Instrumental Staff
- Centre Management Team
- Classical Music Staff
- Pop and Jazz Staff
- Music Technology Staff
- Performing Arts Staff
- Academic Support Staff
- Technical Support Staff
- Instrumental Staff
- Vocal Staff
HEAD OF PERFORMANCE STUDIES/CLARINET
Charles Hine
ARAM, DipRAM, LRAM, PGCE
Charles Hine is a prize-winning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music. He has achieved distinction as a solo and orchestral clarinettist as well as being a founder member of the Vega Wind Quintet. Charles has also developed a career as a conductor of Wind Orchestras and other groups including the British Clarinet Ensemble. He has taught in a wide range of educational establishments including posts in Rome, the Cairo Conservatoire and the Royal College of Music.
HEAD OF KEYBOARD STUDIES/PIANO
Lesley Young
MMus, BMus, ARCM, LMusA, AMusA, PGCE
A prize winner in national and international piano competitions both at home and abroad, Australian pianist Lesley Young has combined a performing career spanning three continents with teaching, examining and adjudicating, and also commissioned a number of new works. Her specialist research interests include 19th century piano music, Australian composers, the music of George Gershwin, and the cognitive psychology of music. Following a music lectureship at James Cook University, and Head of Keyboard Studies at Colchester Institute since 1995, Lesley lectures on the MA, BA(Hons) and ND music programmes in research, music literature and performance.
HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY STRINGS/GUITARS
Tim Pells
BA, ARAM, LRAM, PGCE
Tim is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (BA ’77), The Banff School of Fine Arts (Jazz Performance), and the Royal Academy of Music (Performer’s and Advanced Courses). He was Guitar Organiser for the Inner London Education Authority from 1983 to 1990 and has worked in every level of music education since 1969. Tim is Mentor for Guitar on the National Certificate of Teaching course run by the Associated Board (CT-ABRSM), and Head of Guitar at the London Centre for Young Musicians. He has performed and recorded worldwide with the English Guitar Quartet, and current projects include commissioning new pieces for the Quartet. He performs with Andrew Allen in the Gemini Duo, accompanies soprano Elizabeth Clarke and cellist Sylvia Moore, and performs with Ramon Goose in an acoustic clues duo.
HEAD OF JAZZ STUDIES/SAXOPHONES
Malcolm Miles
GDLM, Cert Adv Studies, Cert Ed
Malcolm’s specialism as a jazz educator is supported by a wide range of experience and abilities including performance and composition. Having taught music at all levels, he now focuses on higher education, lecturing at Guildhall School of Music & Drama as well as Colchester Institute. Malcolm has compositions and arrangements published by Camden Music, ABRSM and Stainer & Bell. Current musical projects include Referential Treatment, an innovative collaboration with Andrew Allen that explores improvised electro-acoustic music.
BASS GUITAR
Jack Monck
Jack is an experienced freelance bass player, who leads the UK/NL funk-jazz-Latin group The Relatives, which he co-formed in 1988. In 1995 he co-formed the dance/fusion group Momo with Lahcen Lahbib and Farid Nainia, performing extensively in London and across the UK festival scene. In addition to teaching bass in the area he is the bass guitar tutor at the Centre for Young Musicians, London and, in 1999, qualified as an Access to Music Instrumental Music Facilitator. His new release “Trans Europ Connection” was released in 2007 by The Relatives, who performed as part of the Swinburne Hall Concert Series in October 2008.
BASSOON
David Miles
GRSM, ARMCM
David was trained at the Royal Manchester College of Music and has been the principal bassoonist with the Royal Ballet, Welsh National Opera and the All Maser Symphony and Chamber Opera Orchestras. He has taught bassoon at Colchester Institute since 1995.
BRASS
Geoff Harniess
Geoffrey Harniess studied at the Colchester Institute School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the National Centre for Orchestral Studies. As a freelance trumpet player he has worked with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, ensembles and theatre companies, and is a member of the Amsterdam based Orchestra of the 18th Century. He is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Head of Brass/ Curriculum Manager for London’s Centre for Young Musicians.
DRUM KIT AND PERCUSSION
Michael Allen
BMus, Mmus, MMp
Michael studied percussion, drums and piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was awarded a student fellowship in 2007. Michael works across the UK and Europe as a drummer and percussionist with groups such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Birmingham Opera, Sinfonia 21, European Academies Symphony Orchestra. His recording credits include the world premiere recording of Parabola Concertante by Rodion Schedrin as soloist alongside the world renowned cellist Raphael Walfisch and a solo recital for the Performance Channel.
DRUM KIT AND PERCUSSION
George Double
PGCE, BA (Hons)
A national finalist in the Daily Telegraph’s Young Jazz 1989, George read Music at the University of Nottingham. West End and touring credits include Guys and Dolls, Avenue Q, Sinatra, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Anything Goes, Chicago Annie Get Your Gun, La Cage aux Folles, Chasing Fate and Godspell. Freelance credits include work for EMI, Polygram, London and Talkin’ Loud records, Kym Mazelle, Claire Sweeney, Matthew Herbert, The Memphis Belle Swing Orchestra, British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, The Beauty Room and Herbie Flowers. He has also appeared at both Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals and on radio sessions for John Peel and Gilles Peterson on Radio 1, Sean Hughes, Robert Elms, Gideon Coe and the Drivetime Show on BBC London, XFM and local stations. George has contributed articles to the New Grove Dictionary of Music, including the entry of drummer Billy Cobham and four of his compositions are in the lists of the current Trinity Guildhall drum kit syllabus.
DRUM KIT
Jamie Trowell
BA (Hons)
Trained at the University of York, Jamie is a freelance drummer and percussionist based in London, with extensive experience of live and studio work across jazz, show, pop, rock, latin, dance and classical genres. He has worked for the Live Music Now scheme with his jazz quartet - involving performing, demonstrating instruments and running workshops for individuals who would not otherwise be able to hear live music or have access to instruments. Jamie is a drum/ percussion teacher, working both privately and in schools and colleges and teaching adults and children, beginners to advanced level.
FLUTE
Robin Soldan
BA (Hons), LTCL, ARCM
Robin was trained at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music. Amongst other roles he is the Education Representative on the Council of the British Flute Society and initiated, and organised, seven residential courses for flute teachers.
GUITAR
Tim Ainslie
Performing as many as 250 dates per year, Tim has created a reputation as one of the most exciting and versatile performers around. From playing in bands such as Swagger, Groove Doctors and Steel Street, to special duo or guest performances, Tim guarantees to keep the customers satisfied. As a guitarist, Tim can cut it with the best, but it is to hear his unique blues funk style that audiences return time and time again. Tim has guested at several national blues festivals and received critical acclaim from Radio 2's Paul Jones and BBC blues specialist Stephen Foster. The time spent studying under Michael Hanson has also developed Tim into a great jazz guitarist, leading to performances at jazz clubs, restaurants and functions across the UK and Europe.
GUITAR
Danny Ansell
BA(Hons)
Danny is a professional guitarist who also teaches popular music courses at Harlow Technical College.
GUITAR
Jim Davies
BA (Hons)
After achieving his 'big break' whilst studying for a BA (Hons) in Politics at Staffordshire University, Jim completed his coursework whilst headlining at Glastonbury with The Prodigy, during the height of their success in the 1990s. Jim continued his success in the music industry, touring worldwide with his band Pitch Shifter, who headlined at the Reading Festival, Oz Fest, Big Day Out and the Vanswarpped Tour across Europe. He has also supported popular bands Incubus, the Deftones and Korn. Although Jim now spends less time touring worldwide, he remains involved in the music industry, writing music for bands, films and computer games when not teaching on the popular music courses at Colchester Institute.
GUITAR
Ramon Gasewicz
BA (Hons)
Ramon started out with British band Nublues as guitarist, chief songwriter and producer. The band has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide of the debut album "Dreams Of A Blues Man" (released on Dixiefrog Records in Europe, 21st Century Blues Records in New Orleans, USA and published by Metisse Music) and has toured all over Europe with the likes of Eric Burdon, The Blind Boys of Alabama and and performed with James Brown’s bandleader Pee Wee Ellis. After a short stint with American bluesman Eric Bibb’s band, Ramon went on to produce, perform on and co-write critically acclaimed albums for Boo Boo Davis (Mississippi Blues artist) and Billy Jones (based in Arkansas) both on the Black and Tan Records label. Recent projects have included performing alongside Hilaire Chaby-Hary (Baaba Mal) and Diabel Cissokho (Baaba Mal). Ramon is currently working on his first solo release and touring with his band which include Akos Hasznos on bass and Eric Ford on Drums.
GUITAR
Charles Hedger
BA, Adv Dip
Trained at the Colchester Institute and at Thames Valley University, Charles has performed regularly as a guitarist with the “Cradle of Filth” rock band and has taught guitar since 2003.
GUITAR
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is one of his generation’s foremost contemporary guitarists and multi instrumentalists. He has worked with some of today’s most prominent musicians and composers performing in concerts, recordings and broadcasts internationally with, amongst others: the London Sinfonietta, LSO, BBCSO, the Nash Ensemble. He has premiered works by Sir Michael Tippett, Mark Anthony Turnage, John Adams and Hans Werner Henze. As a composer, he has performed and broadcast his own works in the UK, USA, France, Sweden and Finland.
OBOE
Janet Brook
GMus, LTCL, FTCL
Trained at Trinity College and the Colchester Institute, Janet has been a professional oboist and teacher for over 20 years and worked as the oboe specialist for Howorth.
ORGAN
Chris Phelps
Kappelmeister Diplom (Vienna), FRCO(Chm), GRSM, LRAM, ARCM
Chris Phelps trained at the Royal College of Music and the Acadamie für Musik in Vienna and was a senior lecturer and course leader for CMPA until his retirement from academic teaching in 2006. He is a renowned conductor and has been awarded the following prizes: the Deuxieme Mention in the Concours International de Jeunes Chefs d’Orchestre (Besançon 1970), The Dirigentenpreis von Radio Salzburg at the International Sommer-Akademie (Salzburg 1970) and the Turpin prize for FRCO. In addition, he came joint second with Gillian Weir in the Walford Davies Competition at the Royal College of Music. Chris is currently Musical Director for the Hadleigh Choral Society, the Kelvedon Singers and the Colchester Symphony Orchestra, for which he has recently premiered new orchestrations of favourite works including Pictures at an Exhibition.
PIANO (JAZZ)
Chris Burn
MMus, BMus
Chris is a freelance jazz pianist, trumpeter, composer, conductor, arranger and lecturer with over 20 albums to his credit. He often performs in concerts and festivals in the UK, mainland Europe and North America and regularly appears on national radio and TV broadcasts.
SAXOPHONE / CLARINET
Jeffery Wilson
GRSM (Hons), Cert RCM, Diploma (Paris Conservatoire)
Jeffery teaches saxophone and is Professor of Composition, Junior and Senior at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is the Supervisor of the Music Faculty at Cambridge University and is also a Visiting Lecturer in Saxophone, Composing and special projects at the Utrealt Conservatoire.
