Tutors

Nika Shirocorad – concert pianist, composer

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Nika started her piano studies at the age of 3 .

After graduating from a Conservatoire music education in the USSR, she was invited to the UK for debut solo recitals in 2003 and to become Scholar in Residence at the University of Huddersfield for 2004–5, during which time she studied piano with Jacques Rouvier at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM). In 2005 Nika gained the Myra Hess Trust Award, the Lord Snowdon Award, the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Award and the RNCM Main Entrance Award to enter the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester where she completed her postgraduate diploma (under the guidance of Peter Lawson and Norma Fisher) in July 2006.

In February 2006 she won the Chevillion-Bonnaud Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition for the performance of her own composition Shadows (2006), and in April 2006 gave a debut recital tour in Tokyo, Japan. She received a commission from the Académie de Villecroze, France, for a new work for piano and CD, premiered at the Salle Cortot, Paris, in March 2007 . In November 2008 she made her debut in Sweden, giving recitals in Stockholm’s Royal Music Academy Hall.

In 2015 Nika graduated from Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London with a MMus degree in piano performance and the LRAM Royal Academy of Music teaching qualification.

Nika has performed as a soloist in numerous international festivals and has played concertos with professional orchestras in Eastern and Western Europe, piano solo recitals in Japan, including Tokyo Nikkei Concert Hall, Kyoto Concert Hall, and in the prestigious Manchester Midday Concerts Series at the Bridgewater Hall, UK.

Kristin Millward – Actress

Trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts,London

Theatre includes: seasons at Manchester Library, Birmingham Rep,
Leicester Phoenix and Haymarket, Sheffield Crucible, Coventry
Belgrade, Belfast Prime Cut.
London: the Bush, the Old Red Lion, the King’s Head, the Soho theatre,
the Finborough, the Latchmere, the Orange Tree, the Young Vic, the
National Theatre, the RSC (Barbican), the Riverside, the Tricycle, the
Rose Bankside.

Major Roles include: Petra (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant),
Portia (The Merchant of Venice), Dorelia (Portraits, Finborough), La
Chunga (La Chunga, Old Red Lion), Hecuba (Women of Troy, Orange Tree),
Helen (Women of Troy, Finborough), Desdemona (The Illustrious Corpse,
Soho), Maja (When We Dead Awaken, Sheffield Crucible), Inez (Huis
Clos, King’s Head), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin, Old Vic), Helena (Vanya,
Wrestling School European tour), Volanges (Les Liaisons Dangereuses,
RSC, Broadway, West End), the Woman (Wounds to the Face, Wrestling
School tour, Riverside theatre), Bigley (Burleigh Grimes, Bridewell),
Sister Anne (The Triumph of Death, B’ham), Jane Lagrange (The Chance,
Belfast), Philippina (Devour the Snow, Bush), Leonora (Natural
Inclinations, Finborough), Catherine de Medici (The Rose Bankside).
Films and television include: A Little Chaos (dir. Alan Rickman),
Poppyland (John Madden), To the Lighthouse (Colin Gregg), City of the
Dead (Ronald Chase), End of Winter (Corin Campbell Hill), For the Love
of Him (dir Lynsey Baxter), The Fool (dir Christine Ezzard), Scene of
the Crime (dir John Gogolka), East Enders.

A large body of radio work includes Garbo in Garbo and Gilbert (with
Henry Goodman).

Barrie Webb – solo trombonist, conductor

Barrie Webb studied trombone with Vinko Globokar and conducting with Constantin Bugeanu. His solo performances include numerous international broadcasts and venues such as Suntory Hall, Tokyo and Carnegie Hall, New York. His repertoire includes several concertos and international CD projects, beginning with The Japan Project (2002). He held a Leverhulme Fellowship 2012-14 to fund four new projects, including Cain Yokoyama’s solo Requiem and Contemporary Trombone Classics (2016).

As conductor, he works with professional ensembles and young musicians. He holds the title Professor of Music from the University of Huddersfield (UK), where he was director of performance until 2010. Guest editor and writer for the Contemporary Music Review (2007), he also contributed a chapter to Dragos Calin’s Constantin Bugeanu (2014).

Ana Silva e Silvério – choreographer, dancer and ballet teacher.

Originally from Brazil, Ana Silvério graduated (suma cum laude) in Choreography, Methodology and Pedagogy of dance in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Specialised in Vaganova Technique, Ana has great interest in dance pedagogy, storytelling choreography and folk dances. Ana was awarded prizes for best choreography in international dance competitions in Brazil and in Russia. She has danced and taught Ballet, Jazz and Brazilian and Russian folk dances in countries such as, Spain, Poland, Japan, Russia, Brazil and Holland.

Ana is currently studying at a PhD programme in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds. Her research topic is on systematisation and teaching methodologies for Brazilian folk dances.

Raphael Clarkson – trombonist, educator.

After studying music at the Universities of York and Oxford, he has developed an eclectic musical career, which spans trad jazz, contemporary jazz, avant-garde improvised music, theatre and performance art, contemporary classical music, ska/reggae, South African township jazz, and salsa. He is best known as the trombonist for the award-winning jazz-punk ensemble WorldService Project.

Raph has a great passion for education and community work; he is a co-founder of the Be Creative Music organisation, and recently held a place on the prestigious Spitalfields Music Leader Traineeship. More recently he has been involved in educational projects curated by English Touring Opera (ETO), Opera Holland Park, Creative Futures, London Music Masters and the London Philharmonic Orchestra; and this year he will work on projects for Spitalfields Music, M&F, Sinfonia Viva, ETO and Share Music Southwest amongst others.