Adjudicators
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CHORAL SINGING, ORCHESTRAS & BANDS
Robert Marsh, MA, FRSA, FRCO, FISM, ARCM
Robert Marsh is a trainer, moderator and examiner in Music, Speech, Drama and Communication. He was educated in choral singing and the organ at the Royal Northern College of Music, Royal College of Music, Oxford and Cambridge universities. Whilst at Cambridge he undertook studies in orchestral conducting and trained as a teacher.
For many years Robert was Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral Choir School and was also in charge of the Choir of Ripon Cathedral. He is an award-winning choral and orchestral conductor. As an organist he has broadcast many times on radio and television and has appeared at a number of venues including Westminster Abbey and York Minster.
As Director of Music at Reigate Grammar School, Robert was responsible for founding the School’s highly successful series of musical theatre productions. Musical theatre has featured strongly during Robert’s career. His work as a school Head of Music has covered both the state and independent sectors, and he has also worked in training and advisory roles.
Robert served a term of office as Warden of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and has been an A Level Examiner in Music for many years, in addition to his role as adjudicator. Recent working tours have taken him all over the world.
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MILLENNIUM COMPETITIONS, CONCERTO & INSTRUMENTAL CLASSES
James Kirby, GRSM, ARAM
As a soloist and chamber musician, James performs regularly in major concert series, recitals and festivals throughout the UK, and also extensively overseas. Having studied at the Moscow Conservatoire, he returns to perform in the former Soviet Union every year and has played concertos there with the symphony orchestras of Belarus, Khazakstan and Romania. He has also performed with the English and Scottish Chamber Orchestras at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
James has been a member of the Barbican Piano Trio since 1992, has also worked with the Vanburgh Quartet, the BBC Singers and various soloists, and has made several recordings.
James is a dedicated teacher, and enjoys posts at the Royal Welsh College in Cardiff, Royal Holloway, University of London, in addition to being Artist in Residence at the University of Hull. He is also an Honorary Professor at the Rachmaninov Institute in Russia, where he makes frequent visits to perform concertos, give recitals and masterclasses and to lead chamber music courses.
He has served on the juries of several international piano competitions and gives many masterclasses, both in the UK and overseas. He is in considerable demand as an adjudicator and is a member of the ABRSM examining panel, which has taken him to Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Indonesia and to many European countries.
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PIANO
Anthony Williams, MMus (Dist), DipRAM, GRSM (Hons), ARAM
Concert pianist, writer, lecturer, ABRSM examiner and moderator, and festival adjudicator, Anthony Williams was born in Essex and studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Alexander Kelly.
Following international competition success, Anthony embarked on a career as a concert pianist whilst also establishing an international reputation as a piano teacher and has since become a passionate educator of pianistic musicianship at all ages from beginner to advanced. As well as giving piano masterclasses, public lecture-recitals and seminars on performance, repertoire and the art of teaching, he is involved with numerous professional development courses and workshops both in the UK and abroad. He is also (very proudly) President of the Chipping Norton Music Festival.
Anthony has given talks on piano performance for Radio 3, and is author and editor of various publications including The Best of Grade and Fingerprints (Faber) and the ABRSM Teaching Notes.
His most recent and highly acclaimed book, The Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide, a comprehensive guide to teaching and playing the piano, draws on his experience of teaching young beginners through to professional pianists, combined with insights from his professional playing around the world as both soloist and accompanist.
Anthony combines his busy freelance career with a full-time position at Radley College, Oxfordshire, as Head of Keyboard and Instrumental Music.
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RECORDERS
Andrew Collis, LTCL
Andrew is one of the leading British recorder players of his generation. He studied with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music, London before further studies of modern/ avant-garde technique with Eve O’Kelly and in Amsterdam with Marjolijn Van Roon.
He has twice been a finalist in the Moeck Solo Recorder Competition, and has performed at prestigious venues across the United Kingdom including St. John’s Smith Square and the Barbican.
Festival appearances include the Brighton, Birmingham and Cheltenham International Festivals.
Andrew performs in both early and modern ensembles with music ranging from medieval to contemporary. He has recorded two CDs highlighting the variety of music and styles available for the recorder, and has commissioned new works for his ensemble The Stanesby Players. Performances abroad include the Far East and in Australia performing for the Governor General.
Andrew has tutored on courses and workshops throughout the UK, and has teaching experience from primary to tertiary level. He has adjudicated at festivals both here and abroad, including the Hong Kong Schools of Music Festival.
He has been Chairman of the SRP Walter Bergmann Fund, which assists young recorder players in their musical careers, and also organiser of the Moeck/ SRP International Solo Recorder Competition.
Andrew also plays tenor horn and the piano.
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SOLO AND ENSEMBLE SINGING
Belinda Mikhaïl, BMus (Hons), PgDipRCM, ARCM
Belinda studied piano and singing at the Royal College of Music. Since graduating she has travelled extensively, performing both as soloist and chamber musician, and has appeared as a concerto soloist at the major London concert halls.
She has made numerous recordings and is a vocal soloist on EMI’s Vocalise album. She appears as the featured soloist on many film soundtracks, and her solo piano playing of the theme from Chariots of Fire was heard at every medal ceremony at the London Olympic Games.
Belinda is in demand as a vocal coach for classical, pop and rock singers and runs an extensive private teaching practice. She has trained performers as diverse as Siouxsie Sioux, Jennifer Ellison, Jack Garrett, Cathy Tyson and Juliette Binoche. Her students enjoy major roles in theatre companies up and down the country as well as in major West End shows.
Belinda’s work as an adjudicator has seen her travel widely, and in 2018 she was invited to Trinidad and Tobago where she adjudicated their month-long Music Festival. Future trips will see her adjudicate in Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. She enjoys listening to a wide variety of music and meeting many musicians as she travels in her role as a member of the Festival Federation.
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SPEECH AND DRAMA
Katrina Mulvihill, RBTC (QTS Hons), LRAM, AGSM, ALAM, IPA
Katrina Mulvihill studied at The Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama. Having graduated with honours, she won a scholarship to The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to study opera, musical theatre, acting and piano there for a further two years.
Katrina, as professional soloist and principal, has appeared at many prestigious venues over the years, performing in plays, operas, recitals and concerts at the Drury Lane Theatre, Shaw Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, the Purcell Room and the QEH.
In addition to performing, she is an experienced director, and has enjoyed producing plays, concerts and shows with performers of all ages, from young children through to adults, in a variety of styles ranging from pantomime and light operettas through to Shakespeare and Grand Opera.
A member of LAMDA’s examining board for over 30 years, Katrina has also regularly lectured and given masterclasses for LAMDA and other organisations, including classes in mime, improvisation, voice production and musical theatre.
Katrina is currently the Headteacher of a large independent school and nursery in Gidea Park, Essex.
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YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Rosanna Whitfield, DipRCM, ARCM, PGCE
As an experienced adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals, Rosanna is regularly called upon to adjudicate in the UK and abroad, and has forged long-standing links with specialist music schools in Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Her positive, interactive adjudicating style induces young musicians to participate, year on year.
Rosanna’s wide-ranging experience as a performer, teacher and presenter, teamed with an innate love of music, underpins her unstoppable drive as a dedicated campaigner for music in education. Her natural ability to captivate audiences and inspire young musicians to achieve their dreams stems from an unquestionable belief that music can change lives.
As Director of Music at Whitgift School, Rosanna has devised educational projects for all levels of musician from beginner to advanced, and regularly presents interactive concerts and masterclasses to thousands of primary school pupils. Instrumental in developing the Whitgift International Music Competition in 2013, Rosanna continues to promote the outstanding benefits of the many musical projects offered by the school.
Rosanna has recently been appointed as Head of the Junior Guildhall Conservatoire of Music and Drama.