Who's Who

Su Evans - General Manager
su@music-for-everyone.org
Becci Hooper – Administrator
admin@music-for-everyone.org

Board

Andrew James – Chairman
Dr Angela Smallwood – Secretary
Stephen Howarth – Treasurer
Nigel Hastings
Matthew Lax
Jonathan Lupton

Artistic Personnel

Angela Kay – Artistic Director

Angela Kay studied at Nottingham College of Education, now Nottingham Trent University, and has been involved with the choral life of Nottinghamshire for most of her professional life. After giving up her post as head of music at a comprehensive school in 1980 to raise a family, Angela formed the Nottingham Choral Trust (now NCT Music) and has continued to develop it by working with enthusiasm and imagination as its Artistic Director. Originally known in Nottingham as a mezzo soprano soloist, Angela's career developed first into choral and then into orchestral conducting. She has conducted many of the major works from the choral repertoire to critical acclaim, including Brahms’ Requiem, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, Orff's Carmina Burana and Bach's St Matthew Passion. In July 2003, Angela received an honorary Masters degree from Nottingham Trent University in recognition of her services to Music Education.

Matt Beckingham – Nottingham Youth Voices conductor & Boys' Voices project leader

Matt began his musical career as a chorister at Manchester Cathedral receiving a scholarship to study at Chethams School of Music. Matt furthered his studies in the Vocal & Operatic department at Birmingham Conservatoire. Whilst there his interest soon turned to conducting and orchestration, establishing new ensembles and producing a European tour. Matt enjoys an active career as orchestrator, conductor, animateur, and educator. His works have been played in major concert venues throughout the country and abroad, he has conducted and led workshops in Ukraine, Poland, Holland & Spain. He has worked on an eclectic range of repertoire including world premieres of three operas, contemporary gospel, rock and pop music, alongside the major classical repertoire.

Isobel Bounford – Orchestral Administrator & leader of Nottingham Concert Orchestra & New Classical Players

Isobel has been involved with the musical life in Nottinghamshire over the last 30 years as both teacher and performer.  A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, she is a visiting teacher at Nottingham Boys' High School and has a thriving teaching practice at home.  She is deeply commited to the work of Music for Everyone and is an administrator and tutor for their instrumental courses, Stringwise and Blow the Dust off Your Instrument.  Isobel is also leader of the New Classical Players and Nottingham Concert Orchestra.

Jane McDouall – Nottingham Youth Voices conductor

Jane studied at Nottingham College of Education (now Nottingham Trent University) and the Royal College of Music. She specialises in soprano roles in opera and oratorio and is a founder member of the Nottingham opera group, Operating Theatre. Jane has a thriving teaching practice at home. She is also part of a multi-disciplinary team of voice specialists at the Voice Clinic in the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.

Helen Hayes – Vocals co-ordinator

Helen trained as a teacher at Nottingham Trent University and taught at schools in Ilkeston and Thornton in Leicestershire. She now works on individual youth singing projects. She conducts her local village community ladies choir and was appointed the NCT’s principal youth choir animateur in May 2002.

James Lowe – Principal guest conductor

James was appointed as our Principal Guest Conductor in September 2009. He is the Artistic Director of the New Bristol Sinfonia, and between 2004 and 2007 was the Associate Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a First Class Honours Degree in music, he began studying conducting in a series of master classes with Finnish pedagogue Jorma Panula. In 2001, he was invited to be the Benjamin Zander Conducting Fellow with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. One of three finalists in the second BBC Conductor’s Competition and one of two prizewinners in the Tokyo International Competition for Conductors, he has appeared in performance with the Osaka and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras, the Residentie Orkest, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, the New Japan Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as working with numerous other orchestras in many European countries, South Africa and the USA.

Whilst working with the RSNO as Associate Conductor, James conducted the orchestra across the entire range of their performing activities, from regional tours to the Last Night of the Scottish Proms and season concerts. James continues his development by working closely with leading conductors in master classes, including Neeme Järvi, Bernard Haitink and latterly with Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra. Recently Lowe has made debuts with Scottish Ballet, Welsh National Opera, and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
www.james-lowe.co.uk

Richard Howarth – Artistic Consultant East Midlands String Project

Richard Howarth has had a distinguished career as a violinist, leading and directing orchestras for over twenty years. He brings to conducting a wealth of experience and dynamism to inspire both musicians and audiences. Richard is as comfortable working with elite orchestras as he is with training and educating amateur and youth groups.

Richard has conducted Manchester Camerata, the Ulster Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the London, Scottish and Manchester Concert Orchestras and, from the violin, has directed Manchester Camerata and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is in demand as a string coach/conductor and works regularly at the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music. As an educator, Richard Howarth is Principal Conductor of the Vale Royal String Orchestra, Sale Chamber Orchestra and Manchester Youth String Orchestra. He is a regular guest conductor of Chester Philharmonic Orchestra and coaches Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra and Stockport Symphony Orchestra. Trained as a violinist at the Royal College of Music in London, Richard worked with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and as Leader of the Ulster Orchestra before becoming Leader of Manchester Camerata. He has been a guest leader with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish and Welsh Symphony Orchestras, the BBC Philharmonic, the Halle, Orchestra of St John’s Smith Square, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, East of England Orchestra and Bournemouth Sinfonietta. Richard is in demand in a variety of teaching environments. As a regular visitor to the Royal Northern College of Music as an orchestral coach, he enjoys the challenge of imparting his "know how" to students, many of whom will go on to play in the major orchestras of the UK and beyond.

Richard conducts the MYSO (Manchester Youth String Orchestra), an advanced group for 11 to 18 year olds run by Manchester Music Service. In the two years since it started, MYSO has progressed at an astonishing rate.

Amateur orchestras feature in Richard’s work. He is Conductor/Music Director of Sale Chamber Orchestra and Vale Royal String Orchestra and, as a guest, has conducted Chester Philharmonic Orchestra and coached Huddersfield Philharmonic and Stockport Symphony Orchestra. He has been invited to conduct Sheffield Chamber Orchestra in their 2007/8 season.

In order to engage with amateur players and to show them how to play to the best of their combined abilities, it is essential to have confidence in yourself and achievable targets for each session. Richard seems to strike a balance which enables all the participants to enjoy their own contribution and that of the whole group.
www.richardhowarthmusic.co.uk