Adults

I am a professional musical director and composer, specialising primarily in tonal music and soundscape design. My works are rather eclectic, in that there is no commonly occurring theme amongst them in terms of style or genre. Having had the opportunity to gain plenty of experience from working in my specialist field whilst studying for my bachelors degree, I have rapidly acquired a vast amount of skills and music-related knowledge, particularly from a creative and performance-related perspective.

Primarily a skilled pianist, I have been fortunate enough to tour with various ensembles, performing in countries across Europe and the Caribbean, on renowned stages such as the Royal Albert Hall and ITV's “The X Factor”.

With an advanced understanding of the capabilities of varying instruments, I am capable of operating within any musical genre to a high level of proficiency, as well as directing performers and ensembles in the same manner.

Thanks to years of experience in learning to operate music production software such as Logic Pro (and Pro Tools), I am fully adept at autonomously carrying out the recording process by way of digital production, an invaluable skill in this modern age of music. My experience in teaching and tutoring various students has greatly aided my ability to communicate ideas in a clear, comprehensible manner, a skill which further qualifies me as a capable director, along with my immediate work history in musical theatre.

www.nelsonmusic.co.uk 

Becca is a professional vocalist based in London. Having studied with tutors from both the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Becca's music combines an original style with a fresh approach to vocal musicianship.

In 2018 she released the self-promoted duo EP with pianist Tom Harris, wilkins/harris, with an accompanying UK tour the same year. This tour took this collaborative original music to venues including the Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zédel, Cherry Red’s in Birmingham, and in support of renowned musicians, such as Daniel Erdmann’s Velvet Revolution. In 2019 this project also played to great acclaim at the Lescar, and most notably, as a support slot for Kandace Springs at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Tony Dudley Evans has described this project as having ‘a real energy and joy in their performances and I believe that they will always captivate audiences'.

A highly flexible musician, Becca’s projects range from artful storytelling and sensitive textural vocals to energetic showmanship and commanding extemporisation. She can also be found performing as the front-woman of energetic, brass-fuelled jazz-pop fusion band, Argle Bargle, and dynamic function bands Mirror and The Distractions. Read more about Becca’s projects here.

Having studied with some of the UK’s most prolific jazz vocalists, including Sara Colman, Brigitte Beraha and Tina May, Becca has a technical command over her own voice and a clear artistic vision. Her influences range from Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan to Gretchen Parlato and Cécile McClorin Salvant.

Not only has Becca worked extensively on her own projects, but she is a keen collaborator, having worked at length with the composer and saxophonist Olivia Murphy. In March 2019 Murphy released her EP afterglow of a dream suite, which featured Becca in the unique frontline of vocals, saxophone (Murphy) and trombone (Joe Carnell). The music featured voice as a dynamic instrument, in gymnastic unison melodies, rich three-part writing and captivating free improvisation.

Murphy has since created a new suite of music with Wilkins, alongside pianist Olly Chalk. Tomorrow Songs is a suite of compositions written over lockdown that showcase Becca’s voice in intimate ballads such as ‘There is a Hill’ and dramatic rhythmic compositions; ‘mermaid’, ‘clouds’ alongside the talents of her fellow bandmates. Becca also contributed extensive vocal FX to this music, a defining feature of this trio’s musical output. Tomorrow Songs was debuted in a live stream in collaboration with Stoney Lane Records and Jazzwise Magazine in August 2020.

This use of FX led to Becca being shortlisted alongside six contemporary vocalists in jazz from around Europe for her use of vocal processors in live performance, and she continues to pursue this artistic avenue in her most recent project, Gestalt. This project features some of the UK’s brightest young talents, providing ‘a powerful accompaniment to Becca’s intimate lyrics and vocal textures, effortlessly shifting from abrasive electronic soundscapes to gentle piano textures and everything in between’. This project showcased their set of brand-new compositions to an eager audience at a Jazzlines free gig at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, in late 2019, and are soon to be rescheduled for their cancelled booking at the Vortex Jazz Club.

Both creative and driven, Becca continues to pursue new musical routes of expression, showcased in her latest projects and collaborations. This young musician has a lot to offer and will surely be making waves over the coming years.

Jazz pianist Joe plays the swinging styles of mainstream, bebop & cool jazz, interspersed with blues, funk, stride and soul. He is equally happy teaching traditional piano as well as more modern idioms, including pop and improvisation. He performs frequently in many London hotels and clubs (The Dorchester, Claridges, The Langham & The Four Seasons etc) as lounge pianist and in jazz groups. Joe has worked and toured extensively in four of the five continents, accompanies several choirs, runs workshops and particularly enjoys working with singers. He is a UCL Philosophy graduate and majored in Aesthetics (in particular studying how music and the emotions are connected).

Sam enjoys playing and performing a wide variety of music and therefore sees percussion as a discipline well suited to himself. He has been fortunate to have performance experience in a wide spectrum of music, from playing in an orchestral setting to playing with the Box 9 drumline at the last Rugby World Cup. 

Having started percussion education aged seven with a peripatetic teacher, Samuel quickly progressed and was offered a place at the Birmingham conservatoire where he then remained for seven years. In this time, he also played in the National Children’s Orchestra, learning the fundamental skills of orchestral section playing and musicianship.

These experiences combined led to Samuel gaining a place as a specialist musician at Wells Cathedral school. Here, he had chance to play with many different ensembles, learning vital experience in performing with others in many different settings such as orchestras, big band and the PH7 drumline. Wells also offered the chance to go on percussion tours to both Budapest and Hong Kong. It was here, while working with classes of disabled children, Samuel discovered a passion for teaching, and the extra challenge of working with autistic and hearing-impaired children only inspired him more. 

While at Wells, Samuel then gained a place to study at the Royal College of Music as a scholar supported by a Douglas and Hilda Simmonds award. The RCM provides Samuel with opportunities in a very wide range of different musical activities, and being in London means he performs as an orchestral percussionist and among other things has played at the Rugby World Cup Final with the Box 9 drumline. More recently, he has enjoyed working with composers Steve Reich and David Lang in performances at the RCM.

After graduating from the RCM, Samuel intends to continue with his broad musical interests and hopes to pursue a career that involves a wide variety of music in both performance and education.

Alex is an enthusiastic teacher with experience in all ages and abilities. She also freelances around the UK, playing with a variety of orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra. 

She is a recent graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she received her Masters in Orchestral Artistry and studied with Gareth Davies, Philippa Davies, Ian Clarke and Christopher Green. Previous to this, she gained a scholarship to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for undergraduate, learning predominantly with Sarah Newbold, where she played with all the colleges ensembles and reached the final of the concerto competition in 2014. 

She is a founding member of the Vesta Trio who are recent recipients of the Cardiff Violins Chamber Prize and finalists of the McGrenary Chamber Competition. In 2017, they were accepted onto the Live Music Now scheme and give frequent performances and workshops. They also represent Music in Hospitals & Care across England and Wales.

Alex is generously supported by the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.

Olivia Murphy is a multi-instrumentalist and award-winning composer originally from Peterborough, U.K. Since graduating from the jazz course at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019, Olivia has become a regular saxophonist on the U.K scene, performing a wide range of music from large ensemble jazz with Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and original compositions with her own sextet, to free jazz with Steve Tromans and disco with Break Out Brass Band. Olivia holds the 2020 composer chair with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and is also regularly commissioned to work with various projects around Birmingham.

Thomas is currently in his final year studying in London, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His principal instrument is the recorder, but he is also a talented baroque flautist, as well as an early keyboards player.

As well as being a dedicated educator, he enjoys a busy schedule filled with exciting performance opportunities. Recent highlights have included playing in the ENO's Olivier Award winning production of ‘Noye’s Fludde’, as well as playing alongside members of The Academy of Ancient Music in a series of concerts and touring with Opera North as the Principal Recorder player for a production of ‘The Greek Passion’. He also successfully auditioned and completed the Wigmore Hall’s Chamber Tots scheme, leading educational workshops for toddler and young children.

Over the last three years, Thomas has taken part in lessons and masterclasses both as a soloist and as part of an ensemble with various people, such as Maurice Steger, Rachel Podger, Karel van Steenhoven and Dorothee Oberlinger. In his first year at GSMD he was selected to play the principal recorder part in the school’s opera; a production of ‘Venus and Adonis’ by John Blow, and has since been asked to play again for both Charpentier's 'Orphée descendant aux enfers' and Carissimi's 'Judicium Salomonis'. He has also toured across Austria and Switzerland as a member of the critically acclaimed ensemble Apollo's Cabinet, playing both the recorder and the harpsichord.

As well as performing, Thomas is a keen arranger and composer, and was commissioned by The Worshipful Company of Woodturners to compose a fanfare for the Lord Mayor of London, which he had the opportunity to perform and present to the Lord Mayor on multiple occasions.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCTXb2AZ3KYMie7EZR1yH4kg

Martin has had a wide and varied playing and teaching career spanning 20 years. His playing ranges in style from classical to rock though blues and jazz. Martin studied at the London College of Music, achieving an ALCM and LLCM. Since then his playing has taken him to the Greenwich, Cheltenham and Saddleworth Festivals.

Martin has also played on BBC Radio, Shanghai Television, the Amsterdam Hilton and for various West End shows. He has also been involved in producing tapes for education.

Bob is a Specialist Tuba Teacher, but can offer lessons in Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone, Euphonium, Baritone Horn, Tenor Horn, Trumpet/Cornet/Flugel Horn and even Ophicleide to a high level! 

Bob started playing Tuba at school at 12 years old. Soon after he started he joined Birmingham Schools Ensembles, he became Principal Tuba in both Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Schools Brass Band. After he left school he took a gap year to work and pursue adult ensembles including the Langley Band, during which he became Principal Tuba of the National Youth Wind Orchestra Of Great Britain as well as doing a late audition for Birmingham Conservatoire where he was offered a place to study under Graham Sibley, David Gordon-Shute and Stuart Birnie, and later Bass Trombone under Bob Hughes and David Vines.
 
Whilst at college he became Principal Tuba of the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Orchestra and in his final year he was a finalist in the Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Prize, Bernard Brown Prize, and Ambache Prize, being the only brass player to reach the latter.
 
Bob now regularly plays Tuba with the famous Hosen Brass Band, of which he is the pioneer, and has been seen playing on various TV and Radio broadcasts including Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, Don’t Tell The Bride, BBC’s ‘Good Omens’ (to be released later in 2018), ITV, various BBC Radio programmes and Free Radio Birmingham. Bob is a member of the Trans-Siberian March Band, Mow The Brass, Shatterproof Brass Band and The Hamiltons as well as working with high profile jazz artists such as Emma Hamilton and Thomas Hamilton. Bob has recorded with film music composer Al Joshua on the film soundtrack to ‘Set The Thames On Fire’ which plays host to actors such as Noel Fielding and Sadie Frost, as well as with The Hamiltons and Bandini on both Tuba and Trombone. His other freelance work includes Hackney Colliery Band, Royal Shakespeare Company and Decibel Contemporary Music Ensemble and has played at many prestigious venues and festivals including Symphony Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Etihad Stadium, Beautiful Days’ Festival, Boomtown Fair, Wilderness Festival and Saffron Walden’s 8 Day Weekend Festival. Bob has also recorded at Air Studios in Hampstead for a variety of projects. 
 
In 2012 Bob performed the European Premier of Barbara York’s Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra ‘Wars and Rumors of War’ with Halesowen Symphony Orchestra, and regularly performs solo recitals.
 
As well as Tuba, Bob also freelances on Tenor and Bass Trombone, Euphonium and Ophicleide as well as doing some freelance conducting and arranging work. His Trombone work includes Brass Ensemble and Big Band work as well as Royal Shakespeare Company on Euphonium, and his conducting experience ranges from Chamber Music to Brass Bands and Concert Bands. Bob is an in house arranger for Hosen Brass and currently has two arrangements published with Warwick Music Publishing.

Anna was born in London and began learning the cello at the Bromley Youth Music Trust when she was 7. Later as principal cellist of their Symphony and Chamber Orchestras she won the National Festival of Music for Youth and toured throughout Europe and Canada giving televised performances. During her early studies she performed at the Wigmore Hall, London and sang at St Mark’s Basilica, Venice. Whilst at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama she performed several times on BBC Radio 3, including at a Barbican festival of the works of Elliot Carter. Here she developed her long-standing interest in contemporary music, furthered by performing works by Frank Martin with the LPO Future Firsts at the Purcell Room, London. She continues to explore the 20th century and contemporary repertoire of the cello alongside an interest in the early repertoire of this instrument and the voice.

Chamber music performances have taken her across Europe, Africa and many times to the US where she has performed on radio and television. She performs with HarmonieMusik, the Rosamunde String Quartet and the Rubenstein Ensemble; and has toured in the UK and Sweden performing JS Bach’s solo suites for cello and contemporary cello works. In 2019 she performed at Tchaikovsky Great Hall, Moscow with the English Philharmonia.

A passion for early music, folk music and historical performance practice has led Anna to perform on various early instruments – baroque cello, viola da gamba, nyckelharpa and hurdy gurdy. She recently gave the premiere of two arias by Vivaldi on BBC 1’s ‘Britain’s Hidden Heritage’ and performs with Les Bougies Baroque.

Anna is the musical director of early music/folk ensemble ‘Wilde Roses’ with whom she sings and performs on various early instruments. The group’s debut album ‘Wilde Roses’ was released to critical claim in 2018 and their second album ‘Woven’ is due for release in autumn 2020 on the Rubicon Classics label.

“Gorgeous track…Gosh that’s amazing” Genevieve Tudor, BBC radio

“hypnotic and compelling, the work requiring fine accuracy of both pitch and timing which the pair pull off seemingly effortlessly” Fatea

“an extraordinary vocal performance…The instrumental work is excellent and cleverly arranged” Folking

“they pull you inexorably into a delicate fabric of instruments and voices…From any perspective, with this album they have more than achieved their objective” FolkWords

Follow Anna's YouTube channel.