Our Adjudicators & Chorus Leaders 2024

Festival Chorus

Marcin Szymczyk
Marcin Szymczyk

Marcin Szymczyk studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Faculty of Composition, Interpretation, Education and Jazz with the specialisation in jazz and pop music and jazz singing. He graduated with a Master of Arts Diploma.

Marcin has also completed 2-year Pedagogy, Philosophy and Psychology of Music Education course…

Festival Chorus

Nick Landauer
Nick Landauer

Nick Landauer has been involved in amateur and semi-professional choirs for over 50 years.

In 2003, he founded and has since directed Cantamus Reigate, having previously directed a chamber choir in London, and having sung with others including Pegasus, the Camden Chamber Choir, the New Barbican Singers and Music Ensemble…

Concerto Competition

Christine Pendrill
Christine Pendrill

Christine was born and grew up in Reigate and started to learn the oboe at school under a scheme funded by Surrey County Council.

A year later, she gained a place at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music, winning one of six Associated Board Scholarships awarded annually to study there full time when she was eighteen. While at the RCM…

Brass

Clare Lintott
Clare Lintott

Clare began playing the horn at the age of 12 with Willi Watson. A member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for 4 years, for two years she was Principal Horn. She studied at The Royal Academy of Music in London with Derek Taylor, and was a busy freelance player in and around London.

During her playing career, Clare has performed, recorded and toured…

Choirs

Sarah Jefferies
Sarah Jefferies

Sarah Jefferies is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied with Patricia Clark and Josephine Veasey.

Whilst at the Academy, Sarah won many prizes, ranging from Lieder to Opera and English Song, and was the recipient of the Ann E Lloyd Scholarship to fund her post graduate studies. She was an active member of the Opera course, singing several leading roles…

Classical Guitar

Christopher Stell
Christopher Stell

Christopher Stell studied with Michael Lewin at the Royal Academy of Music, and then with Sergio and Odair Assad in Brussels. It was at this time that Christopher began his collaboration with Mark Eden forming the Eden Stell Guitar Duo.

Chris has performed in over 20 countries, including tours in the USA and China and had concerto engagements…

Group Music

Caroline Harrison
Caroline Harrison

Caroline studied at the Royal Academy of Music and, in 1988, joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as Associate Principal Viola before taking up the position of Co Principal Viola with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1990, a position she held for over 30 years.

During that time she toured the world both with the Orchestra and as a chamber musician and soloist…

Harp & Clarsach

Tomos Xerri
Tomos Xerri

Welsh harpist Tomos Xerri has performed in concert halls worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Highlights include performing Saariaho’s Fall for solo harp alongside contemporary dancers at the Barbican Theatre, and most recently performing Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro and Debussy’s Danses with Britten Sinfonia.

Since graduating he has given solo…

Organ

Rebecca Coomber
Rebecca Coomber

Born in North Lincolnshire, Rebecca started playing the piano at the age of six. When she was 14, she was invited to help out the organist at the local church and she began to take organ lessons, at first locally and later at Lincoln Cathedral with Roger Bryan.

In 1990 she was awarded an Organ Scholarship to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge…

Piano

Clara Rodriguez
Clara Rodriguez

‘The Venezuelan virtuoso pianist Clara Rodriguez’ -Financial Times- has built an enviable international reputation for her innovative programme planning, juxtaposing standard repertoire with works by South American composers and has commissioned, premièred and is the dedicatee of over thirty works.

Her playing stands out for its sheer beauty of tone, high expressiveness…

Piano

Rebecca Coomber
Rebecca Coomber

Born in North Lincolnshire, Rebecca started playing the piano at the age of six. When she was 14, she was invited to help out the organist at the local church and she began to take organ lessons, at first locally and later at Lincoln Cathedral with Roger Bryan.

In 1990 she was awarded an Organ Scholarship to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge…

Speech & Drama

Louise Manders
Louise Manders

Louise was born in Westcliff on Sea and first trod the boards when only five days old and has never looked back.

Her varied and interesting professional theatrical career began with Haymarket Stage Productions progressing from stage management to acquiring her Equity card as an actress. She enjoyed touring the UK and appearing in all aspects of theatre…

Strings

Rebecca Breen
Rebecca Breen

Irish violist Rebecca is a Masters graduate of the Royal College of Music, London where she studied with Andriy Viytovych, Simon Rowland Jones and Jennifer Stumm.

Whilst there she featured as a RCM Rising Star resulting in performances at Cadogan Hall and the Royal Festival Hall and was a winner of several major prizes at Siemens Feis Ceoil, Dublin…

Vocal

Gaynor Keeble
Gaynor Keeble

Gaynor Keeble gained scholarships to the University of Warwick and the Royal Academy of Music.

She combines a busy performing career with teaching both privately and at Warwick University, and adjudicating at many festivals as a Federation adjudicator. She has also worked extensively with English Touring Opera’s Education Programme…

Woodwind (incl. Recorders)

Jay Bevan
Jay Bevan

Jay Studied at Urdang, and after a successful career as a dancer returned to playing the clarinet in 2005; something he hadn’t done since he was a child.

He gained entry to Trinity College of Music at a post graduate level in 2007 under the tutelage of Victoria Samek. More recently, Jay has been studying with Nicholas Carpenter. Since leaving Trinity, Jay has been working…