Staff A-Z

Born in South Africa, Pieter made his solo debut aged 10 with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winning numerous competitions including the 1984 World Youth Concerto Competition in the USA. In 1987 he was offered the Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study with Eduard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talent was spotted by Pinchas Zukerman, who recommended that he move to New York to study with Sylvia Rosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant at Indiana University, Bloomington. Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Anneke Scott is a leading exponent of historical horn playing. Her work takes her throughout the globe and throughout the centuries of music with a repertoire incorporating music and instruments from the late seventeenth century through to the present day. 

Dr Naomi Lefebvre Sell is a Reader of Choreographic Practice within the Faculty of Dance and Programme Leader for the MA/MFA Creative Practice at Trinity Laban. Naomi lectures across the BA and MA/MFA programmes within the fields of choreography, performance and research methods as well as supervises Practice as Research PhDs. Originally from Canada, Naomi’s background as a professional dancer includes work with both Butoh and Cunningham-influenced companies. Naomi holds a BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University and a MA Choreography and PhD in Creative Practice (Dance) from Trinity Laban. She is also a Higher Education Academy Fellow.

Research interests and areas of supervision:

• Creative practice
• Dance making
• Choreographic process
• Scoring, choreographic methodologies and documentation
• Mindful moving and attendance to presence

British conductor and composer Harry Sever studied at Oxford University and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music.

Recent and upcoming engagements include Carmen (Opera North), Fantasio (Garsington), La Traviata (Opera Holland Park), Cendrillon (Bampton Classical Opera), The Nutcracker (Peter Schaufuss Ballet), as well as concerts with Welsh National Opera and projects with The Royal Danish Opera, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and British Youth Opera.

Andrew was born in Kenya, educated in Zimbabwe and having played the violin for three years, won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. He studied with Antonio Brosa, Sylvia Rosenberg and subsequently with Sascha Lasserson. He studied composition with Alan Ridout. Andrew has performed to good critical comment in many parts of the world as soloist and conductor. He has led the Mercury Ensemble for Rambert dance company and played in London and Scottish orchestras. Solo performances range from Wigmore Hall to eastern Europe, the USA. and Africa. Many composers have written works for him from Howard Skempton to the American Stephen Funk Pearson, as well as an acting/performing role in a musical at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He is in demand as a conductor and has worked with orchestras from the strings of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to the Brighton Youth Orchestras Trust whose orchestras and ensembles have won awards and acclaim since he became Director. He is principal conductor for European Youth Summer Music and of the Musicians of All Saints who are committed to unjustly neglected and contemporary composers. Andrew adjudicates both in Britain and abroad, and many of his earlier students are now professional musicians.

Andrew was born in Kenya, educated in Zimbabwe and having played the violin for three years, won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music.

Mikhail Shilyaev was born in Izhevsk, Russia. He started learning piano at the age of six and won several regional piano competitions at a young age. He studied in Russia in Moscow State Conservatoire, in Germany and in the UK. Mikhail has studied in Trinity Laban with Deniz Gelenbebe for his Master’s Degree.

Julian Siegel is an in-demand saxophonist on the European Jazzscene. In 2007 he was awarded the BBC Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist. His current bands are the Julian Siegel Quartet featuring pianist Liam Noble, the Julian Siegel Trio with US Improvising stars Drummer Joey Baron and Bassist Greg Cohen and the influential band Partisans, co-led for the last 14 years with guitarist Phil Robson. Julian has played in large ensembles led by Andrew Hill, Mike Gibbs alongside Bill Frisell, Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum, the Hermeto Pascoal UK Big Band, Django Bates Delightful Precipice, John Taylor, Jazz Jamaica, Kenny Wheeler, Colin Towns with the NDR big band, Hans Koller New Memories Band with Steve Lacy and with Jason Yarde’s ‘Acoutastic Bombastic’.

Sergio is currently Professor of Piano at Trinity Laban, Potenza State Conservatoire ‘Gesualdo da Venosa’ and Sesto Fiorentino Music School, where he is also Director. Sergio has been invited to give piano and chamber music masterclasses and summer courses by Split Music Academy (Croatia), Music Academy of Sarajevo (Bosnia), Perugia Music Fest (Italy), Roncofreddo in Musica (Cesena, Italy), Musica e Mare (Marina di Pietrasanta, Italy) and Luke Sorkočevića Art School, Dubrovnik (Croatia), for the Achucarro Foundation and in universities in the USA: California State University, Fresno; University of California, Santa Barbara; Southern Methodist University, Dallas. Sergio is  Artistic Director of Intersezioni festival in the historical villas of Florence.

Equally at home as a violinist and violist, Serbian Milena Simović is enjoying an illustrious international career of concerto, recital and chamber music performances.

Acclaimed for her work in Europe, Asia and America, Milena appears as a soloist in Russia, China, Italy, United Kingdom, Norway, France, Portugal, and through the countries of former Yugoslavia, performing alongside some of the most established personalities of today’s music scene.

Scott has over 5 years-experience working within the Dance Science department as both Laboratory Technician and Physiology lecturer on both postgraduate and undergraduate degrees. He completed his degrees within the realms of Exercise Physiology but has been able to apply his knowledge to the field of dance through teaching, supervising research projects and screening dancers at Trinity Laban and others (Freelancers, Professionals etc). Scott’s current interests within the field are primarily around menstrual function and nutrition and how these factors play a role in the context of health and performance for a dancer.

Born in Israel, Asaf started his professional career as a drummer in the late 80’s and played with some of Israel’s Jazz luminaries such at Harold Rubin and Alber Beger.

Born in Israel, Asaf started his professional career as a drummer in the late 80’s and played with some of Israel’s Jazz luminaries such at Harold Rubin and Alber Beger. A few years after the recording of his first solo album ‘One Step Closer’ Asaf relocated to the Netherlands, France and finally settled in London around 1999 where he soon became one of the most active Jazz drummers around. During that time Asaf became a founder member of Gilad Atzmon’s ‘Orient House’ Ensemble and started his long time collaboration with renown saxophonist Tim Garland and pianist Gwilym Simcock. Asaf has been leading his own bands and projects such as ‘Asaf Sirkis & the Inner Noise’ – a band of an unusual line up of church organ, guitar anddrum as well as the Asaf Sirkis Trio. He has been extensively playing worldwide and has recorded over 100 albums as a sideman and as a leader. Asaf have been playing with many other renown jazz and world artists such as: Dave Holland, Jacob Collier, Tim Garland, Gwilym Simcock, Larry Coryell, Jeff Berlin, John Abercrombie, Bob Sheppard, Norman Watt-Roy (off the Blockheads), Wilco Johnson, Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt, Natacha Atlas, Dave Liebman, David Binney, Gary Husband, pianist John Taylor, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Andy Sheppard and many more. 

Matt Skelton is a drummer equally at home in modern and vintage Jazz styles enjoying a diverse musical career that has already spanned three decades.

He has accompanied many leading Jazz luminaries such as Harry “Sweets” Edison, Conte Candoli, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Scott Hamilton, John Hendricks, Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers, Gregory Porter, and most recently Georgie Fame.

Simon Smith is a violinist of wide ranging interests. He has been active as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher worldwide for 30 years.

After his London debut recital he was hailed in The Times as “a virtuoso who is at once darkly cool and immensely persuasive” and for “selfless playing, devoted to making the music exist as fully as possible” and praised in The Guardian for “startling talent”. An encore at a subsequent London recital was described in The Strad magazine as being “played with the characteristic poignancy and expressive power which made this concert so enchanting”.

Simon has taught at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire since 2004, and is now delighted to join the staff of Trinity Laban. He also teaches specialist young musicians at the Royal College of Music Junior Department in London and at Wells Cathedral School.