Staff A-Z

Deeply committed to education and transmission, Daniel serves as Timpani Professor at Trinity Laban, where he is keen to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of musicians. While focusing on preparing students to meet the artistic, technical, and psychological demands in professional performances and auditions, Daniel aims to nurture accomplished, dedicated, self-confident and expressive young artists.

In parallel, Daniel also serves as Timpani and Percussion teacher at the Guildhall Young Artists’ Centre for Young Musicians and has served as a regular guest Timpani and Percussion teacher at the Junior Royal Academy of Music.

Also a composer, Daniel’s first chamber music works were performed in 2011. In 2016, he performed his own adaptation of Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit for piano and percussion, the fruit of a creative collaboration initiated by the pianist Hao Zi Yoh. Now primarily writing for piano, percussion, and orchestra, Daniel has in recent years strived to develop a simple, clear and consistent music style.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Daniel previously studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, the Paris 8 University, the Conservatoire Paul Dukas in Paris and the Conservatoire d’Asnières-sur-Seine.

She has taught for Trinity Laban, The Royal Ballet School, Urdang, Arts Educational Schools London, London Children’s Ballet, The Academy for Theatre Arts and Darren Ellis Dance.  She received the Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship in 2008 to deliver dance workshops to under privileged children and young people in La Paz, Bolivia. In September 2014, she was awarded a place on Dance UK’s Teacher Mentoring Program. Lucy co-founded her own dance theatre company ‘Anecdotal Evidence’ with William Aitchison in 2013 making work that uses text and movement.  Other choreographic commissions for young people include creating ‘Fair-e-Tale’, a professional work for E.dance that toured schools in the North of England, as well as receiving commissions to create work for young people from U Dance, PrimarySteps and the Unicorn Theatre.

Lucy is currently the Lead Dance Teacher on the CAT Programme at Trinity Laban

Educationally, Helen holds a PhD in Surveillance Performativity/ Immersive Performance from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, where she was a recipient of a Research Bursary under the tutelage of Professor Stephen Farrier. She holds an FHEA through Trinity Laban, an MA Performance Practices and Research, also from RCSSD, and a BA First Class (Hons) Acting from Bretton Hall.

Helen’s directing credits include Amour, The Beggars Opera, Company, Electra, The Dreaming, The Pirates of Penzance, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Anything Goes, Epsom Downs, Zombie Prom, many industry-showcases and various devised and research-related, personal works. As a guest director for The Dot Collective – a theatre company ‘[…] with access needs at its core, reducing isolation for those with additional needs and dementia’ – Helen has, most recently, collaborated in research and development for Project Portmanteau, in addition to co-directing the 2023 tour of Alice’s Adventures in Aerieland.

Helen has several practice-based research avenues, including, Meisner Technique for Neurodivergent Student-Actors, Immersive Performance, and Surveillance Performativity in Public Space, about which she has presented a number of papers at a variety of academic conferences.

Helen continues to work as an actor. Her theatre acting credits include, classical (mostly Shakespeare) and contemporary non-musical and Musical Theatre (the latter, including Les Misérables, Singin’ in the Rain and the UK premiere of Lippa’s John and Jen). Helen’s experience in television – much to the amusement of her students – includes roles in BBC’s BAFTA winning Trapped and the BBC-British Museums collaboration Relic: Guardians of the Museum (also BAFTA winning).

Research interests:

• Neurodivergence-inclusive Acting and Performance Practices
• Surveillance-Performativity/ Social Performance
• Flâneurie, historically and contemporarily, as surveillant practice
• Politics and Aesthetics of immersive theatre participatory practices

A prize winning graduate of The University of Sheffield, Jonathan joined Trinity Laban and the ORNC having spent four years as Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral. During his time there, he recorded numerous CDs, played for a number of high profile services, radio and television broadcasts, and gained ever increasing popularity as a liturgical and silent film improviser. His community outreach work saw engagement with over 1,000 school children in his popular ‘Peter and the Wolf’ series.

As a theatre organist, Jonathan is resident silent film artist for the Cinema Organ Society Northern District, based at the Victoria Hall, Saltaire. He features regularly at theatre venues throughout the UK as a concert and silent film artist.

As a choral director he became well-known through his work with the Bradford Cathedral Girls’ Choir, and was Master of the Choristers at Willington Prep School. Jonathan continues to work as a freelance choral conductor nationally.

After receiving a place at London’s Royal Academy of Music, Orlando decided to give up cricket and pursue his love of music. While based in London, he quickly established himself as one of the UK’s most prominent bass players touring and recording with Jason Rebello, Julian Joseph, Iain Ballamy, Tommy Smith, Jean Toussaint, and Guy Barker to name a few.

Orlando moved to the United States in 2003 and became one of the most in demand bass players on the New York jazz scene, playing and recording with Ari Hoenig, Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Cobb, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Seamus Blake, David Sanchez, Joey Calderazzo, Antonio Sanchez, Wayne Krantz, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Leslie Odom Jr.

Orlando has also released numerous albums as a leader, including the critically acclaimed OWL trio (with long-time associates Will Vinson and Lage Lund) and Romantic Funk, a pastiche of classic fusion sounds inspired by the band Weather Report.

More recently Orlando is working on a co-led trio with Mark Turner and Jeff “Tain” Watts.

Her current research is a practice-based PhD at Roehampton University supported with an Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarship on the Techne Doctoral Training Partnership. She is exploring the role and place of care in the work of community dance artists. Her PhD Blog notebook can be found here.

She regularly teaches the Vietnamese Women’s Group at Woolwich Common Community Centre and has worked as a dance artist with Greenwich Dance, leading weekly outdoor family classes and dance walks, Amici Dance Theatre Company and Magpie Dance, teaching extensively in mainstream and SEND settings. 

Her 10+ years in Higher Education includes; MA/MFA Dance Leadership and Community Practice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance, and previous roles with Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dancing and Canterbury Christchurch University. 

Lizzie has presented her work at conferences and written about inclusion and community dance for Animated and the RAD’s Focus on Education. She is trustee for Amici Dance Theatre Company. 

While successfully auditioning for the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre: Aspiring Dance Mentoring Scheme, Under the direction of Liz Dale – Director of Dance at ISTD – and Hannah Dye – Head of Programming for Breathe Arts and Freelance Producer for English National Ballet – André was scouted to join the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) Programme at The Place: London Contemporary Dance School. After nearly 3 years, André graduated from The Place: CAT accepting a fully funded place at London Studio Centre (LSC). During his time at LSC André took some time out to attend The Ailey School – the training ground for the world renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre – Summer Intensive in 2013, before returning to LSC where in 2014 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

Following graduation, André joined the ensemble of The Lion King, Germany where he was trusted with the responsibility of teaching Company Class. On returning to the UK André joined the West End Production of Wicked in the prestigious Ribbon Boy Track before going on to play Paul in Kiss Me Kate at The Watermill Theatre choreographed by Oti Mabuse – for which André was the Dance Captain and was nominated for the BroadwayWorldUK: Best Supporting Actor Award.

Having worked in the Arts industry for two decades, André has danced, taught, assisted, created work and been mentored both nationally & internationally. Working with world class artists, theatres and organisations including: Richard Alston, Denzil Bailey, English National Ballet, Thea Barnes (1952-2018), James Bennett, the Southbank Centre, the Olympic Ceremonies, Royal Academy of Dance, Artistry Youth Dance, Nikolai Foster, the Royal Albert Hall, Rebecca Howell, Richard Jones, Ellen Kane, Trinity Laban, Paul Liburd, Oti Mabuse, Mandy Montanez, Alex Parker, Joan Peters, Richard Roe, Jane Sanig, Tamara Saringer, David Shrubsole, Judine Somerville, Christian Storm, the CDMT, Disney Theatrical Productions, Eric Underwood, Antoine Vereecken, Buddy Watkins, Nikki Woollaston and Sadler’s Wells. Which André continuously utilizes to inspire his work in the studio, on stage and off stage.

As a result of his extensive playing career, Matt has acquired a great many skills which he feels are essential for the working drum kit player and it is these skills which Matt feels he is able to bring to his teaching.

In his role as an educator, Matt is currently the drum kit teacher at the Royal College of Music Junior Department. He has also tutored the National Youth Percussion Ensemble. Matt’s approach to teaching drum kit is entirely based on the needs of the individual. Once this is assessed, Matt has a wealth of experience and material from real-world playing situations, which he uses to tailor the lessons accordingly.

Matt has given classes for the Royal Marines and has been involved with several large-scale education projects, including several iterations of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Big Bash, where he has given many group classes. Matt was also involved in the preliminary work on the percussion section of the London Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Other eminent conductors with whom she has worked include Daniel Barenboim, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Lawrence Foster, Kyril Kondrashin, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Sergio Ozawa, André Previn, Joseph Krips, Kurt Sanderling, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Walter Weller and Sir Simon Rattle. She has been guest at Europe’s most prestigious international festivals, including Aldeburgh, Edinburgh and the London Proms, in addition to Ravinia, Saratoga and Tanglewood Festivals in the United States. Chamber Music has been an integral part of her artistic life forming longstanding partnerships with Michael Roll, Jorge Federico Osorio and Richard Markson in addition to appearances with André Previn, Ralph Kirshbaum, Nobuko Imai, Peter Frankl, Craig Sheppard and Gerald Robbins.

Sophie studied music at King’s College, London University where she completed her doctoral thesis on ‘Women Composers during the British Musical Renaissance, 1880-1918’.  

Sophie’s teaching experience includes ten years of lecturing at the University of Reading.  

Experienced in the field of education, Roland wrote material for Reading University’s Music Teaching in Private Practice course. In addition to giving masterclasses and examining at the major music colleges, he is frequently invited to adjudicate at music festivals. In 1992 he was appointed Professor of Guitar at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban), and he also teaches at the Purcell School where he coaches highly gifted young guitarists from all over the world.