Adjudicators

General Adjudicator –

Elizabeth Childs GRSM (Hons) LRAM

Elizabeth is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied flute with Gareth Morris and piano with Graeme Humphrey. Whilst at the RAM she performed regularly with all the orchestras, and was also engaged in many internal and external teaching projects, a subject that has always interested Elizabeth. International engagements have taken her to both the USA and to many parts of Europe, and she has performed extensively throughout the UK as soloist, recitalist and orchestral player. From 1987 to 1994, Elizabeth was principal flute with the Sinfonia of Scotland, Dundee Opera and Dundee and Perth Light Operatic Company which complimented her work for both ‘Travel Scotland’ and a busy teaching schedule. Elizabeth has recorded programmes for the Open University and other children’s programmes and gives Organ duo recitals with her husband.

Elizabeth has a broad and extensive teaching and performing career. She has successfully prepared pupils for scholarships to leading public schools, Junior Conservatoires and Specialist Music Schools and now has many ex-students working in the profession. She regularly directs summer schools and other courses for young wind players.

Currently, she is engaged in a busy teaching schedule that includes UEA in Norwich, is Flautist in Quintessimo, plays with the Aurelian Ensemble, is part of the management team for Harpenden Musicale, Flute Tutor for The National Children’s Wind Orchestra of Great Britain and directs several successful flute choirs. Family life is incredibly important to Elizabeth and along with her husband Alan they are the proud Parents of 3 wonderful children who have or who are currently pursuing musical careers. Alan is an ABRSM Examiner, Organist & Choral Director and they have given numerous Duo Recitals together. One of Elizabeth’s main aims is to provide as many performing opportunities for all her pupils as possible and firmly believes that encouraging children to perform enhances and benefits all areas of their education. Elizabeth regards it an enormous privilege to sit on the Board of BIFF(British & International Federation of Festivals) Elizabeth herself is in much demand as an Adjudicator both at home and abroad.

In 2009 Elizabeth adjudicated in Sri Lanka and in 2010 she spent a month at the 62^nd Hong Kong Schools Festival where she will be returning in 2013. In September 2010 she presented a presentation for an ISM Seminar about Musicale and its role in the community and in October 2010 she was invited to undertake some teaching and performing work at the Conservatoire in Nairobi. Elizabeth is also a full member of the ISM, a committee member of the Hitchin Festival of the Arts and in any spare time that exists enjoys cookery and literature. One of her latest projects is helping to support both pupils and teachers at the Conservatoire in Nairobi where she herself performed and directed some schools’ workshops in October 2010 and where she hopes to return in 2012. Elizabeth is very much looking forward to adjudicating in Northern Ireland for the first time and wishes everyone well in their preparations.

Traditional Music Adjudicator –

Barry Burgess MA BMus DipEd DASE PGCUT FHEA

Barry Burgess has recently retired from the University of Ulster where he was Associate Head of School of Education, Senior Lecturer in Music Education and co-ordinator of Initial Teacher Education.

A teacher in secondary and grammar schools for 22 years, he has been in univer-sity education since 1990, firstly in the music department at Jordanstown, where he devel-oped a module on Irish traditional music for the B.Mus degree course, and latterly in the School of Education at Coleraine. He was a member of the ministerial working group set up by the Department of Education to write the Proposals for Music in the Northern Ireland Curriculum and has held university external examinerships in Belfast, Limerick, Cork, Plymouth, Scotland and Dublin.

He has had a long term commitment to Irish music in the educational curriculum in Northern Ireland since his time as a research fellow at Magee College, in 1975 pro-ducing materials for Irish Traditional music in primary school called ‘Bua an Cheoil’. He contributed to the 1996 and 2003 Crossroads Conferences (Crosbhealach an Cheoil) with papers on ‘Irish Music in Education – a Northern Ireland Perspective’ and ‘Back to the Future – Traditional Music in a 21st Century Curriculum’.

Barry has broad musical tastes and interests. He is a performer, composer, musical director of many choral societies and plays the clarinet, whistle, recorders, piano and electric bass.

Signed Choirs Adjudicator –

Paul Whittaker

In the early 1980s Paul applied to Durham University to read music. Unfortunately, because of his deafness, he was turned down. Over two years Paul was turned down by twelve universities purely because of his deafness. In October 1983 he was accepted by Wadham College, Oxford to read music. After Oxford Paul studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and then set up Music and the Deaf in 1988 from his Mum and Dad’s attic. Today Paul provides signed performances, workshops, talks and key-note speeches across the UK and in Europe.

Organ Adjudicator -

David Stevens

Until he commenced his duties as Master of the Choristers at Belfast Cathedral at Easter 2012, David Stevens was Director of the Girls’ Choir & Sub-Organist at Newcastle Cathedral, and Director of Campus Music at Northumbria University. He also teaches Choral Conducting to organ scholars at Oxford University.

David is a prize-winning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, from where he obtained an MA in Choral Conducting, with distinction, in 2009. Previously, he read Music and was Organ Scholar at Oriel College, Oxford. He has conducted the BBC Singers, the choir of the London Oratory, the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Choir, the choir of New College, Oxford, and the Arcadian Singers of Oxford University.

Before moving to London, David spent a year as Organ Scholar and acting Sub-Organist of Guildford Cathedral, where he played the organ for services and assisted with the training and conducting of the cathedral choirs.

David holds the Associate Diploma of the Royal College of Organists, and maintains a busy schedule of recitals throughout the country. He has recently given recitals in Bristol, Lichfield, Truro, Bradford and Southwark cathedrals, York Minster, and Hull City Hall.

Music Theatre Adjudicator -

Ross Campbell

Ross is a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London and completed his studies on a scholarship to The Mozarteum in Salzburg. He won several awards whilst at the RCM and went on to sing in Opera, Oratorio, and as a Concert Artist throughout the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and South East Asia.

He was also invited to create a number of roles in World Premieres, particularly the Role of Saul/Paul in ‘The Promise’ at London’s Southbank Centre in 1997. 7

Ross was a founder member of The Kensington Consort and had a long association with the BBC, regularly singing on live radio broadcasts. He has recorded for Radio France as well as BBC TV.

Ross is currently Professor of Singing at The Royal Academy of Music in London and formerly Head of Singing and Music at Guildford School of Acting at the University of Surrey until December 2011. Many of Ross’s students are appearing in all West End Musicals and UK and International Tours on a continuous basis.

Whilst at GSA, Ross created the internationally recognised MA degree course in the Practice of Voice & Singing (MA POVAS), which is now training its 3rd cohort.

He was appointed to the ABRSM Panel of Mentors in 2001, and also the QAA Panel of Specialist Reviewers for Higher Education in 2003. He is regularly invited to assess at other Higher Education establishments in the UK, is invited to lecture on singing to both teachers and musicians throughout the UK, and has combined lecturing and performing on Seminars and Conferences in Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo and Malta.

Ross was invited to speak at the ‘Music Education Forum’ in Beijing in December 2010 and went on to launch a new Syllabus of Exams in Hong Kong and Macau at the same time, with accompanying master classes and workshops for both students and teachers. He was subsequently invited to deliver another paper to the same forum in December 2011 entitled “With One Voice – The Classical Sound & Musical Theatre Singing”, and with accompanying workshops and master classes for Teachers. There are further invitations to visit Beijing, Shanghai and Dalian in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Seoul, Oslo, Dublin and throughout the UK.

Ross was commissioned by ABRSM to produce five anthologies of songs which serve Grades 1 to 5, for which he received the prestigious MIA award for ‘Best Classical Publication 2009’. A further commission to produce a book on all aspects of singing is to be published in 2012. He also has extensive experience in designing courses, and producing documentation at Foundation, BA and MA degree levels.