Staff A-Z

Dr Jonathan Owen Clark is Head of Research and Knowledge Exhange at Trinity Laban. Areas of specialization include: Philosophical Aesthetics; Critical Theory and Historiography; Musicology and Dance Studies; Mathematical Music Theory; Musical Composition and Sound Design; Inter-Arts Collaborative Practice and Installation Art.

* Conferred with the title of Professor in January 2017.

Research interests and areas of supervision:

• Critical theory
• Arts practice
• Critical theory and historiography
• Philosophical aesthetics
• Musicology and performance studies
• Critical pedagogy and participatory arts
• Mathematical music theory
• Musical composition and sound design
• Inter-arts collaborative practice and installation art

Melanie Clarke is Programme Leader for the MA MFA Dance Leadership and Community Practice, Graduate Certificate in Dance and Graduate Diploma Dance & English. She is also a Module Leader within the BA Contemporary Dance and MA MFA Creative Practice programmes. She teaches Release-based dance technique and Choreological Studies, supervises student research as well as creates original choreographic work on students. She is a Teaching Fellow of Trinity Laban and in recognition of her leadership in Higher Education, she has been awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Hilary Coates made her professional debut at the age of 19 performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in the Royal Festival Hall at London’s Southbank Centre. She made extensive concert appearences as concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber music player in Britain as well as frequent performances on radio and television. Overseas concert tours included France, Italy, South America and Germany, the latter revisited after an outstanding success there. For several years she taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before joining the staff of Trinity Laban. Her teaching is equally divided between her work there and her long-standing work with some of the most talented younger specialist pianists at Wells Cathedral School, where her students have had outstanding successes in the Audi and BBC Young Musician Competitions.

David Cohen has established a reputation as one of the most charismatic and exciting young cellists of today. He has been hailed by critics as “Magnificent” (Gramophone), a musician who “demonstrates total commitment, combining vitality with expressive feeling in the most spontaneous manner” (the Strad), and “an individual, and an exceptionally gifted one,” (New York Stereo Review).

Born in the town of Tournai in Belgium, David made his solo debut with the Belgian National Orchestra at the age of nine. His international career as a soloist soon flourished with invitations from the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, l’Orchestre Symphonique de la VRT, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, l’Orchestre National de Lille, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, l’Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Grenoble, the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sinfonia Varsovia, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic and the N.H.K. Symphony Orchestra, as well as the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Marina Collard graduated with an undergraduate dance degree from Trinity Laban, returning to gain an MA in Dance Studies (Aesthetics, Choreography and Visual Design) in 2001. In 2009 she completed the Living Anatomy course at the Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust (CTET) and went on to qualify as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist with CTET in 2010.

Philip works freelance as a recitalist, accompanist and pianist for coaching, session work, and rehearsals. He is a conductor and rehearsal director for opera groups, choirs and orchestras, and a composer and musical adviser. Philip Colman has acted as pianist, songwriter and arranger for television programmes, as an arranger for the Royal Opera House, and as a pianist for the National Film Theatre, Ballet Rambert, RADA and London Contemporary Dance Theatre.

Julian Coward read Classics at the University of Cambridge. After graduating he worked for a period in the City and then as a schoolmaster before moving into professional music.

Several years of freelancing led to his appointment in 1983 to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, though he continued to play with many of the London orchestras as well as work in education.

Richard enjoys a well balanced musical lifestyle which encompasses all the essential elements of a musician and instrumentalist of the 21st century. He studied violin and viola with Nicholas Roth at Trinity College of Music and went on to work with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players and the original London Soloists Ensemble. Later as principal violist and soloist, he performed with the London Soloists Ensemble, Wessex Sinfonia, Clifton Virtuosi, Orchestra of the Swan, the English National Baroque Ensemble and the Emerald Ensemble. Richard is a solo commercially recorded artist and has broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 4, Classic FM and Greek RTA. He has also recorded solo soundtracks for television documentaries with BBC 1 and 2, ITV and Channel 4. His keen interest in promoting contemporary music has taken him throughout the UK, Europe and Asia including a major tour of Turkmenistan. This was organised by the British Council and Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Culture for the Makhtumkuli Festival. His performances were televised throughout the State, and Richard has the distinction of being the first British musician to perform there since glasnost.

John has, throughout his career, combined instrumental teaching with practicing and teaching the Alexander Technique, performing and coaching. From 1976 to 1986, John was a member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra during which time he also taught at Westminster School. In 1991 he joined the Trinity College of Music staff and was that year also appointed to teach Alexander Technique in the Royal College of Music Junior Department.

Kathy teaches Contact Improvisation, Choreography and Performance as a faculty member at Trinity Laban. She has been developing and sharing her practice through creative collaboration, performance and teaching for over 25 years. Her interest is in improvisation as an integrated technical, compositional and performance practice.

Fiona’s first professional work was with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and the impressive Roger Norrington. Her debut as a solo performer was in 1986 playing Weber’s Concerto No. 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey at the Barbican Hall. In 1988 Fiona won the LPO Pioneer award for the best young performer and the ‘reward’ was to play Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall. She has worked with conductors of the stature of Leonard Slatkin, Tamás Vásáry, Mark Elder, Bernard Haitink, Daniel Harding and Ricardo Chailly. She speaks of Mark Elder’s respectfulness and wonderful musicianship and adds that he is an ex-Bryanstonian; Chailly is ‘exciting, wonderful and a perfectionist’; Harding is ‘incredibly intelligent and his beats are wonderfully clear’ and she speaks glowingly of Haitink’s amazing inspiration. She has toured with the Vanburg String Quartet and the broadcast of their performance of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor was a revelation. Fiona’s tone and intonation was impeccable and her articulation admirable. The warmth that she brought to this piece was quite incredible. To date she has only made one commercial recording, that of Robert Simpson’s Quintet for clarinet, bass clarinet and string trio (Hyperion CDA 66626) coupled with the String Quartets Nos. 14 and 15. In this, she plays the bass clarinet and, again, her clarity and musicianship are second to none. She has given recitals with the pianist Kathryn Page at Wigmore Hall and twice in the Purcell Room and has performed with both the Coull and Alberni String Quartets at music festivals. At least six composers have written especially for her including Diana Burrell with Bright Herald of the Morning and Gary Carpenter with his Sonata.

Tony Cross was a specialist musician at Wells Cathedral School before studying music at The City University and a postgraduate in orchestral studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Having graduated he has been ubiquitous as a freelance trumpeter in all of London’s major symphony, chamber and opera orchestra’s for nearly thirty years. His early career focussed on a passion for contemporary music and included extended periods of work with both the London Sinfonietta and Ensemble Modern. This was contrasted with historically informed performances on original instruments with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the English Concert.

Billy Cullum trained at the Arts Educational Schools London gaining a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre.

Recently, Billy has been involved in the development of new musical works, including THE CREAKERS by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, and SYREN, penned by Olivier Award nominee Anoushka Lucas and Jess Edwards. He played opposite Sir Ian McKellen in MOTHER GOOSE and in the role of Nicholas in the Old Vic Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. Billy workshopped the choreography and appeared in the Netflix musical film MATILDA, directed by Matthew Warchus and choreographed by Ellen Kane. Billy’s screen debut was playing the role of Hector in Russell T Davies’ IT’S A SIN for Channel 4/HBO.