Gavin Osborn

Flute

Gavin Osborn is a flautist, teacher, composer & sound-artist based in Cheshire. He holds Graduate & Professional Performance Diplomas from the Royal Northern College of Music, a 1st Class MusB(Hons) from the University of Manchester, & a PhD in Composition (also from Manchester).

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Teaching occupies a central role in Gavin's work, with a practice spanning primary age through to adult. He has taught flute at HCCS for over 25 years, with students often going on to high achievement, & his pupils & ensembles play a strong role in the musical & wider community life of the school. Outside of HCCS, he is Tutor in Flute at the University of Manchester, & teaches privately. Other teaching posts have included Manchester Metropolitan University & as a Special Consultant in flute to the University of York.

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A specialist in solo & chamber ensemble performance, Gavin is best known as a performer of contemporary music, often working with composers to premiere new work, & regularly plays in many of the UK's top international festivals & venues. As a composer/sound-artist his work has been shown across the UK & online. He is currently co-director of Trio Atem, one of the UK's most dynamic new music ensembles, & co-director with Elizabeth Ditmanson of Geode, a creative duo specialising in cross-media installations & performances.

Mark Landon

Percussionist

Mark Landon is a professional percussionist and Teacher based in the Cheshire area. He studied at Huddersfield University under the guidance of percussion teacher Chris Bradley and gained a 2:1 Bmus (hons) music degree. He now teaches at many high schools in Manchester and Cheshire as well as teaching percussion at Salford University and Manchester Metropolitan University (Crewe). He has taught all ages and provided many percussion workshops based on Samba, African drumming, and Trash percussion.

Mark is currently the principal percussionist for the Fodens Brass band who are based in Sandbach. He has been a member since 1999 and toured both the UK and abroad playing in many well known and exciting venues as well as competitions. During the year Mark works with some of the country’s best young musicians tutoring them at the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and National Youth Brass band of Scotland. In addition he also works as a freelance musician playing in shows, local Orchestras and chamber music ensembles.

Steven Proctor

Guitarist

Steve has achieved his Associate of Trinity College in London. He has taught at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School for 8 years and teaches all styles of guitar including classical rock, jazz and blues. Steve is employed by many Cheshire and Staffordshire schools and has been teaching for over 20 years. He teaches all age groups from primary school children through to adults in his music studio at home.

Many of Steve’s pupils have progressed to have a career in music from music technology to appearing in various festivals and performing with rock legends, such and Jeff Beck and Robert Plant. He is also one part of the popular Jazz duo ‘The Blue Bossa’ which play various styles of Jazz and Blues in Venues around the area.

Wendy Nugent

Piano

Wendy Nugent won a place to study the piano and violin as a Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal Academy of Music at the age of nine, and continued her studies there as an Undergraduate and Postgraduate student, gaining a GRSM Degree (Hons), LRAM Diploma, Professional Certificate RAM (Hons), and Postgraduate Advanced Diploma RAM (solo piano).

Wendy has a great love of teaching, and has taught at Holmes Chapel School since 2006.  She also teaches at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, and at The Grange School, as well as having a busy private teaching practice.

Wendy has worked with many professional musicians, and performed extensively throughout the UK and abroad.  She is in demand as an accompanist, and is the top half of the ‘Dolby and Hughes’ Piano Duo. Wendy is the pianist and assistant Musical Director of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Choir with whom she has performed at the Millennium Stadium, Bridgewater Hall, Blackpool Opera House in the UK, and Carnegie Hall and Ground Zero in New York.  She was the accompanist for Matthew Brett when he was a percussion finalist in the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2016, and again in

2018 when he won the percussion final, appearing on BBC television and also BBC Radio 3.  As a soloist, Wendy performed ‘Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2’ at the RNCM in 2012.

Wendy is a UK and International examiner for ABRSM.

Tom Brookes

Electric & Bass Guitarist

Tom is a professional electric and bass guitarist and teacher in the Staffordshire and Cheshire area. He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Music and Sonic Arts.

Tom has been a teacher for the past 9 years, he teaches Electric, Classical and Bass guitar extensively across Staffordshire and Cheshire with a number of his students going on to high achievement. His students can be seen playing in bands across the region most weeks and one former student was recently appointed as the youngest ever Rockschool examiner.

Playing wise, Tom currently plays Bass guitar in original funk rock band The Rebellion and electric guitar in his own Blues Band. The Rebellion currently play live most weeks and have an album that Tom has co-written due for release in early 2015.

Ruben Crowther

Brass

Reuben Crowther is professional musician and freelance teacher working across schools in Greater Manchester and Cheshire. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and gained a BMus(Hons), a Postgraduate Diploma in Tuba performance and a PPRNCM with Distinction in Ensemble Performance studying under Brian Kingsley, James Gourlay and John Miller.

As a tuba player, he played for Fairey’s Brass Band for a number of years in venues as diverse as The Royal Albert Hall, on the steps of The Louvre in Paris and the Main Stage of Bestival (a rock music festival on the Isle of Wight!). He has also performed and recorded with Opera North and the Ulster Orchestra. He was a founder member of the Lowry Brass Quintet who performed extensively across the North West and also appeared on the BBC’s Songs of Praise.

Reuben has been teaching brass since he graduated and has worked at Holmes Chapel for 12 years. He has successfully taken many pupils from a complete beginner to grade 8 level and beyond. As well as teaching brass he is a keen singer and runs a choir in Manchester. In his spare time, he also enjoys playing the bass guitar, playing computer games and listening to an eclectic mix of music.

Juliet Montgomery

Vocalist

Scottish soprano Juliet Montgomery graduated with a BMus(hons), PGDip and MMus from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Based in Manchester, Juliet performs for opera companies throughout the UK and has recorded music for TV and radio.  Operatic credits include Fiametta The Gondoliers, Peep Bo The Mikado, Zorah Ruddigore (National G&S Opera Company), Adalgisa Norma (Preston Opera), Susanna The Marriage of Figaro (Opera on Location), Countess A Dinner Engagement (MOE) and Valencienne The Merry Widow (Preston Opera).  Juliet has performed with the chorus of Opera North and Scottish Opera and was a Young Artist in Buxton Opera’s MacBeth.

A keen recitalist, Juliet has sung at the Edinburgh Arts Festival, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds.  She regularly performs opera galas and concerts and, in non-covid times, joins Theatrical Adventures as a performer for their European river cruises.

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Juliet enjoys teaching for Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, Yorkshire Young Musician, The Singing Practice and Ramsbottom Music Centre. She has extensive experience in preparing students for ABRSM, LCM and Rockschool exams and many of her students have successfully auditioned for musical theatre, classical singing and popular music courses in higher education.

For more information please visit www.julietmontgomerysoprano.com

Poppy Philligreen

Saxophonist & Clarinettist

Poppy Philligreen is a Saxophonist based in Manchester. Originally from Derbyshire she acquired her BMus (Hons) from the Royal Northern College of  Music in 2018. She teaches woodwind in schools across Manchester. 

As a performer Poppy specialises in the realising of new music, most recently being involved with the premieres of works by composers such as Mark Dyer and Tywi Roberts. Alongside her performance practice Poppy is involved in the running of Special Virtuosi, a weekly music group for children and adults with additional needs. She has also worked in a production capacity for opera companies such as The Opera Shack and Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera.

Peter Leighton-Jones

Strings

Peter is a professional violinist and teacher, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In the early part of his career he was lead violin in many touring musicals including Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. After a long stay in Manchester with "Phantom" Peter ended up marrying the viola player and settling in the Northwest. Touring life became less appealing with 2 children at home so teaching and freelancing was the way forward.

Freelance work includes playing with symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, string quartets, opera, ballet and musicals. Some of the most enjoyable gigs have been playing for Gary Barlow, Anton and Erin, Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins,  Karl Jenkins,  Russell Watson, being the only Welsh member of Bjork's Icelandic string octet for part of the European leg of her world tour and more recently filming an episode of Peaky Blinders.

Peter teaches violin and viola from beginner to grade 8 and beyond, cello to grade 5 and once taught a beginner double bass.