and is amongst the world’s most performed living classical composers. Her prolific output includes over twenty operas and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber and vocal works, which are performed and broadcast worldwide. She has composed for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012, for the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, a specially commissioned song for COP 26, 2021, a re-imagining of Jerusalem for the Last Night of the Proms 2020 and a new work for BBC Proms 2023. BBC Radio 3 featured her music for Composer of the Week, and she has made several radio documentaries including Classical Commonwealth, nominated for the Prix Europa. Errollyn collaborated with artist Sonia Boyce on her installation, Feeling Her Way, for the British Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, which won the Golden Lion prize.

Her critically acclaimed opera, Dido’s Ghost, was premiered at the Barbican in 2021 and received its US première in San Francisco in November 2023. Recent premieres include a violin concerto, Dances for Orchestra for Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a song cycle for Dame Sarah Connolly. With Myleene Klass, she co-presented a three-part series, Musical Masterpieces, for SkyArts television broadcast from September 25th 2023. Her book, Becoming a Composer was published by Faber in November 2023 to critical acclaim and will be translated into Spanish.

to be announced

Adam Ockelford is a leading international authority on the impact of neurodiversity on musical development, and in developing teaching and learning strategies to suit exceptional abilities and needs. He has written over 20 books on music theory, psychology and education, and lectures all over the world. In addition to his research, Adam continues to work with around 20 children and young people are on the autism spectrum every week.

Working with Trinity College London, he has recently introduced a new nationally regulated fully inclusive music qualification: https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/music/awards-and-certificates-in-musical-development

His most celebrated student is Derek Paravicini, with whom Adam has worked for 40 years. Derek and Adam have a TED talk that has been translated into 26 languages: https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_paravicini_and_adam_ockelford_in_the_key_of_genius?language=en

Dr Charles MacDougall is an award-winning singer, choral director, vocal coach, and music education consultant with a career spanning solo vocal and choral performance, coaching, musical direction, music education, training, mentoring, strategy, and ambassadorial roles. As Choral Director at Voices Foundation, Charles has led on the development of the charity’s choral programme and pedagogy. In 2018 Charles was part of the team that received the Music and Drama Education Award for Excellence in Primary/Early Years for creation and delivery of the VF/DRET Singing Schools pilot programme and in 2020 he helped devise and deliver the daily VF Virtual Sing for children and teachers during lockdown. In 2021 he wrote the first volume of Inside Singing, a choral resource for primary school choir leaders, shortlisted for Outstanding Music Education Resource in the Music and Drama Education Awards 2023.

In addition to this work with Voices Foundation, he is a Chorus Director for Gabrieli ROAR and directs four choirs in London, among other roles. He is extremely active as a workshop leader, presenting sessions for the BBC Singers, UK Choir Festival, Association of British Choral Directors, LSO, and Stay at Home Choir. A passionate advocate for the importance of music and music education, he is an Ambassador for Britten-Pears Arts, a Trustee of IntoOpera, and a Director and Trustee of the Choral Foundation, Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace.

A Songwriter and Speaker, Keith Ayling is Professor in Songwriting at Leeds Conservatoire and a TEDx Speaker. He has written and released 14 albums over a 33 year career, including the biggest CCM album in the UK, and founded his own music education charity reaching over 20,000 young people in Eastern Europe with creative music lessons. In 2001, following 9/11, his song Heaven Help was playlisted by New York radio stations and remained there for nine months.

At Leeds Conservatoire he works with students on the fundamentals of songwriting, the building blocks of hits and hooks and how to develop your own individual artistic voice. He has spoken numerous times at the Music Education Expo as well as for the Prince’s Teaching Institute, Future FWD Conference and Music Mark Conference. His most recent work has been collaborating with Ellie Goulding’s Musical Director and Kaiser Chief’s bass player. He also sits on the IVORS Academy Boards for Songwriting and Music Education. Keith Ayling is chairing our Music Administrators’ Forum. www.keithayling.com @keithayling

David Bednall is recognized as one of the leading choral composers of his generation. He studied for a PhD in Composition with John Pickard at the University of Bristol and is signed to Oxford University Press. He is Choral Director of Clifton Cathedral, Musical Director of Bristol Bach Choir, Bristol Chamber Choir and Chew Valley Choral Society, alongside an extensive freelance career.

He has improvised on live radio, and performed extensively in the UK and abroad, including at Notre-Dame de Paris. He was stunt-organist on Dr Who. His compositions are widely performed, recorded, and broadcast on BBC Radio and Classic FM. More information can be found at www.davidbednall.com

Catherine Barker is the Head of Music and Performing Arts in United Learning, the largest national schools’ group. Alongside supporting teachers with training and group-wide curriculum, she also leads national performance events and the Singing Champions programme. Alongside her work in the trust she is a school LGB Chair, a member of the Sheffield Music Hub advisory board and will be President of the Music Teachers’ Association from May 2023. Prior to joining United Learning, Catherine led faculties in outstanding inner London schools, where she began her career in the inaugural Teach First cohort. Follow Catherine: @United_Music1

Dr Rebecca Berkley is an Associate Professor in Music Education at the University of Reading, and director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes. She teaches music education on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at Reading, specialising in classroom musicianship, choral education, and leadership. She is the founder of Universal Voices, a free, children’s community choir at the University. Universal Voices offers high quality choral education for children and opportunities for student conductors to learn to conduct by working with the choir. Rebecca also works with the British Kodály Academy and Sing for Pleasure as a musicianship tutor.

Edward Caswell is a versatile and internationally respected choral conductor, singer and teacher, with a reputation for approaching choral conducting from a singer’s perspective.  Since 2004 he has worked with professional choirs, amateur choirs and student choirs throughout Europe, particularly in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France.  In 2017 he published his first book, It’s always a Pussycat: a singer’s approach to choral conducting.

A regular chorus master with Collegium Vocale Gent, Edward has recently prepared them for Dvořák’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, all with Philippe Herreweghe. Since 2017 he has prepared Chœur de Radio France for projects with Mikko Franck, Václav Luks, and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and returns this season for Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem under Christian Măcelaru.  He has worked closely with Trevor Pinnock since 2016 on productions of major works in Leipzig, Amsterdam, Paris, London and Freiburg.

Last season Edward returned to Radio France for Weihnachts-Oratorium l – lll with Václav Luks and worked for the first time with Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, preparing them for Brahms’s Schicksalslied under Marzena Diakun and conducting his own a cappella programme of works by Schubert, Brahms, Distler, MacMillan and Pladevall. This season Edward works for the first time with NFM Choir in Wrocław and conducts four performances of Matthäus-Passion with Dudok Ensemble in The Netherlands.

In addition to conducting and chorusmastering Edward is also in demand as a teacher, adjudicator and jury member. He regularly examines choral conducting students at CNSMD Lyon and was delighted to accept the invitation to be a member of the artistic committee of Institut Français d’Art Choral.

Jane Booth spent 30 years as a clarinettist with orchestras across Europe and beyond. Following a career transition into Executive Coaching and Consultancy,  Jane now Heads Guildhall Ignite based at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Ignite’s flagship programme, Leaders on and off Stage, offers leadership and organisational development for orchestras and organisations in and beyond the performing arts.

Jenny has an established reputation for enthusing children and adults to sing and cultivate their musical skills as a freelance music education consultant and as Musicianship Director at the Voices Foundation. She enjoys working in partnership with other organisations, consultancy work with Multi Academy Trusts, writing and formulating resources and leading an exceptional team of practitioners delivering quality music training to class teachers and their children.

She is Associate Musical Director of the nationally renowned Scunthorpe Cooperative Junior Choir, focussing on partnerships with local schools and professional development for teachers. Jenny also enjoys leading ‘Big Sings’ around the country, creating resources, delivering Continual Professional Development and directing 400+ children working in partnership with local Music Hubs and other professional music organisations.

After being a classroom teacher for 17 years, Jenny believes that the development of every prospective primary teacher’s music subject knowledge in initial teacher training is essential to enable them to deliver a full enriched curriculum when they enter the profession, and she is currently working with Higher Education and S.K.I.T.T. providers to deliver this crucial work.

Jo Hensel – As a horn player, Jo has been a member of Academy of St Martin in the Fields since 1998.  She was appointed Deputy Head of Wind Brass and Percussion at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2011. With a parallel career as a coach and psychologist,  Jo became a Guildhall Ignite Associate in 2017 and Guildhall’s first Performance Confidence Associate in 2021.

Lewis Edney is Director of Music at Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School in Salisbury. Previously a freelance trombonist, he entered teaching and became Head of Department within two years when the opportunity arose at his school. Having been thrown in the deep end early in his career, he relied on a great deal of support from other music teachers, particularly those in the MTA, and a large amount of instinct, and trial & error. Lewis believes in the power of performance opportunities and collaboration between all and any musical group.

Liz Dunbar (creator and curator of huntschoolmusic.com and musicdepartmentresources.com

Liz is a specialist Music subject leader who has been working in state secondary schools in Bristol and York for over 30 years. She is experienced in leading and growing successful Music departments and understands how innovative practices lead to effective long-term change. She has an unwavering belief in providing high quality learning opportunities for all students regardless of their starting point or background.

Her approach to curriculum design has led to a number of collaborations with multi academy trusts, individual schools and most recently the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Liz is an MTA committee member and regular online co-host for the association’s ‘Music Teacher Mondays’ webinar. She writes for Music Teacher Magazine and the MTA magazine ‘Ensemble’. Her chapter in the book ‘Huh’ published by John Catt Educational, offers an insight into the thinking and processes that shape a meaningful Secondary Music curriculum.

Mark Richards is Senior Deputy Head at Queen Anne’s School in Caversham, Berkshire – an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18, and is responsible for the operational management of the school on a day to day basis. He also teaches A Level Music, where many of his pupils go onto university to read Music. He successfully completed an MMus in Theory and Analysis at King’s College, London, supervised by Arnold Whittall and Christopher Wintle; further research continued at Cardiff University. He has written several books and articles associated with A Level Music and organises conferences and symposiums for schools across the country: live and remote. He has extensive experience of examination work having been Deputy Chief Examiner for Music of the International Baccalaureate for a number of years. Analytical interests focus on Schenkerian theory, music of the Second Viennese School, contemporary American music and assessing the importance of musical literacy as pupils make the transition from school to university. He is also an experienced school inspector and a school and university governor.

Dr James Olsen is College Teaching Associate in music at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and an Affiliated Lecturer within the Faculty of Music. His research interests include the theory and analysis of music from the eighteenth century to the present, hermeneutics, critical theory, and music education.

He is also a composer, and his works have been performed by, amongst others, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

He is the Widening Participation and Outreach Officer at the Society for Music Analysis, and the founder of Olsen Verlag, a social enterprise whose purpose is to bring Western art music to wider audiences.

Jonnie Bridge’s musical journey started as a young pianist and trumpeter who discovered a love of singing in his teens and he played and sang his way through University and his PGCE. From here, Jonnie has worked for Music Services and Hubs, spent seven successful years as Director of Music at an outstanding Catholic boys’ school in Surrey and since moving west, has taken the role of Director of Music at Warminster School in Wiltshire. Jonnie spent years as a volunteer and director on the National Youth Music Camps, an exceptional residential course founded by Avril Dankworth, and believes this helped shape the musician and teacher he is today. Jonnie strives to deliver an inclusive, inspirational and rigorous curriculum which is as enjoyable to learn through as it is to teach.

Pauline Black is Assistant Principal at Orkney UHI. A former secondary teacher, she is an experienced creative educator with an international profile in Initial Teacher Education. She is studying a PhD, researching pathways into jazz and improvising. Pauline is President of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) and Co-Chair of Jazz in Education UK.

Marion Friend is a consultant in arts and education and a life coach, mentor and facilitator with a particular interest in career development, and in supporting individuals to explore and reach their potential.  She enjoys working with clients ranging from new graduates to chief executives in public and not-for-profit sectors including secondary and tertiary education, national portfolio organisations and charities. Having begun her career as a classroom and peripatetic music teacher, Marion then held senior management posts at the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Young Musician of the Year and Wigmore Hall. She was Director of Junior Trinity at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for twelve years before moving into her current portfolio career. www.marionfriend.co.uk

Formerly Head of Jazz at Trinity Laban, Simon Purcell is International Chair in Improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. After working in secondary, Simon has worked in the conservatoire sector since 1987. His research into teacher-development in the conservatoire was published in 2005 and he has been active in the Association of European Conservatoires since 2009. In 2006 he was awarded Jazz Educator of the Year by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group. Currently Co-Chair of Jazz in Education UK.

Don Gillthorpe is the Past President of the MTA.  He is Assistant Headteacher (KS3) at Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy in Lancaster, previously having been Director of Music there, establishing a large department with a national reputation for excellence in choral singing.  Don is a Lead Practitioner and accredited Specialist Leader in Education, supporting music departments in other schools and leading a school-centred Music PGCE course.  Outside of school, Don is a choral conducting tutor and Head of Publications for the national choral organisation, Sing for Pleasure.  As a singing teacher specialising in boys’ changing voices, and a choral conductor with a great deal of experience working with teenage singers, Don is in demand as a speaker, workshop leader, conductor and adjudicator, and has led courses and events for organisations such as ABCD, RSCM and the Morland Choristers’ Camp.

Stephanie Warrender is a primary teacher and head of Music at a school in Bradford. In 2019, Stephanie met Minna Lappalainen, a Finnish Musician and childhood educator, who originally founded Laulau and brought Laulau Learning to the UK. Our mission is to support a child’s holistic growth through the power of music and art. As well as being a class teacher, Stephanie also teaches Ukulele to children in Bradford and is a songwriter, a pianist and flautist. 

Tim Garrard – Partnerships Lead for the Music Teachers Association, Director of Music at Westminster School, and a trustee of Tri-borough Music Trust

Tim Garrard is Partnerships Lead for the Music Teachers Association. He is Director of Music at Westminster School and a trustee of Tri-borough Music Trust, the charitable arm of the Tri-borough Music Hub which works across three West London boroughs to help transform young lives through the power of music. Tim read Music at Cambridge, where he was the senior choral scholar of the Choir of King’s College and the recipient of the College’s Gollin Prize. As MTA Partnerships Lead, Tim worked with Music Mark and ISM as part of the CanDoMusic campaign, and he co-established HMC’s first ever official partnership with another association with the HMC-MTA partnership. In 2023, Tim directed the Vivat acclamations in Parry’s I Was Glad at the Coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey.

Patrick Johns is a Presenter (‘Teaching Notes’ podcast), Radio Producer (BBC), and Teacher (The Tiffin Girls’ School). Patrick has a portfolio career. He teaches music at Key Stage 3 to 5 at the Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston-upon-Thames, is a subject expert for Ofqual, and a former A Level examiner for Eduqas. He is the creator of many well-used music education resources, and has worked as a proof-reader for various exam board publications. He is also a freelance trombonist, bassist, arranger and composer, having played Jazz, Classical, Pop, Rock, Ska and Oompah, all over the world for over two decades, notably with the UK’s top ‘Oompop’ quintet, Oompah Brass. Patrick presents and produces the MTA podcast, ‘Teaching Notes’, having conducted over 150 interviews with leading educators and musicians, across 77 episodes. Patrick is the producer of the BBC Radio 2 show ‘Top Brass’, and has also worked as a producer for BBC Radio 3 (Breakfast, Jazz Record Requests, Jazz Legends), and (very!) occasional presenter (The Early Music Show). You can find out more about him by visiting www.patrickjohns.co.uk

James Manwaring is Director of Music for Windsor Learning Partnership where he works across 5 schools in Windsor. He is an MTA Committee member and has a passion for supporting music department development – supporting teachers to get the most out of their department. James also writes his own Music Education blog and is a keen runner.

Caroline Robinson has been Director of Music at Warminster School, Wiltshire, for 7 years, following on from 5 years as Head of Prep Music at Warminster Prep. She has also both taught in and led Music departments in a State Secondaries and a Community College. Since taking on the Music Departments at Warminster School, both the choice of groups on offer & numbers of pupils taking part in music have grown beyond recognition. Within her roles, recruiting music staff has been a key area of which she has a wealth of experience.

Born in Exeter, Simon Toyne received his musical training as a chorister in Exeter Cathedral Choir, a music scholar at Eton College, and as Organ Scholar of University College, Oxford. For 24 years, he was Director of Tiffin Boys’ Choir, preparing them for projects with the major conductors in the world, including Pappano, Rattle, Gergiev, Maazel, Elder, Masur and Salonen, leading the choir on over twenty foreign tours, including to Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Russia, and conducting the choir in concert with the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Sinfonia Britannica and Philharmonia Orchestra.  As Director of Music at All Saints’ Church, Kingston, a post he held consecutively with that of Assistant Head & Director of Music at Tiffin School, the choir broadcast on BBC1, Radio 4 and World Service Radio, and over 20 choristers gained choral scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge.

Since 2015, he has been Executive Director of Music of the David Ross Education Trust, where he is responsible for the development of a music programme for over 14,500 children across 34 state primary and secondary schools in London, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber. His work at DRET has included the award-winning Singing Schools programme for primary schools, developing a Trust-wide primary and secondary music curriculum, fostering a network of partner organisations including Gabrieli Roar, Nevill Holt Opera, Sing Up, the Royal Opera House and the Voices Foundation, creating a team of professional musicians in residence, and establishing a talent development programme. He was a member of the Government’s Expert Panel for overseeing the recently launched National Plan for Music Education, having previously served on the Expert Panel for developing the Model Music Curriculum, and was the most recent President of the Music Teachers Association (2019-21). His chapter on curriculum music in the recent book What Should Schools Teach? was published in January 2021 and is available as an open access pdf from UCL Press. Alongside his work at DRET, he is the Music Project Director for the Hamish Ogston Foundation. Simon is a Director of the Rodolfus Foundation Choral Courses and will be directing courses in Liverpool and York this summer.

Dr Adam Whittaker is Head of Pedagogy at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and is an internationally recognised scholar in musicology and music education. He has researched widely in the fields of music education and musicology, and has taught music in a range of settings. His work on the music qualifications landscape and music education hubs has been referenced in Parliament and he has appeared on a variety of BBC radio programmes exploring music education.

https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/research/research-staff/adam-whittaker

Andrea Jones graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1996, having studied violin with Howard Davis and Mateja Marinkovic, and baroque violin with Simon Standage and Elisabeth Wällfisch. She became co-leader of the 1996 European Union Baroque Orchestra before launching her professional career with the German Baroque ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln, as well as establishing herself widely both as a chamber and orchestral musician with many of the UKs leading period instrument ensembles. Andrea has enjoyed a varied career, performing and touring extensively in co-leader or section principal seats with orchestras including The King’s Consort, The Sixteen, Academy of Ancient Music, English Concert, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Hanover Band, Early Opera Company, Dunedin Consort, Avison Ensemble, English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestra Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Andrea has also combined her orchestral and chamber music performances with numerous recordings as well as commercial, musical theatre, film and television work.
Teaching has always been a significant focus with nearly 30 years of experience in this area, working with music services, Junior Conservatoire settings and in private practice. Andrea began teaching at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2004 as both baroque violin teacher and academic lecturer and has established a deep commitment to supporting musicians in Higher Education, undertaking the roles as Head of Learning and Teaching (2017-21) and leading the BMus Course as Head of Undergraduate Programmes (Music) from 2013 to the present. Andrea’s current teaching centres on transitions pedagogy, string pedagogy, performance psychology, community music and facilitation and in supporting the development of critically reflective skills for undergraduate musicians. She is currently undertaking an EdD at Reading University, focused on the transitions of musicians into Conservatoire study.
Andrea is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a council Member of the European String Teacher’s Association, has held external examiner position at the Royal College of Music and is currently external examiner for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s staff UKPSF fellowship scheme.

Anthony Anderson

Naomi Charatan is the founding head of music and performing arts at Trinity Academy, a music specialism school in one of the most deprived areas of Bristol. The school runs a significantly subsidised instrumental programme for wind and brass instruments and weekly KS3 choir singing. The department has substantial GCSE cohorts and an active, high profile co-curricular programme.

Before moving to Bristol, Naomi was a head of music at an ARK school in North London, and co-created and recorded lessons for OAK National Academy in 2020. Prior to this, she spent 2 years teaching English (and doing as much music as possible) in rural Japan.

Ann Bryant

Dr Charles MacDougall is an award-winning singer, choral director, vocal coach, and music education consultant with a career spanning solo vocal and choral performance, coaching, musical direction, music education, training, mentoring, strategy, and ambassadorial roles. As Choral Director at Voices Foundation, Charles has led on the development of the charity’s choral programme and pedagogy. In 2018 Charles was part of the team that received the Music and Drama Education Award for Excellence in Primary/Early Years for creation and delivery of the VF/DRET Singing Schools pilot programme and in 2020 he helped devise and deliver the daily VF Virtual Sing for children and teachers during lockdown. In 2021 he wrote the first volume of Inside Singing, a choral resource for primary school choir leaders, shortlisted for Outstanding Music Education Resource in the Music and Drama Education Awards 2023.

In addition to this work with Voices Foundation, he is a Chorus Director for Gabrieli ROAR and directs four choirs in London, among other roles. He is extremely active as a workshop leader, presenting sessions for the BBC Singers, UK Choir Festival, Association of British Choral Directors, LSO, and Stay at Home Choir. A passionate advocate for the importance of music and music education, he is an Ambassador for Britten-Pears Arts, a Trustee of IntoOpera, and a Director and Trustee of the Choral Foundation, Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace.

As a horn player, Jo Hensell has been a member of Academy of St Martin in the Fields since 1998. She was appointed Deputy Head of Wind Brass and Percussion at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2011. With a parallel career as a coach and psychologist, Jo became a Guildhall Ignite Associate in 2017 and Guildhall’s first Performance Confidence Associate in 2021.

Ollie Tunmer is the director of Beat Goes On, a deliverer of high energy percussion workshops and CPD throughout the UK and internationally. He is a former cast member of the hit show STOMP and its sister show, ‘The Lost & Found Orchestra’.

The Beat Goes On team includes professional musicians and qualified music teachers, providing fun, engaging and memorable workshops which develop composition and performance skills and knowledge. They also promote well-being, for both individuals and teaching communities.

Ollie has appeared on the BBC including ‘Children in Need’, ’The One Show’, ’The Culture Show’ and CBeebies’ ‘Let’s Go Club’. His Amazon bestselling body percussion tutorial ‘Body Beats’ has been incorporated into curricula internationally.

Pwyll ap Siôn is Professor of Music at Bangor University, Wales. His music has been performed by some of Wales’s foremost musicians, including bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, pianist Llŷr Williams, and soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, orchestras such as BBC NOW, Welsh National Opera, and the European Union Chamber Orchestra, and ensembles such as Icebreaker and Decibel. He has authored and edited books on Michael Nyman and Steve Reich, and contributed chapters to book on Philip Glass, Howard Skempton, Max Richter, and others. He has co-authored several educational books on composition and analysis, including Composing Contemporary Music: A Student’s Guide (2011) and Jazz, Musical Theatre, Rock & Pop: Appraising Popular Music (2021). As a writer and reviewer, he contributes regularly to Gramophone magazine.