Wind Professors
Flute
Susan Milan
Susan Milan is the Founder and Director of the British Isles Music Festival. She was the former Principal Flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and is a renowned chamber musician and recording artist. Susan is also a member of the London Chamber Music Group, Debussy Ensemble and Instrumental Quintet of London. Additionally, she serves as a Professor of Flute at the Royal College of Music, London, and as an Adjunct Professor of Flute at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London.
Assistant Flute
Nina Robertson
Nina Robertson studied at the Royal College of Music with Susan Milan, winning numerous prizes including the Bronze Medal in the Shell/LSO Competition. Since then, she has forged a successful freelance career, regularly playing with London orchestras, in West End shows and recording film and TV scores. She has a chamber ensemble, 'The Hampton Trio', with cellist, Roberto Sorrentino and pianist, Paul Jeanes. Nina is also an experienced teacher and a member of the RPO Resound Educational Team.
Assistant Flute
Anna Stokes
Anna Stokes is a freelance orchestral / chamber player, teacher and examiner. She has worked with the LPO, RSNO, Britten Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra amongst others. Her solo/chamber music albums for Champs Hill Records include Emanuel Ensemble-Works for flute, cello and piano and ‘Luminance-Solo & Duo Works for flute and piano (Classic FM Album of the Week). Anna studied at the RCM with Susan Milan.
Clarinet
Anthony Pike
Anthony Pike is the Principal Clarinet of the English Chamber Orchestra. He has performed concertos with the ECO throughout the world and as an obligato soloist with the Munich State Opera and at the Musikverein, Vienna. Notable chamber music collaborators have included Christian Zacharias, Ralph Gothoni, the Medici Quartet, Joachim Trio, Bekova Trio and the ECO Ensemble.
Horn
Timothy Jones
Timothy Jones is Principal Horn of the London Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Horn at the Royal College of Music, London. He has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras in the UK and abroad, including the Munich Philharmonic and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. In 1984 Timothy joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he stayed until joining the London Symphony Orchestra as Principal Horn in 1986. Timothy has also been a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He is a much sought after as a chamber musician.
Oboe
Roy Carter
Roy Carter studied with Terence MacDonagh at the Royal College of Music. He became Principal Oboe of the English National Opera and later the London Symphony Orchestra where he remained for 20 years. He subsequently joined the Royal Northern Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra. Roy is an accomplished chamber performer, soloist, and recording artist. Additionally, he was a former Professor of Oboe at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and at the Beijing Conservatory of Music in China.
Bassoon
Martin Gatt
Martin Gatt studied at the Royal College of Music with Archie Camden and was Principal Bassoon of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1958-66, of the English Chamber Orchestra from 1966-76 and of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1977-98. He was also bassoonist in the Barry Tuckwell Wind Quintet from 1967-91 and taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1967-84. He founded the Department of Wind, Brass and Percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Martin is currently Professor of Bassoon at the Royal College of Music, London.
String Professors
Violin
Philippe Honoré
Philippe Honoré was a principal player with the Philharmonia Orchestras from 2005–2011. After receiving top honours from both the Paris Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music in London, he was made Lauréat of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation of France in 1992 and was awarded an Honorary Associateship by the Royal Academy of Music in 2001. He is Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
Violin
So-Ock Kim
So-Ock is a Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music, London and an active chamber musician. At fifteen, she was the youngest ever winner of the gold medal in the prestigious Shell/LSO Competition playing the Tchaikovsky concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. She has performed at numerous major music festivals and collaborated with renowned orchestras worldwide. So-Ock has a keen interest in the performance of new works and has given several world premieres that have been recorded for Universal (France and Korea) and Naxos.
Viola
Yuko Inoue
Winner of the 17th Budapest International Viola Competition, Yuko has performed as a soloist throughout Europe and Japan with many orchestras.She performs frequently with Britain’s most eminent string quartets and chamber ensembles. She is a member of the Fibonacci Sequence Ensemble and Professor of Viola at the Royal Academy of Music, and RAM Junior Department, London.
Cello
Josephine Knight
Josephine is Professor of Cello and Alfredo Piatti Chair of the Royal Academy of Music, London. She studied at Yale University and the Juilliard School before launching her career as a soloist and chamber musician. She has collaborated with many leading international performers and has recorded for EMI Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos and Blackbox/ASV.
Piano & Harpsichord Professors
Piano
Ian Brown
Ian Brown is a musician of great versatility whose career embraces chamber music, solo and duo playing and conducting. He became pianist with The Nash Ensemble in 1978, with whom he has played and recorded a large repertoire of chamber music. He has made more than 60 recordings with them with a focus on contemporary music. He is currently a Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In duo playing, he has partnered with distinguished musicians including Szeryng, Rostropovich, Isserlis and Vengerov. Ian Brown has appeared as piano soloist and conductor with numerous British orchestras and in Europe.
Harpsichord
Robert Costin
Robert Costin pursues a varied musical career as a teacher, organist, harpsichordist, and pianist. His performances around the world and his recordings have earned him international praise. Robert’s diverse repertoire is guided by artistic curiosity, but the music of J.S. Bach is a constant in his musical life. He has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Sir Stephen Hough and David Briggs. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he was an organ scholar and read music. Robert is presently Head of Academic Music at Sherbourne School.
Resident pianists
Daniel King Smith
Daniel King Smith performs worldwide as a soloist and accompanist. His appearances include broadcasts on BBC TV/Radio in the UK and NHK TV/Radio in Japan. He regularly accompanies auditions, lessons, masterclasses and end of year recitals at the London conservatoires as well as being official accompanist for the Countess of Munster Trust. Daniel studied at the Royal Academy of Music and is in demand as a collaborative pianist and recitalist.
Jill Morton
Jill is much in demand as both soloist and collaborative pianist. She is a Principal Tutor for The Piano Teachers' Course UK, the country's leading professional course for piano pedagogy. She has a successful YouTube channel showcasing the music on the ABRSM and Trinity College graded music syllabuses and is also becoming recognised as a competition adjudicator.
Francesca Carta
Francesca is currently Professor of Piano at the G. P. da Palestrina Conservatory of Cagliari. She is a member of the Hofmannsthal Ensemble, with whom has recorded for Radio Suisse Romande, Riverberi Sonori Recordings and Radio France. Francesca is regularly invited as a collaborative pianist for competitions, courses and masterclasses.
Antony Ingham
Antony studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Alexander Kelly and at the Royal College of Music with Niel Immelman as a pianist and joint first-study cellist. He enjoys a varied musical career, accompanying and coaching strings, woodwind and voice and teaching piano at Westminster Cathedral Choir School.
Admin
Gillian Ure – BIMF Personal Assistant to the Director
Finance / Former CEO Countess of Munster Trust
Antony Bailey – BIMF Technical Specialist and Activities Coordinator / Director’s Liaison.
Consults as Blackdown Solutions, UK
Elliott de Vivo – BIMF Concerts Manager / Resident Pianist Liaison
Clarinettist / Member of the Waldegrave Ensemble / MMus from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music
Allison Conlan – BIMF Programme Manager / Professor Liaison
Flautist / Outreach Manager for the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel Ephgrave – BIMF Promotions and Media Manager / Flautist
Flautist / MA in Flute from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music
Carina Udriste – BIMF Programme Manager Assistant / Student Liaison / Ticketing Manager
Flautist / BMus(hons) Degree from the RNCM / MMus from the Royal College of Music
Anna Stokes – BIMF Assistant Flute / BIMF Admin
Flautist: Chamber / Orchestral Player / Examiner / BMus(hons) Degree from the Royal College of Music.
Sponsors
PATRON Philip Carne, MBE .
We are delighted to have as our Patron Philip Carne who is generously sponsoring a number of scholarships for applicants.
These scholarships provides financial support for gifted young musicians and will make it possible for a substantial number of those from financially underprivileged backgrounds to attend the festival.
- Philip Carne MBE
- Royal Overseas League Arts
- Spoff’s Scholarship Fund
- Hilary Jenkins
- Michael and Gay McCart
- Marley Common Friends of BIMF
- John Jeffrey MBE
- Shirley Jeffrey
- Tarim Resources Recycling
- Master Classics Artists
Friends of the British Isles Music Festival
Mike and Gay McCart
Michael and Elizabeth Shaw
Hans and Micheline Norstrand
Nick and Kate Austin
Reidun Adams
Barry and Chris Bateman
Sarah and Duncan Bain
Jane Kaufmann
Sir Anthony and Lady Laughton
Board of Trustees
- Susan Milan – Festival Director
- Douglas Jack – Chairman
- John Jeffrey MBE
- Gillian Ure
- Kenneth J Hsu
- Christopher Jepson
- Martin Gatt