Artistic Director

MA (Cantab.), MPerf, Winston Churchill Fellow

Following an English Degree and choral scholarship from Selwyn College, Cambridge Tertia studied singing at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Northern College of Music reaching the final of the acclaimed Kathleen Ferrier Competition. Her performance career included working with Glyndebourne Opera and Tour, Opera North and premiering the role of Diana in Jonathan Dove’s Siren Song for Almeida Opera alongside appearing as an oratorio soloist around the UK and giving several lieder recitals. Following a Winston Churchill Fellowship to research Opera Education in the United States, she concentrated on working in music education in a range of artistic and managerial roles. Tertia was Artistic Director and librettist for HMDT Music’s international Holocaust project Hear Our Voice, which toured to Nürnberg and Prague in 2006 and our First World War project Trench Brothers winner of Excellence in Musical Theatre (Music and Drama Awards). She led The Music Box under 5s programme for over 15 years contributing lyrics and vocals to Songs to get you through the Day. As Artistic Director of Can Sing! Tertia’s role includes conducting, vocal coaching, writing lyrics and devising shows as well as overseeing the larger-scale productions including revivals of HMDT Music’s opera commissions for schools.

Choreographer

Emily discovered her love of dance at Hurst Lodge School in Ascot and continued her training at The Arts Educational School and then University of Surrey Roehampton gaining her ISTD Modern Dance Associate and a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Since graduating she has worked as a freelance teacher and choreographer for many companies, schools and dance studios in the UK and abroad including We Love To Dance, Surrey; The School of Ballet Theatre UK, Leicestershire; REDEd, Australia; Long Lake Camp for the Arts, New York and Pineapple Dance Studios, London. Emily loves all forms of dance especially jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet and tap. As a dancer Emily has worked on tour and in the West End in shows including The Snowman (Dance Captain for London, Korean tour); The Merry Widow (English National Opera); The 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony with Darcy Bussell; The Soldier’s Tale with Fews Ensemble & Ciarán Hinds (Ireland) Her film credits include: Connect (BAFTA Nominated Short Film) Emily has a passion for choreography and enjoys bringing this into her classes along with her experience from the stage. She is delighted to be teaching for HMDT and looks forward to enjoying the joy of dance and movement with you!

Director

Javi is a London-based director and theatrical facilitator specialising in youth-led productions. He has directed for the Young Company at Young Actors Theatre Islington, where his recent work includes Normalised (NT Connections, Kiln Theatre) and As We Face the Sun. With a background in performance and training from Bodens College and the London Meisner Company, Javi brings a strong focus on storytelling, ensemble work, and actor development. He is passionate about creating supportive, structured rehearsal environments where young performers can thrive.

Accompanist and Piano Coach

MA (Cantab.), MPerf

Alistair is a pianist and conductor hailing from Cumbria, and is a Young Artist repetiteur at the National Opera Studio for 2024/25. He completed his Master’s studies as a repetiteur at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2023, and later continued at the same as a Junior Fellow of the opera department. Previously he graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. As a freelance repetiteur he has worked at the Royal Ballet and Opera (on Sarah Angliss's GIANT in the Linbury Theatre), and for various companies including Birmingham Opera Company, Cardiff Opera and Cumbria Opera Group. In 2026 he will join Grange Park Opera on their production of Das Rheingold. As a piano teacher Alistair has worked both as a freelancer and with HMDT since 2022.

Accompanist and Piano Coach

Arianna Congedi is an Italian pianist and repetiteur currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Arianna is a 2024 Repetiteur Fellow of the Georg Solti Accademia, where she worked with Jonathan Papp, Anthony Legge, and Richard Bonynge. She is a scholarship holder of the Hirschmann foundation Switzerland for outstanding academic achievements and social engagement, as well as 2024 award recipient of the International Opera Awards Foundation.

She recently made her conducting debut in London, performing Don Giovanni and Händel’s Teseo with the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra.

Arianna has been invited to work as rehearsal pianist and coaching assistant for various productions, including Alcina, Larmes du Couteau/Alexandre bis, Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen, Dido and Aeneas, and Die Fledermaus. 

For her musical theatre "Nonna starb an einem Freitag", which intertwined opera scenes by Ligeti and Eötvös with her play script, Arianna received the ZHdK promotional award. In 2023, alongside Jonas Füllemann as sound/visual programmer, Arianna staged and performed K. Stockhausens Klavierstück XIII: Luzifers Traum using machine learning to augment the perception of the piece.

BMus(Hons.)  GSMD

Instruments: Flute, Violin, Piano Ensembles: Fledglings, Yellow Ensemble, Orchestra, Theory 

Vahan studied Classical Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with second study flute, graduating in 2015. During this time, he was composer-in-residence for the Norwich Centre for Young Musicians as part of the CYM’s outreach program and continues to be a passionate music educator- having worked for the pioneering Every Child a Musician program in Newham and as a lead tutor with Hackney Music Service, HMDT Music and workshop leader with English Touring Opera. Often working in music for stage, Vahan’s work in opera and music theatre has earned him a British New Music Theatre nomination, an RPS Inspire award and been shortlisted for the Fedora Prize. His work has been performed in venues as diverse as the Barbican, The Copeland Gallery, The Royal Institute of Psychologists, Buckingham Palace, EGG Nightclub, the National Flute Association Convention in the USA and also broadcast on BBC4.

BMus(Hons.) GSMD, MMus 

Instruments: Flute

Nicola is a Scottish flautist and educator currently based in London. She began her musical education at the Junior Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before obtaining a BMus (Hons) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating from GSMD, she moved to the Netherlands to study for a Masters degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the class of Kersten McCall. Whilst there, she developed a particular interest in contemporary music, getting the opportunity to perform the European premiere of a new concerto for glissando flute in TivoliVredenburg and winning the 2024 Belle van Zuylen Prize awarded to the best performance research project in the Netherlands and Belgium for her thesis on the intersection between Japanese shakuhachi flute and contemporary flute repertoire. Having developed her orchestral playing in ensembles such as the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra and Chipping Campden Festival Academy Orchestra, she now performs regularly in orchestras and ensembles across the UK and Europe including with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Camerata and the Orchestra of Opera Baugé. She is also an experienced educator, working with flute students of all ages and abilities for over a decade and holding positions with the Music in Secondary Schools Trust and Southwark Music Service. 

Incoming Bio 

BMus(Hons.), MMus.

Instruments: Bassoon, Piano, Cello Ensembles: Green Wind & Brass, Yellow Ensemble, Orchestra, Theory 

Lucy Gibson is a Scottish bassoonist who completed her BMus (Hons) with First Class honours and a Concert Recital Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2021, followed by an MMus with distinction in 2023. She was the Bassoon Foyle Future First with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2023–24 season.

Lucy has performed with leading UK ensembles including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Royal Northern Sinfonia. She is also committed to outreach and education, having taken part in workshops and community projects with LPO Education & Community and RPO Resound.

Since 2022, Lucy has taught at HMDT Music, and in 2025 she served as a bassoon teacher with Redbridge Music Service. She also teaches bassoon privately. 

When not playing, Lucy is often spending time with dogs or watching game shows. 

Instruments: Trumpet, Trombone 

Olivia Wild is an ABRSM scholar at the Royal College of Music where she passionately explores all the different realms of the trumpet studying with Kate Moore, Mark Calder and Alan Thomas. Alongside studying the modern trumpet she recently discovered her love for the natural trumpet which she now studies as a related study under Paul Sharp. Olivia enjoys enchanting audiences with her “angelic tone and musicality” and has recently enjoyed doing so at the Royal Albert Hall in 2022 where she performed a solo to an audience of thousands. Already in demand across London as a tutor with a strong pedagogy, Olivia teaches at WorldHeartBeat and HMDT Music’s Saturday Programme. 

BMus(Hons.) GSMD

Instruments: Tuba, Trombone, Trumpet, Piano  Ensembles: Mini 1 instrumental, Blue Brass

Annie Morris is a freelance tuba/sousaphone player and educator from Shropshire. She is an alumni of Chethams School of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she finished her undergraduate degree in classical Tuba performance. 

Annie is a performer who enjoys playing a wide variety of genres and styles and can frequently be seen performing with various ensembles and orchestras at venues such as The Vortex, Pizza Express Jazz Club, the Blues Kitchen, Premiere League football stadiums and even the O2 Arena! As an educator Annie has been a tutor with The Brass Academy since 2022, and is a brass teacher with Redbridge Music Service, and teaches at HMDT Music’s Saturday Programme where she also works with Music Treehouse. 

BMus(Hons.)

Instruments: Violin  Ensembles: Blue Strings 

Incoming Bio

BMus(Hons.) GSMD

Instruments: Violin, Piano. Ensembles: Green Strings 

Jade recently received her BMus (Hons) degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she focused her studies on piano performance. As a multi-instrumentalist, she has gained extensive experience performing both as a soloist and a collaborative musician, participating in numerous chamber groups and orchestras with the piano, violin, and tuba. In addition to her performance experience, Jade has worked as an accompanist for both professional and student recitals and examinations, as well as volunteering for the Dame Alice Owen’s School music department, where she served as a teaching assistant, accompanist, and mentor for the music students.

BMus(Hons.)

Instruments: Cello

Kate began studying the cello at the age of seven, and at the age of ten received a scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior Department, where she was awarded the String Prize in her final year. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music under Paul Watkins and Josephine Knight, and graduated in 2004 with a first class honours degree. Kate is an experienced soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and has given recitals and workshops around England and across the world. Kate also loves jazz and pop music, and has her own Jazz trio. She has performed on the Parkinson show, Top of the Pops, CDUK and the X Factor, and has toured with Sir Elton John. She also works as a session musician and has performed on film soundtracks and commercial recordings. Kate is an experienced teacher with a long waiting list for private students. She was cello coach for the Bedfordshire Youth Training Orchestra for several years, and currently teaches cello and musicianship for the Milton Keynes Music Service as well as her work at HMDT Music.

BMus(Hons.), MPerf

Instruments: Percussion, Piano

Vilhelms Patriks Skabardis is an accomplished solo, chamber and orchestral percussion player. Originally from Latvia, now a UK resident for 8 years Vilhelms has performed multitude concerts and taken part in various festivals. Having won several prizes at the international music competitions – Fermo (1st prize) , such as the Nutcracker(Russia), Pendim (Bulgaria) , Olympo Musicale (1st prize, Lithuania) , National Latvian Percussion competition, two Southern Percussion prizes(1st prizes, UK) – Vilhelms got an opporutnity to perform in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, UK and the Netherlands. An RCM graduate with a Bachelors and Master of Performance in Marimba – Vilhelms has studied under tutelage of David Hockings, Daniella Ganeva, Callum Huggan, Marta Klimasara, She-e Wu amongst others. In addition to solo and orchestral performances Vilhelms is also an experienced percussion, drum kit, piano and musical theory teacher with years of experience co-leading and leading musical workshops and group activities.

Instruments: Guitar, Keyboard, Bass. Ensembles: Minors 

Riccardo is a guitar teacher/session musician based in London. He is very passionate musician who really loves and enjoys the educational side of Music. He has over 10 years of experience as a Guitar Teacher and currently works for a London-based music agency and with some online teaching platforms. As an active session musician, he has held residences at historic venues such as the famous Hard Rock Hotel in London. Riccardo always strives to share his passion, knowledge and love for Music and the Guitar, and aims to inspire students in their music making.

MA(Cantab.)

Instruments: Piano

Daniel has just began his postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where he learns piano with Tessa Nicholson. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, he performed frequently as a soloist and chamber musician, and held an Instrumental Award. A graduate of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, he took lessons with Murray McLachlan, and won the school concerto prize following a performance of Britten’s Piano concerto. Also active as a composer, his piece Fanfares was premiered by the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2019, after winning the previous year’s BBC Young Composer.

JJJA Founder and Artistic Director 

Hailed as one of the finest pianists to emerge this side of the Atlantic, for over two decades Julian Joseph has been a towering figure in contemporary jazz. A prodigious composer and arranger, an admired and respected bandleader, an inspirational collaborator and educator, and a highly knowledgeable and engaging broadcaster he is, essentially, a true champion of the music. As well as four albums and a mass of original material for small band, Julian has written a number of large-scale works for big band and symphony orchestra, including The Great Sage for big band and strings premiered at the 2002 London Jazz Festival, Mountain of Hope, The Reverend: Back Home to Glory, A Ballade of Love, Guardian Angel, and an arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for big band, premiered at the 2003 City of London Festival. Two movements of a 5-movement suite for orchestra, Symphonic Story: The Great Exception, have been performed by the Halle and BBC Concert orchestras. In 2007 Julian toured his first jazz opera, Bridgetower: A Fable of 1807. His collaborations with HMDT Music include his opera for children, Shadowball  (2010) his dance suite, The Brown Bomber (as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad) and Trench Brothers (2013), with composer Richard Taylor.

BA(Hons.)

CYMH Jazz Blues & Jazz Improv. JJJA Programme Manager & Coach 

Alex Thomas-French graduated with First Class Honours in Jazz and Popular Music from the University of Hull in 2011, where he discovered his passion for leading ensembles. During this time he conducted the University Orchestra, served as President of the University Big Band, and was Musical Director for various theatre productions. Upon graduation, he received the department’s ‘Special Prize in Music.’ Following his degree, Alex joined HMDT Music as Projects Assistant and, in 2013, became a founding faculty member of the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy (JJJA). Since then, Alex has taught under the mentorship of pianist and composer Julian Joseph and is now the Programme Manager at JJJA. He has worked alongside prominent UK and international jazz musicians, including Byron Wallen, Tony Kofi, Trevor Watkis, Jean Toussaint, Jonathan Gee, and Cleveland Watkiss. Since 2018, Alex has also run JJJA’s four-day holiday courses, bringing together young and aspiring musicians with experienced professionals to explore jazz at all levels, from beginner workshops to advanced Duke Ellington Big Band repertoire. Since 2016, Alex has taught at the World Heart Beat Music Academy, where he runs the ‘Jazz Roots’ programme, is Assistant MD for their flagship concert band ‘The 51st State Band,’ and is Music Director for ‘The 51st State Big Band.’ Alex is dedicated to guiding young musicians and creating strong, nurturing communities where players of all standards learn from and inspire each other.

JJJA Seniors Coach 

Bio incoming 

JJJA Seniors Coach 

After studying at Berklee, in the 1990s, Tony worked with The Jazz Warriors and Nu Troop as well as appearing in the front line of innumerable high profile musicians and groups and composed original music for his 10 piece group the Afro Jazz Family. The Tony Kofi Quartet is dedicated to bringing the music and genius of jazz legend Thelonious Monk to new audiences and its 2004 Album features a selection of Monk’s work. Other work in this period includes the Anglo-American Big Band and the Rivbea Orchestra and forming The Tony Kofi Trio + 1. Instrumentalist winner of the BBC Jazz Awards and Ensemble winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, Tony is the first UK artist to work with the World Saxophone Quartet and also works with Jamaaladeen Tacuma’s Coltrane Configurations Quartet, EKAYA with Abduallah Ibrahim in South Africa and the Trio Standard Time. He is committed to education work, both teaching and leading workshops on a regular basis.

JJJA Seniors Coach 

Bio incoming

MA (Cantab.)

Leader: TMB SEN/D, Saplings

As a singer and actor Tim performed principal roles for English National Opera, Opera Factory, English Touring Opera, Chichester Festival and Opera North. He has written and directed participatory projects for almost all the UK leading opera companies and orchestras. For English Touring Opera he has written the words for and directed many operas for young audiences, including In the Belly of the Horse, Different, This Is My Bed and, with composer Russell Hepplewhite, Shackleton’s Cat, Borka, and the award-winning Laika the Spacedog. With Woo Music he created Waxwings (revived in 2019), one of many such operas for audiences with autistic spectrum disorders. He has written a number of large-scale community operas, including One Day, Two Dawns in Cornwall (winner Royal Philharmonic Society Award), Under the Hammerbeam Rooffor Hampton Court, A House on the Moon and Zeppelin Dreams for the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. For the Casa da Musica in Porto he has devised Border Control, Icarus, Spirit Level, Curado, Gulag, and in 2018 Montanha. Each of these productions featured large mixed ability casts of professional and non-professional musicians, actors and dancers. He has been involved for the last 10 years with Turtle Song, a project for people living with dementia.

Musician: TMB SEN/D, Saplings

Tom Highnam is a Classical, Contemporary and Jazz percussionist based in London. He is a graduate a scholar of the Royal Academy of Music where he studied Classical Percussion and Timpani. During this time Tom explored many different areas of the classical world, from performing Baroque music to displaying brand new commissions. He has studied with some of the best percussionists in the UK, if not some of the best in the world, including Neil Percy, Simon Carrington, Bill Lockhart, Colin Currie, Eric Sammut, Joe Locke, Paul Clarvis and Dave Hassle to name a few.

Tom has worked with many notorious conductors as well during this time, including Semyon Bychkov where he performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Oliver Knussen, Edward Gardiner, Ryan Wigglesworth and many more. Before joining the Royal Academy as a scholar, Tom was a specialist musician at Wells Cathedral School, A specialist music school in Somerset. He was given many opportunities whilst at the school, including appearing on the television twice, firstly for an ITV show called Born to Shine which saw him teach former royal correspondent Jenny Bond to play percussion, before performing live on the ITV show. The second television appearance was after gaining a place in the percussion category final of BBC Young Musician of the Year, where he performed a short recital for the competition. Alongside these great experiences, Tom also travelled abroad with the school. Firstly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he performed at the Petronas Philharmonic hall at the base of the Petronas towers. He also travelled to Budapest where he worked with renowned percussion group Amadinda as well as performing at the British Embassy. And finally he toured to Hong Kong where he performed alongside students from the Hong Kong Music Academy. Whilst abroad he also took part in and helped lead workshops in schools for both able and handicapped children, providing vital experience in a field he is now passionate about. 

Leader: Trees, Cedar

Paul Griffiths is an internationally renowned music educationalist, project leader, composer and performer. His musical roots lie in jazz, rock and funk but through his work he has developed a unique artistic voice and flexible workshop style that transcends musical, social, cultural and age barriers. His work is underpinned by a commitment to providing high quality musical access to all and a profound understanding of the impact that creative arts work can have upon individuals and communities. He has over a quarter of a century’s experience of working in music, cross arts and trans cultural projects in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. These projects are conducted in conservatoires and music schools, arts centres and concert halls, primary and secondary schools, special needs schools, prisons and a multitude of diverse community settings. He works extensively in the field of training and professional development for musicians, artists, workshop leaders and teachers.

He successfully completed postgraduate studies on the pioneering Guildhall School of Music Performance and Communication Skills course in 1988. Since then he has worked with the majority of the preeminent London and UK based Symphony and Chamber Orchestras (LSO, LPO, RPO, BBC SO, Halle, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, CLS, NYO, Britten Sinfonia), Contemporary Music Ensembles (London Sinfonietta), Opera Companies (ENO, Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House), Arts Centres (South Bank Centre, Barbican, Sage Gateshead, Aldeburgh Young Musicians at Snape Maltings), Conservatoires (Guildhall, RCM, RNCM, Trinity) and International Festivals (BBC Proms, Huddersfield, Bath, Cheltenham, Lincoln, Lichfield, Dartington, London Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Salzburg, Abu Dhabi). He began teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1989 at undergraduate, postgraduate and masters levels and was a cornerstone figure within the acclaimed ‘GSMDBarbican ‘Connect’ project. This Department was the recipient of the ‘Queens Award for Services to Higher Education’ in 2006. He is a tutor on the GSMD Masters in Leadership course, Masters and Postgraduate elective courses, Undergraduate elective modules and Continuing Professional Development Courses.

He is a highly skilled educational collaborator and has worked in partnership with a wide range of UK and international artists and ensembles from a broad cross section of music including Mark Anthony Turnage, Tan Dun, the Alim Qasimov Ensemble, Robert Glasper, Gretchen Parlato, Nitin Sawnhey, Jerry Dammers, Billy Ocean, Viktoria Mulova, Julian Joseph, Denys Baptiste, Shabaka Hutchings, Christian Lindberg, Tunde Jegede, Ensemble Moderne, Steve Martland, Jef Neve and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra.

Musician: Trees, Cedar

A highly in demand woodwind specialist (saxophone, clarinet, flute) composer, arranger, as well as workshop leader. Thomas is known for his extensive recording studio, theatre, and jazz concert work. He has worked in such prestigious concert halls as Royal Festival Hall & Cadogan Hall (LPO & ECO) and been Musical Director for shows internationally. 

After graduating Leeds College of Music (BA&MA Jazz performance), Thomas went on to work on Cruise Ships where he was Musical director for RCCL’s ‘world’s largest cruiship’ for 5 years. His work took him to Australia where he toured with Latin artists like Tito Puente Jr. and Wilson Manyoma. 

In 2025 Tom played reed 1 on the European tour of Chicago the Musical as well as dep work on & off the West End.

BMus(Hons.), MPerf

Musician: Trees, Cedar

Bridget Carey studied jointly at the Royal Academy of Music and London University and was awarded MMus in Performance and related studies in 1987.  She has pursued a varied freelance career based in London, gaining a particular reputation in the field of new music. The early years of her career saw herpremiere new chamber opera for the Almeida with Music Projects/London, whilst working in classical contemporary with Opus 20, contemporary dance with Rambert and Siobhan Davies companies, and new complexity with Ensemble Exposé. From 1995-2005 she was viola player with the Kreutzer string quartet. More recently, her chamber music interests include east-west fusion group Okeanos, the Goldfield Ensemble and the London Chamber Ensemble. She is a longstanding player with RPS award-winning experimental music group Apartment House, with whom she continues to add to her chamber music discography.  She is a founder member of Britten Sinfonia, and is a regular guest with London Sinfonietta and BCMG, among others. Beyond her performing career she regularly works with composers of all ages and genres, and is deeply committed to community and participation work, particularly with young musicians.

Music Therapist

Sylvia completed her Master’s in music therapy at The Guildhall School in 2013. She had previously studied jazz performance at Chichester, and English Literature at Sussex.

Sylvia has been delivering 1-2-1 music therapy sessions at HMDT Music Treehouse program since 2017, and works for the charity, Music Therapy Tree, working in 4 schools across London and Essex. Sylvia is a clinical supervisor for music therapy Master’s students, and qualified music therapists. She has worked for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a visiting lecturer, and for their music therapy outreach service. Previous to working in education settings, Sylvia has worked in an NHS child development service, and adult mental health and dementia care settings. Sylvia is also involved in community music projects, for example, delivering music workshops at Hoxton Hall. Her principle instruments are piano and guitar, and she is currently studying the drums.

Leader

Bio incoming