Adjudicators

Instrumental Music

Adjudicator: Dr Jonathan James

Dr Jonathan James is a music educator, conductor and founder-director of the Bristol Pre-Conservatoire, which he ran for 13 years. His wider education work involves lectures, pre-concert talks, professional training and creative workshops. As a presenter and conductor he has worked at all the major UK concert venues, as well as on BBC radio 3, and for many orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where he has been an Associate for 10 years.

Keyboard Music

Adjudicator: Susan James MA(Cantab),MA(OU),ARCM,PgDip(RCM), CT ABRSM,LRSM

Susan attended the Trinity College of Music Junior Department for ten years, then continued her studies at Cambridge and successfully completed a Post-graduate Diploma in performance at the Royal College of Music.

She has appeared at many major London concert venues and throughout the country as a soloist, accompanist and given concerto performances in Harrow and Lincoln.

Susan teaches at Merchant Taylor’s School and Latymer Upper School and the Royal Masonic School for Girls and is London based. She examines for the Associated Board in the UK and internationally and is an adjudicator for The British and International Federation of Festivals.

Susan has had three articles about teaching techniques published in the Music Teacher magazine and has published her own music theory book to help students prepare for their grade 5 theory exams.

Singing

Adjudicator: Lin Marsh FISM MA(Perf. Arts) GTCL PGCE

Lin Marsh trained at Trinity College of Music and London University, later gaining an MA with Distinction in Performance Arts at Middlesex University. She has worked extensively in music education in all sectors and has worked with organisations such as the London Mozart Players,  Birmingham Symphony Hall Education, The Royal Opera House Education department, Glyndebourne Education, Opera North and Youth Music Theatre UK As a voice specialist, Lin works throughout the country running courses for teachers on singing, performance and composing skills, and directs many choral events for all key stages as well as adjudicating festivals.

Her songbook series for secondary and primary schools “SONGSCAPE” and “JUNIOR SONGSCAPE” are published by Faber Music as well as many songs used in ABRSM singing examinations. Lin works on many commissions for young people, composing both choral works and music theatre pieces, and worked for the National Youth Music Theatre as a musical director for many workshops and productions including The Ballad of Salomon Pavey at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Her piece THE WILD SWANS for the Halle Children’s Choir and orchestra was commissioned and performed in Manchester in June 2014.

Lin is much in demand for vocal coaching linked to Music Theatre singing and works both in the UK and abroad with groups of teachers and young performers. Her book “The Show Must Go On” co-written with Wendy Cook is a hand book for teachers giving advice on Music Theatre skills and the process of rehearsal to performance. Their piece “TORCHBEARERS” was selected as a finalist in the Vivian Ellis awards 2000 and is also published by Faber Music.

Lin worked as Advisory teacher of Music in Oxfordshire for 10 years and is regularly invited to contribute to National education events such as The National and Scottish Association of Music Educators conferences and organisations such as The Association of British Choral Directors, Schools Music Association and Youth Music. For the last 5 years, she has been  working for the British Council as a World Voice Trainer in Jordan, Cyprus, Ethiopia and Lebanon.

When Lin is not working, she is spending time with her three grown-up children: Natasha Marsh soprano, Ben Marsh Senior Lecturer Uni of Kent (since Covid, now known as the Marsh family from Faversham!) and Dominic Marsh actor and singer. Not to mention ten wonderful grandchildren who all sing with great enthusiasm. Sometimes, her musician husband John even gets a look in!

Speech & Drama

Adjudicator: Vivienne Cunningham LGSM

Vivienne trained with John Holgate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and worked professionally in Theatre and Television. She has taught Speech and drama, Public Speaking, and Performance Techniques to all ages, both privately and in schools and colleges. Many of her pupils have achieved success in the Theatre, Television and Film industry, others have become teachers themselves. She worked for many years as Head of Drama at a school where the Drama Department established a strong reputation, winning numerous awards nationally and staging ambitious productions in the school’s state of the art theatre.

She was an examiner for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the English Speaking Union but now particularly enjoys working as an adjudicator for The British and International Federation of Festivals. Having competed in festivals since the age of four, entered numerous students and worked as a Convener, she now takes delight in encouraging students to share their work with an audience and experience the joy of performance.

Vivienne particularly enjoys writing plays and poetry and then watching them come alive on stage.

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