Adjudicators
Piano classes will be adjudicated by Anthony Williams on Sunday 6 May and Monday 7 May (Bank Holiday) and by Jena Pang on Sunday 13 May 2018
Anthony Williams (piano - 6 and 7 May) is a concert pianist, writer, lecturer, ABRSM examiner and moderator, and festival adjudicator, Anthony Williams was born in Essex and studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Alexander Kelly and at Reading University with Jonathan Dunsby. Following international competition success Anthony embarked on a career as a concert pianist whilst also establishing an international reputation as a piano teacher and has since become a passionate educator of pianistic musicianship at all ages from beginner to advanced. As well as giving piano masterclasses, public lecture-recitals and seminars on performance, repertoire and the art of teaching he is involved with numerous professional development courses and workshops both in the UK and abroad. He has given talks on piano performance for Radio 3 and is author and editor of various publications include The Best of Grade and Fingerprints (Faber) and Teaching Notes (ABRSM). His most recent and highly acclaimed book The Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide (Faber, 2017), a comprehensive guide to teaching and playing the piano, draws on his experience of teaching young beginners through to professional pianists combined with insights from his professional playing around the world as both soloist and accompanist. Anthony combines his busy freelance career with a full-time position at Radley College, Oxfordshire as Head of Keyboard and Instrumental Music.
Jena Pang (piano - 13 May) has had a distinguished dual career in music and law and recently retired from being a solicitor in order to devote more time to playing and teaching. He was awarded an instrumental scholarship to study music at St Peter’s College, Oxford University, is a postgraduate from BPP Law School and was a partner at Lindops Solicitors until 2014. He has been teaching the piano and violin for the last 26 years and is in demand as a concert artist, teacher and adjudicator, having given many concerts, lessons, masterclasses around the world and adjudicated competitions and scholarship awards. In his youth he appeared on British and Hong Kong television programmes performing on both piano and violin having studied the violin with the late Lydia Mordkovitch, the piano with Lora Dimitrova and had lessons with Ruth Waterman, Keith Pascoe, and Christopher Elton. Jena also participated in masterclasses in chambermusic and baroque period performance practice with the Allegri Quartet, Nancy Uscher and Gary Cooper. He annually adjudicates the Freda Parry Scholarship Fund in Essex and the Jena Pang Piano Competition held at Milton Keynes Prepartory School . He is a keen supporter of the music festival movement and has viewed this from various stages, from a child competing in piano, singing, speech and drama, to currently being the Piano Convenor and a trustee of the Southend Musical Festival. His students regularly compete in music festivals and competitions in England and Hong Kong. Jena is an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals.
Singing classes will be adjudicated by Julia Dewhurst on Sunday 6 May & Monday 7 May (Bank Holiday) 2018.
Julia Dewhurst is a lyric-coloratura soprano whose ongoing performing career has encompassed opera, concert and recital repertoire from Early Music to first performances of contemporary works. She has broadcast for BBC TV and Radio and has appeared in many of the country’s leading concert venues. Abroad, she has undertaken engagements in Germany, France, Spain, Holland, the Middle East and the Seychelles where she gave concerts and masterclasses in the Seychelles Festival of Classical Music. On the opera stage she has appeared with the Royal Opera, ENO, Kent Opera, English Touring Opera, Pavilion Opera, European Chamber Opera, Opera East, London Opera Players and The Garden Opera Company. Her roles have included Susanna and the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Queen of the Night, Pamina and First Lady (The Magic Flute), Gilda (Rigoletto), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Micaela (Carmen), Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), Constanza (Die Entfuhrung), Norina (Don Pasquale), Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring) Loelia in the premiere of Donald Swann’s comic opera The Man with the Thousand Faces, and many of the Gilbert & Sullivan soprano roles. Julia has extensive teaching experience across the entire age range. She was for many years a visiting singing specialist in a London primary school working at Foundation, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 levels and leading voice care workshops for teachers. She has been a much sought-after adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals for more than 16 years.
String and Guitar classes will be adjudicated by Lesley Shrigley Jones on Sunday 13 May 2018
Lesley Shrigley Jones studied as a scholarship holder at the Royal Northern College of Music and at the Hochschule fur Music und Darsteliende Kunst, Stuttgart. After focussing on Baroque to Romantic music in Germany, Lesley became an established member of the avant garden chamber music group 'The Fires of London' directed by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Since then her broad vision of repertoire and skills has led to recitals and concerts throughout Europe and the UK. She has collaborated with dancers, organists, visual artists, film and choirs, and has included many first performances of new works. In tandem with her performance career, Lesley has established her reputation as a teacher, examiner, lecturer and mentor for ABRSM. She has adjudicated for the National Schools Chamber Music Competition, Jugend Musiksiert, London, and has been an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals since 2012. Her recordings include 'Cello in Song' with pianist Anthony Saunders, and 'This Holy Earth' with music by Charles Camillieri.