Staff A-Z

Fiona has toured with the Vanburg String Quartet and the broadcast of their performance of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor was a revelation. Fiona’s tone and intonation was impeccable and her articulation admirable. The warmth that she brought to this piece was quite incredible. To date she has only made one commercial recording, that of Robert Simpson’s Quintet for clarinet, bass clarinet and string trio (Hyperion CDA 66626) coupled with the String Quartets Nos. 14 and 15.

In this, she plays the bass clarinet and, again, her clarity and musicianship are second to none. She has given recitals with the pianist Kathryn Page at Wigmore Hall and twice in the Purcell Room and has performed with both the Coull and Alberni String Quartets at music festivals. At least six composers have written especially for her including Diana Burrell with Bright Herald of the Morning and Gary Carpenter with his Sonata.

Tony has had close ties with music making in Norway where he held the position of co-principal trumpet in the Bergen Philharmonic orchestra and the contemporary music ensemble BIT20, in addition to teaching at the Bergen Conservatoire. On returning from Norway Tony enjoyed a period of six years working as principal trumpet in West End musical theatre. It was during this period that he realised a long held ambition to train as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, which he now uses as an educational tool in his instrumental teaching. Tony has taught at the Purcell School for the last twelve years and also holds teaching positions at Trinity Laban, the London College of Music and the RAF. He continues to freelance widely.

Recently, Billy has been involved in the development of new musical works, including THE CREAKERS by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, and SYREN, penned by Olivier Award nominee Anoushka Lucas and Jess Edwards. He played opposite Sir Ian McKellen in MOTHER GOOSE and in the role of Nicholas in the Old Vic Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. Billy workshopped the choreography and appeared in the Netflix musical film MATILDA, directed by Matthew Warchus and choreographed by Ellen Kane. Billy’s screen debut was playing the role of Hector in Russell T Davies’ IT’S A SIN for Channel 4/HBO.

Billy originated the lead role of Alex in the critically acclaimed world premiere of LEAVE TO REMAIN at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, a production written by Matt Jones (Doctor Who) and Kele Okereke (Bloc Party). He also understudied the role of Seymour in  the Olivier Award nominated production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and played the role of Mark Cohen in the 20th Anniversary production of RENT (London/UK Tour).

Following his graduation, Billy’s stage career varied with roles such as the Mad Hatter in ALICE IN WONDERLAND (European Tour), Moritz Stiefel in SPRING AWAKENING (UK Tour), and Jesus in GODSPELL (Union Theatre). His West End debut came in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of MATILDA THE MUSICAL at the Cambridge Theatre, followed by CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY under the direction of Academy Award winner Sam Mendes at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Billy gained a Broadway World nomination for understudying the role of Jesus in the Olivier Award-winning production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

In addition to his stage work, Billy is an accomplished recording artist having release two studio albums. His recent releases have been featured on BBC Radio 2, and he has been recognised as a BBC Introducing artist, collaborating with prolific songwriters and producers in both London and New York City. His creative talents extend to choreography, where he has directed music videos for MTV, Urban Outfitters, and other notable artists.

Billy has also assisted with the casting process for West End shows such as Matilda the Musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Hairspray and many more.

As leader of the Cummings String Trio and the English String Quartet, Diana has performed widely both nationally and internationally. The English String Quartet was also the resident ensemble of the London Festival of Chamber Music, a month-long event which during the course of 13 consecutive years (1995 – 2007) gave over 200 concerts, bringing an extensive repertoire of both familiar and rarely heard works to audiences across London.

With regard to orchestral work, Diana has guest-led the London Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic, the Liverpool Philharmonic and the Hallé Orchestra and has played with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra. She has performed Bach’s complete concerto repertoire with the London Bach Orchestra at London’s Southbank Centre several times, and she was leader and soloist of the Northern Chamber Orchestra. She is the leader of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra, often appearing as a soloist.

In all these capacities Diana has broadcast frequently and has made many recordings for major labels.

Diana is also a Professor and Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music, where as part of her work she is the Specialist for the LRAM Teaching Diploma. She is violin coach of the National Youth String Orchestra and is frequently invited to give masterclasses and workshops, and to participate as adjudicator, panel and jury member at Competitions and Festivals both nationally and internationally.

Ali graduated from Trinity Laban with a BA(Hons) in Dance Theatre and later gained her MA in European Dance Theatre Practice. She has a PGCE in Dance and is an experienced practitioner in teaching, performance and creative contexts.

Ali presents conference papers and lecture demonstrations, workshops and masterclasses internationally. The body as a dynamic archive is central in her work, examining dance pedagogy, training practices and creative processes for contemporary dancers. Her current practice promotes movement for wellbeing and her written work published in Journal of Dance and Somatic Practice, Movement and Dance Magazine, Dance Books, and her chapter ‘Transmission: Reimagining Laban. Contemporising the Past, Envisioning the Future, in Transmissions in Dance: Contemporary Staging Practices, published by Palgrave Macmillan. 

Ali teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and The University of Creative Arts.

As well as her work as Head of Harp at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, and her recent appointment at Chethams School of Music in Manchester UK, Gabriella gives masterclasses and harp courses as well as orchestral courses in Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, Singapore, Tasmania and Australia. She has also been a jury member in competitions (BBC Young Musician of the Year [strings final]; F.Godefroid International Harp Competition in Belgium, Arpaplus in Spain and North London Competition, etc).

Furthermore, she is actively involved in community music projects, ranging from babies of a few months old to elderly people, hospitals and special needs schools.  Her wide experience of teaching all ages and all backgrounds reflects her commitment to music-making at the highest international level, not only in the solo scene but also chamber music and orchestral, and community work and cross-collaborations. Gabriella and choreographer Susan Sentler work together with dancers and harpists to promote new explorations between movement, sounds and shapes.

Gabriella has earned considerable recognition and has been supported by the Swiss fund ‘Junge Kunstler’. She is also the winner of numerous prizes, awards and scholarships, including the 1989 Victor Salvi Competition, Italy, and the Junge Kunstler prize, Switzerland.

In 2017 she received her Senior Fellowship in Higher Education, and the following year a Professorship.

Emily is the leader of the Hallé Orchestra, which she combines with a vibrant career guest leading other ensembles across Europe, alongside engagements as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher.

She is the Co-Artistic Director of Thirteen North, a thirteen piece string ensemble driven to bring classical music to new audiences.

She has previously held leading positions in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.

Sasi is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Member of CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. She holds a Master in Dance Studies from the University of Roehampton. Her previous qualifications include a Master in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and a Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies from London Metropolitan University.

Publications and Research outputs

Journal article             Del Bono, Sasi .2024. The Embodied Archive and the Metaphor of Compost: Persistence through change. Performance Research, 29(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2024.2408107

Dance theatre piece    Del Bono, Sasi. 2018.(Historical Consultant). DanceStory is a dance-theatre piece commissioned by Dance Umbrella (Dance Story – A Dance Umbrella concept and production)

Conference paper       Del Bono, Sasi .2015. The notion of the archive as depending upon performance with specific reference to For now (2014). The Society for Dance Research conference in association with ‘State of Trust’ and the ‘Research Institute for Media, Arts and Performance’ (RIMAP). University of Bedfordshire, 2015.