Staff A-Z

After twenty years as Principal Double Bass with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Leon Bosch left the orchestra in 2014, devoting himself to his musical interests elsewhere: performing and recording as a soloist, setting up his chamber ensemble I Musicanti and teaching in the UK and internationally.

Encouraged by his former colleague at the ASMF, Sir Neville Marriner, and having directed orchestras from the solo double bass many times, he also took up conducting and now performs regularly from the podium and also as soloist/director.

Born in Cape Town, although now a British citizen, he graduated from the University of Cape Town before completing his double bass studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. As soloist, Leon Bosch has so far recorded ten CDs, including the world premiere recording of music by the Catalan virtuoso Josep Cervera whose work he rediscovered and has been instrumental in reviving. He has commissioned over three dozen works for the instrument.

Newly appointed by the Oculi Ensemble and joining the professorial staff of Trinity Laban from September 2022, Sascha has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after viola players in London. Since relocating to the UK in 2017, Sascha has been in high demand as soloist, chamber musician and guest principal with symphony and chamber orchestras alike.  He joined the Navarra String Quartet in 2018 and Britten Sinfonia in 2021 as co/and leader of the viola section.  

Laura Bowler (UK), described as “a triple threat composer-performer-provocatrice” (The Arts Desk) is a composer, vocalist and Artistic Director specialising in theatre, multi- disciplinary work and opera. She has been commissioned across the globe by ensembles and orchestras including the Royal Opera House, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Quatuor Bozzini (Canada), Ensemble Phace (Austria), Ensemble Linea (France) and Omega Ensemble (Australia).

Professor Anthony Bowne has been Principal of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance since 2010.

Born in Dunstable, Paul Boyes studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Whilst in his final year, he was appointed Principal Bassoon of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 10 years. Since then, he has established a highly varied freelance career working as Guest Principal with almost every major orchestra in the UK including the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, English Chamber Orchestra and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as well as the John Wilson Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. As a soloist, he has performed concertos with numerous orchestras including the BBC Scottish and BBC Symphony Orchestras as well as giving recent performances of Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis for Elvis impersonator and orchestra.

Since making her critically acclaimed concerto debut with the Philharmonia in 1992 and as a recitalist at Wigmore Hall in 1997, Sarah-Jane has established a distinguished reputation as a soloist and is in high demand as a chamber musician. Formerly a founder member of the Leopold String Trio (1991-1999) and subsequently the Sorrel Quartet (2000-2005), she has frequently broadcast for BBC Radio 3, and recorded for, among others, Dutton, Chandos, and Hyperion. She has performed extensively throughout Europe, Scandinavia and North and South America and has participated in prestigious festivals such as Marlboro, Kuhmo and Prussia Cove. Current collaborations include the London Soloists Ensemble with pianist John Lenehan, violinist Lorraine McAslan, cellist Karine Georgian and clarinetist Anthony Pike as well as the Fidelio Piano Quartet, Honeymead Ensemble, Rautio Piano Trio and a string trio with Retorica.

Sarah-Jane works with several pianists in recital including John Lenehan, Martin Roscoe, Anthony Hewitt, Tom Poster, and Geoffrey Pratley, and has also worked with Richard Goode, Marc-Andre Hamelin and Peter Donohoe in chamber music. Her recital work has taken her to major venues in the UK and abroad, including Wigmore Hall and Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. She has a keen interest in seeking out new and lesser-known repertoire.

Tony Briscoe works as a professional music producer and composer.

His music industry accomplishments include a range of UK chart successes with artists such as Craig David, Beverley Knight, and the Artful Dodgers. He also composed music for David Attenborough’s wildlife TV series Life in Cold Blood (Under The Skin).

As well as having a Ph.D. in Sound & Vibrations, he has had several years of experience teaching a range of Music and Game technology-related courses around the UK.

Research interests and areas of supervision:

Interactive music technology in performance:

• Development of interactive apps or tools that enhance live musical performances
• Integration of real-time audience interaction through mobile devices during concerts

Game audio techniques in live music:

• Utilising Audiokinetic Wwise in live performances for dynamic soundscapes
• Incorporating adaptive audio systems from video games into stage performances

Innovations in sound design and production:

• Advanced techniques in sound design for popular music and performance art
• Research on new production methodologies that blend traditional and digital processes

Cross-disciplinary collaboration in the arts:

• Projects that bring together music, visual arts, and technology
• Research on collaborative processes between composers, technologists, and performers

Soundscapes and environmental acoustics in performance:

• Incorporation of environmental sounds into live music
• Use of acoustical data from various environments to influence composition

Sensor technology and gesture control in music performance:

• Utilising sensors to control music parameters during performance
• Development of wearable technology for musicians

The Physics of Musical Instruments:

• Structural analysis of instruments to improve design and sound quality
• Exploration of new materials and technologies in instrument making

James is an experienced Senior Lecturer with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. James works for Kingston University as the course director for the Sport Science BSc (Hons) programme. He has been at Laban since 2014 teaching biomechanical and movement analysis. James delivers lectures on the MSc Dance Science programme and has supervised a number of MSc projects across biomechanics for performance enhancement and injury prevention. He has presented work at both IADMS and PAMA.

Research interests and areas of supervision:

• Performance analysis
• Biomechanics
• Nutrition
• Dance Science
• Performance science

Susan Bullock’s unique position as one of the world’s most sought-after dramatic sopranos was recognised by the award of a CBE in June 2014. Of her most distinctive roles, Wagner’s Brünnhilde has garnered outstanding praise leading Susan Bullock to become the first ever soprano to sing four consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera House under Sir Antonio Pappano. Appearances as Richard Strauss’ Elektra have brought her equal international acclaim and collaborations with some of the world’s leading conductors including Fabio Luisi, Semyon Bychkov, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark Elder and Edo de Waart. In recent seasons, Susan has begun to explore new repertoire making debuts as Klytaemnestra (Elektra) for the Canadian Opera Company under Johannes Debus, the role of Liz Stride in the world premiere of Iain Bell’s Jack the Ripper for ENO; and her acclaimed portrayal of Mother for Scottish Opera in Mark Anthony-Turnage’s Greek at BAM which she debuted at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Naomi was a scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, where she won all the chamber music and cello prizes including the Suggia Award, which enabled her to continue her studies with Paul Tortelier at the Paris Conservatoire and afterwards with William Pleeth at Guildhall. Subsequently she played principal cello for Richard Hickox, did continuo work for Sir John Eliot Gardiner, worked with the English Chamber Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchesta and then joined the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom she played for twenty years, often as principal cello. Her solo career has embraced numerous recitals, and concerto performances all over Europe. She has performed and recorded chamber music extensively for the BBC and for Chandos with the Ambache Ensemble, Granville Ensemble, Wibaut Trio and the Dartington Trio. Among her TV appearances was an early involvement with the Tortelier masterclasses.

Teresa Cahill’s career began at Glyndebourne with performances of Die Zauberflöte (First Lady) and later Falstaff (Alice Ford). She has sung over 100 performances at Covent Garden including Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) under Carlos Kleiber, Elvira/Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), which she sang at La Scala, Milan. Her many concert appearances include Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked with Riccardo Chailly to open the 1987 Berlin Festival, with Michael Gielen at the Vienna Festival and with Eliahu Inbal in Frankfurt (recorded by Denon), and performed in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic. She also performed in Sir Michael Tippett’s Symphony No. 3 conducted by the composer himself, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14 with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and worked with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne conducted by Gary Bertini. Her recording debut was with Klemperer and her CDs include music by Mozart, Elgar, Strauss, Mahler, Lutyens and Saxton.

Can Çakmur (Pronounced: Djahn Tchakmur) is the first prize winner of the 2018 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (where he also was awarded the chamber music prize) and the 2017 Scottish International Piano Competition.

His recordings for the label BIS have been received enthusiastically by the international press and have been awarded two consecutive ICMA Awards (a first in the awards’ history) for the Solo Recording of the Year and Young Artist of the Year, as well as Choc de Classica, Diapason d’Or, Album of the Month by International Piano and full marks by Crescendo, Gramophone, Pizzicato and many more.

New York drummer Gene has established international jazz career.

Notable performances include working  with Sting, Radiohead, James Moody, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Ulf Wakenius, Gary Husband, Wayne Krantz, Bobby Watson, Eddie Gomez, Evan Parker, Randy Brecker and brother Joey Calderazzo, Bheki Mseleku, Hans Koller, Crass Collective, Phil Robsons’ Six Strings and the beast among others.  He has recently toured with Partisans,  Zoe Rahman, and the Julian Siegel quartet.

Gene is also a visiting tutor at The Royal Academy of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.