Staff A-Z

Richard Markson’s musical destiny was foreshadowed at the age of twelve when Paul Tortelier invited him to Paris to become his pupil. He later worked with Pierre Fournier, whose lifelong support became instrumental in the development of his solo career.

A much acclaimed London début, following which The Times proclaimed him “A quite outstanding cellist”, led to engagements throughout the world. In addition to appearances in his native Britain, the USA and Europe, he has completed twenty-six world tours extending from the Far East to Latin America.

Kit Massey is a fourth generation musician, working professionally as a violinist, pianist and arranger in London. He studied at Trinity College of Music with Michael Bochmann and Andrew Haveron where he received a first class degree and several prizes for solo and ensemble playing. After graduation, he played with the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, performing much of the core ballet and opera repertoire. Back in London, he continued a busy recording and performing career, with the Heritage Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, working with artists as diverse as Tim Minchin, Aphex Twin and Antony and the Johnsons.

Simon Masterton-Smith trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Arthur Reckless and at the London Opera Centre under Pieter van der Stolk. While with the English National Opera, he was coached by Denis Dowling and Josephine Veasey.

Since Simon got his first pantomime job after Arthur sent him to audition during his first term at Guildhall, he has worked in many different areas of the entertainment industry, including opera and musicals as well as pantomime, recordings, television and film. He sang at Glyndebourne Festival, Summer Season and played both the village idiot and God in his first West End musical, Beyond the Rainbow. Simon commented: “I’ve even had a go as a Rock Ballad singer in West Berlin!”

Described as “an immaculate accompanist” (BBC Music Magazine), pianist Andrew Matthews-Owen enjoys a busy career partnering some of the outstanding artists of our time on the concert platform, commercial recordings and broadcasts, and as a coach.

Specialising in vocal accompaniment, Andrew has partnered Patricia Bardon, Susan Bickley, Claire Booth, Susan Bullock, Anne Sophie Duprels, Rebecca Evans, Helen Field, Gareth Brynmor John, Natalya Romaniw, Nicky Spence, Elgan Llyr Thomas, Elin Manahan Thomas, Katie Van Kooten and Sir Willard White, at many major venues and festivals, including frequent appearances at Southbank Centre (QEH and Purcell Room) and Wigmore Hall.

Gerard McChrystal comes from Derry, N.Ireland. He took up the saxophone as a second study for his RNCM audition in 1982. By 1987 he had made his concerto debut with the RTE Concert Orchestra playing the Dubois Concerto live on TV. His UK debut was with the Philharmonia in 1989 premiering Out of the Cool by Dave Heath. He studied at the RNCM, Manchester and was the first student to graduate with three awards including a distinction in his PPRNCM. Further studies with John Harle and Frederick Hemke at The Guildhall School, London and Northwestern University, Chicago followed. Competition success includes The Royal Overseas League, RTE Musician of the Future, The Lombard and Ulster Music Foundation, Countess of Munster, The Sir James Caird Award, NFMS Award, BBC Opportunity Knocks! and The Park Lane Group. His Wigmore Hall debut came as a result of winning the intercolleagiate Ivan Sutton Recording Award.

Wayne McGregor is a multi-award-winning British choreographer and director, internationally renowned for his physically testing choreography and groundbreaking collaborations across dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science. He is Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Resident Company at Sadlerʼs Wells, and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet.

Michelle joined the Faculty of Music at Trinity Laban in 2017 and teaches on a variety of BMus, MMus, and FCM modules related to music, history and culture. She is also the programme tutor for CPMM. She was formerly a Fulbright Scholar at Durham University and taught previously at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Xavier University, and Martin Methodist College. Michelle holds a PhD in musicology, with a cognate in British literature, from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and also holds a MMus in music history and a BMUS in piano performance. Michelle has also worked as a professional pianist and piano teacher.

Research interests and areas of supervision:

• Trauma studies
• Critical theory
• Medical humanities
• Music and conflict/ war
• Music, memory and narrative
• Music and gender
• Cultural musicology, particularly 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century Britain

Florence has been the Senior Costume Technician at Trinity Laban since 2019. Florence previously worked as a freelance Designer and Maker, costuming work choreographed by Samir Kennedy, Patricia Okenwa, Theo Lowe, Lizzie Kew-Ross and Theo Clinkard among many others. Recent collaborators at Laban include Hetain Patel, Hagit Yakira and H2 Dance for Transitions Dance Company.

Anna Miell was born in Vienna, into a musical family. After completing her language studies, Anna moved to London in the late 1970s where she commenced her career.

Anna Miell was born in Vienna, into a musical family. After completing her language studies, Anna moved to London in the late 1970s where she commenced her career. Initially, Anna undertook German to English translation work in the legal and financial fields, and became a teacher 20 years ago. Since then, Anna has taught German to students from many varied backgrounds and in a variety of contexts both in industry and at educational establishments including Waltham Forest College of Further and Higher Education, Westminster College and for the past 8 years, at the University of Westminster. She has been a key figure in setting up the University’s ‘Opening the Door to Language Learning’ project in partnership with Lingua. When Anna was asked in 1996 to design a course specifically for undergraduate singers at Trinity College of Music, she saw this as a great opportunity to pass on her passion for the German language. She has found the experience of teaching both under and postgraduate students a truly enriching and satisfying experience. Anna is constantly striving to take the ‘Angst’ out of language learning and believes that a fun but disciplined approach achieves the right results for her students.

Susan Milan was a Junior Exhibitioner and Scholar at the Royal College of Music, where she studied with John Francis. As a postgraduate of the Guildhall School of Music she studied with Geoffrey Gilbert, as well as attending the Marcel Moyse masterclasses in Switzerland. From 1968-1972, she was Principal Flute of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and from 1974-1982 of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, before developing her solo career from 1982. She tours worldwide as soloist and recitalist, and runs an annual masterclass course in Surrey.

She has given numerous world and UK premieres and has inspired contemporary composers to write for her, among them Richard Rodney Bennett, Antal Dorati, Carl Davis, Jindřich Feld, Edwin Roxburgh, Robert Saxton, Ole Schmidt, and Robert Simpson and Cecilia McDowall. She can be heard regularly on BBC radio and has recorded for Chandos, Upbeat, Da Capo, Omega, Denon, Cala and Metier labels. Ensemble work includes the London Chamber Music Group, The Debussy Ensemble and a recital duo with Ian Brown.

David Miller is a long established soloist and well known as an accompanist and continuo player on lute, theorbo and early guitars, flourishing in both the early music world and the mainstream musical scene. He performs and records with all the principal English period instrument orchestras and with many of the finest ensembles, performing at numerous prestigious European music festivals. David’s musical focus is as a soloist and accompanist. He maintains a busy recital schedule, enjoying collaborations with other solo artists, including singers Paul Agnew, James Bowman, Michael Chance, Charles Daniels, Grace Davidson, Emma Kirkby, Elin Manahan Thomas and Stephen Varcoe, harpist Frances Kelly, violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch, fellow lutenist Jacob Heringman and Arab singer and oud player Abdul Salam Kheir.