Music in the Vale has been very fortunate to have had the support from the Adjudicators listed below in 2011.
We are looking for new Adjudicators each year and would welcome anyone who may be interested to contact us.
We are looking for new Adjudicators each year and would welcome anyone who may be interested to contact us.
Adjudicators' Details
2011
JEFFREY HOWARD
Jeffrey Howard was born in Cardiff and studied at the University of Wales College, Cardiff and the Royal Academy of Music, London specializing in organ performance and Church Music. He now pursues a free-lance career as organist, pianist, singer, coach and conductor. He has accompanied leading international singers including Bryn Terfel, Sir Willard White, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dennis O’Neill, Rebecca Evans, Wynne Evans, Alfie Boe and Jason Howard.
Jeff has performed in concert halls and cathedrals throughout the United Kingdom and Europe including the Wigmore Hall, The Goethe Institute, Brussels, St. Paul’s Cathedral, St Georges Chapel, Windsor and Notre Dame in Paris and has worked with orchestras including The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Budapest Symphony both as pianist and arranger.
Jeff has performed in concert halls and cathedrals throughout the United Kingdom and Europe including the Wigmore Hall, The Goethe Institute, Brussels, St. Paul’s Cathedral, St Georges Chapel, Windsor and Notre Dame in Paris and has worked with orchestras including The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Budapest Symphony both as pianist and arranger.
He made his Royal Albert Hall debut in 2002 as soloist in Shostakovitch’s 2nd piano concerto and returned there on several occasions as pianist and organist for the London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs. He has performed Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff with the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra and appeared in recital with Bryn Terfel at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.
In 1996, Jeffrey was Guest Artist in Residence at First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas also holding the position of Visiting Professor of Organ at Texas Tech University. During his time in the US, he performed many concerts, television and radio broadcasts recorded a solo organ cd and performed at venues such as Washington National Cathedral.
For the last eighteen years, Jeffrey has been a Vocal Coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and at Welsh National Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera, recently conducting the opera Sweetness and Badness for the MAX department. He also coaches at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice with Dennis O’Neill and on the Music Theatre Course at the RWCMD.
Jeff’s skills as an arranger are in great demand and he frequently provides pieces for the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Songs of Praise, S4C and various solo artists. As accompanist, singer and arranger for Only Men Aloud!, winners of the BBC competition ‘Last Choir Standing’ he toured the UK twice in 2009 and their second album on the Universal label for which Jeff did many of the arrangements, won them a Classical Brit Award.
Outside the field of classical music, Jeff is also involved in cabaret and music theatre having worked with such names as Michael Ball, David Owen Jones, Peter Karrie, Ruth Madoc, Shan Cothi and more informally, Dame Shirley Bassey!
In 1996, Jeffrey was Guest Artist in Residence at First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas also holding the position of Visiting Professor of Organ at Texas Tech University. During his time in the US, he performed many concerts, television and radio broadcasts recorded a solo organ cd and performed at venues such as Washington National Cathedral.
For the last eighteen years, Jeffrey has been a Vocal Coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and at Welsh National Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera, recently conducting the opera Sweetness and Badness for the MAX department. He also coaches at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice with Dennis O’Neill and on the Music Theatre Course at the RWCMD.
Jeff’s skills as an arranger are in great demand and he frequently provides pieces for the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Songs of Praise, S4C and various solo artists. As accompanist, singer and arranger for Only Men Aloud!, winners of the BBC competition ‘Last Choir Standing’ he toured the UK twice in 2009 and their second album on the Universal label for which Jeff did many of the arrangements, won them a Classical Brit Award.
Outside the field of classical music, Jeff is also involved in cabaret and music theatre having worked with such names as Michael Ball, David Owen Jones, Peter Karrie, Ruth Madoc, Shan Cothi and more informally, Dame Shirley Bassey!
Justine Viani
The Australian-British soprano Justine Viani studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in England between 2000-2004. During her studies at the RNCM she won major competitions such as the ‘Elsie Thurston Memorial Prize’, and the ‘Alexander Young Memorial Prize’. She has privately studied with KS Inge Borkh, and KS Ute Vinzing, and currently resides in Wales and studies with Glenys Linos in Vienna and Dennis O’Neill in Wales. Additional singing coaches include James Pearson (Vienna State Opera), and Maestro Vittoria Rosetta (La Scala, Milan), and Anthony Negus (Welsh National Opera).
Soprano Justine Viani made her stage debut singing the title role of Salome to great success in a new production at the Theatre der Stadt Heidelberg in April, 2010. She has also made her French debut singing the title role of Tosca in July 2011.
Ms Viani has participated in international singing competitions, and was awarded the Jury prize for the most outstanding young singer in the ‘Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra’ at the age of twenty-two. She was also the recipient of the Bayreuth Stipendium of Vienna in 2007, and is now a finalist in the Bayreuth Bursary Competition (Britain, December 2011). She is also a member of The Mastersingers Company, a prestigious company which promotes the next generation of young Wagnerian singers. She also had the honour of singing for Eva Wagner-Pasquier for the Centerary Concert of the Wagner Society, Madrid.
Ms. Viani has performed extensively as an oratorio soloist, including pieces such as Bach’s b minor mass and the passions, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Mass in C, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson mass; Mozart’s Requiem and c minor mass, Rossini’s Stabat Mater; Schubert’s Mass in Ab and Verdi’s Requiem.Other performing experience includes her Wigmore Hall debut of HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!! Richard Strauss’ Orchestral Lieder Op.27, Vier Letzte Lieder and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. On the stage of the spoken theatre she has excelled in dramatic roles such as Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, Desdemona, Juliet, Viola and Beatrice; Chekhov’s Sasha and Ibsen’s Nora. She has given various Liederabend concentrating on composers such as: Brahms, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and Wagner.
Ms. Viani is presently studying at the Welsh International Academy of Voice with Dennis O'Neill. Her future engagements include the title role of Tosca for Opera de Bauge, July 2012.
Ms. Viani has performed extensively as an oratorio soloist, including pieces such as Bach’s b minor mass and the passions, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Mass in C, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson mass; Mozart’s Requiem and c minor mass, Rossini’s Stabat Mater; Schubert’s Mass in Ab and Verdi’s Requiem.Other performing experience includes her Wigmore Hall debut of HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!! Richard Strauss’ Orchestral Lieder Op.27, Vier Letzte Lieder and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. On the stage of the spoken theatre she has excelled in dramatic roles such as Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, Desdemona, Juliet, Viola and Beatrice; Chekhov’s Sasha and Ibsen’s Nora. She has given various Liederabend concentrating on composers such as: Brahms, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and Wagner.
Ms. Viani is presently studying at the Welsh International Academy of Voice with Dennis O'Neill. Her future engagements include the title role of Tosca for Opera de Bauge, July 2012.
Rosie Biss decided to pursue a performing career after completing a degree at Cambridge University. She spent two years of intensive postgraduate study at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne under Maria Kliegel.
Whilst in Germany, she became principal cello in the Deutsche Kammerakademie, and the Kammerphilharmonie Amadé. Since returning to live in the UK, she has been in demand as a chamber musician, playing with groups such as the Scottish Ensemble (work which included a CD recording live at the Wigmore Hall), and the Zehetmair quartet and trio, with whom she appeared at festivals including Helsinki, Edinburgh and Schleswig-Holstein, and toured Europe and the USA playing in major venues including Wigmore and Carnegie halls. She was Co-Principal cello in Northern Sinfonia, and has played guest principal in the English National Opera, BBC Scottish Symphony orchestra, Opera North, Cologne Chamber orchestra, Orchestra of the Beethoven festival, Bonn, English Sinfonia, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Whilst in Germany, she became principal cello in the Deutsche Kammerakademie, and the Kammerphilharmonie Amadé. Since returning to live in the UK, she has been in demand as a chamber musician, playing with groups such as the Scottish Ensemble (work which included a CD recording live at the Wigmore Hall), and the Zehetmair quartet and trio, with whom she appeared at festivals including Helsinki, Edinburgh and Schleswig-Holstein, and toured Europe and the USA playing in major venues including Wigmore and Carnegie halls. She was Co-Principal cello in Northern Sinfonia, and has played guest principal in the English National Opera, BBC Scottish Symphony orchestra, Opera North, Cologne Chamber orchestra, Orchestra of the Beethoven festival, Bonn, English Sinfonia, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
ROSIE BISS
Rosie’s wide repertoire embraces concertos, duo recitals and performances with chamber groups, as well as continuo work with Kings College Choir Cambridge, and major Choral Societies in the UK and Germany. Performances have taken her across Europe, the U.S., South America, and the Far East, broadcasting with, amongst others, BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and WDR 3. Outside the regular classical regime, she has played costume cabaret shows with the celebrated German group Ensemble Extravagance!, cultural new music events in art galleries with The European Music Project, and has recorded with folk musicians Rachel Unthank, and Troy Donockley.
A keen educator, Rosie has taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Sage Gateshead, Durham, York and Newcastle universities, as well as coaching the National Children’s Orchestra.
Rosie recently took the position of Principal cello at Welsh National Opera, and plays a Roman cello, circa 1730 by G.C Gigli.
A keen educator, Rosie has taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Sage Gateshead, Durham, York and Newcastle universities, as well as coaching the National Children’s Orchestra.
Rosie recently took the position of Principal cello at Welsh National Opera, and plays a Roman cello, circa 1730 by G.C Gigli.
Peter Fielding studied clarinet at the Royal Manchester College of Music with Norman McDonald and Sydney Fell; being one of only a very small number to gain a Performer’s Diploma with distinction.
Peter was a founder member of the BBC training orchestra in Bristol and after this he went on to be Principal Clarinet in D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. On leaving D’Oyly Carte he joined the Welsh Philharmonia (the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera) as sub-principal Bass Clarinet, playing sub-principal Bass Clarinet as required. After 38 years with the Orchestra, he retired in the summer of 2009 but has continued as Clarinet tutor at both the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and Cardiff University.
Chamber music has become a large part of Peter’s life; playing with a number of ensembles. Peter also still plays free-lance for a number of orchestras and is sought after as an educationalist, adjudicator and examiner.
Peter was a founder member of the BBC training orchestra in Bristol and after this he went on to be Principal Clarinet in D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. On leaving D’Oyly Carte he joined the Welsh Philharmonia (the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera) as sub-principal Bass Clarinet, playing sub-principal Bass Clarinet as required. After 38 years with the Orchestra, he retired in the summer of 2009 but has continued as Clarinet tutor at both the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and Cardiff University.
Chamber music has become a large part of Peter’s life; playing with a number of ensembles. Peter also still plays free-lance for a number of orchestras and is sought after as an educationalist, adjudicator and examiner.
PETER FIELDING ARMCM dist.