Marlow Music Festival

Affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Speech and Drama

Helen Duffy LRAM, LGSM (Woodwind and Strings)

Helen Duffy was winner of South East Arts ‘Young Musicians’ Platform, winner of the Royal Overseas League Music Competition and youngest national finalist in the first Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Music Scholarship. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Edward Beckett and Joan Spencer and although primarily a flautist, won the Guildhall First Silver Medal for the most outstanding Violin Diploma examination.

Since making highly acclaimed debut recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room at the age of nineteen, Helen has established an international reputation as a duo instrumentalist and has toured and broadcast on radio and television in England, Ireland, Italy, Sicily, Poland, Spain, Portugal, the Azores Islands, Holland and Belgium. Festival appearances in this country include Harrogate, Bath, City of London, Henley and Huddersfield Contemporary Festival. Helen has also made several CD recordings.

In addition to solo performing (with pianist, David Mason), Helen is a member of the Vicente Duo with BBC Symphony Orchestra harpist, Louise Martin, and leader of the Danesfield Quartet (String/Flute Quartet). An interest in jazz in recent years has led to work in this field with the celebrated vibes player, Alan Grahame, and pianist/musical director, Jo Stewart.

Helen very much enjoys the variety of examining, adjudicating and teaching in addition to her performing career, and has examined widely for the Associated Board for some sixteen years (as diploma examiner, co-ordinator and grade examiner). She has examined in Hong Kong, Japan, India, Malaysia, Korea, The Philippines and Europe, in addition to the UK, and is looking forward to examining and adjudicating in New Zealand this year.

 

Maria Jagusz GRNCM (Choral and Vocal)

Maria Jagusz trained as a dancer before taking up a place at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio. Since then she has worked as soloist for most of the leading opera companies in the U.K. and Europe including The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Singapore Opera, Opera De Lyon and Opera North.

She has sung many of the leading Mezzo-Soprano roles including Carmen, Cherubino, Nicklaus, Rosina, Hansel and Dorabella, with many international artists including Carreras, Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni and Dame Felicity Lott. Even when Maria was singing full time she was always interested in helping young singers and actors from different musical backgrounds to improve their vocal technique and performing abilities. Over the past ten years Maria has built up a large teaching practice and is passionate about creating opportunities for young talented singers especially those wanting to try for careers in singing and musical theatre. She was on the music staff at

London College of Music and has coached at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and Vocaltech. She has been vocal consultant for both Kaos Theatre Company and Hoi Polloi Theatre Company. In 2006 MJ-UK Production Limited was formed to give young singers and performers the opportunity to work with professional directors and musicians to put on a full scale musical or opera. Past productions include Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, West Side Story and The Secret Garden. Many of the students from MJ-UK both past and present are

now training and working professionally. Her other directing credits include Dido and Aeneas, Little Sweep, Bastien and Bastienne, La Boheme and Les Miserables (Longborough Festival Opera), Orfeo and Eurydice (Cirencester College) and Carmen (Swindon Opera).

Earlier this year the Silurian Consort made her their honorary chairman because of her contribution to music in the Cotswolds. Future work includes directing Love and Betrayal for Longborough Festival Opera and Tosca for Bel Canto Opera at the Pump Rooms in Cheltenham. Later this year Maria will be singing Sea Pictures for the Silurian Consort and performing in a recital of Chopin music at Valdemossa.

 

Roger Crocker MA, GRSM, ARAM, LRAM, ARCM, PGCE (Piano)

Roger Crocker began his musical career in Birmingham, studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Marjorie Haslehurst, was a Manton Faulkner and Yardley Education Foundation Scholar, and played with the CBSO, Midland Youth Orchestra and on BBC Radio as soloist while still at school. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Guy Jonson and Wilfred Parry and later with Erich Vietheer and Geoffrey Parsons focussing on piano

accompaniment and vocal music.

He studied for a PGCE at Reading University, an MA at the London University Institute of Education and holds an ARAM for services to music education. He has taught in four London Boroughs in primary and secondary phases, and as a music advisory teacher, He is currently Lead Adviser (Music) and Head of the Music Service for West Sussex County Council ‘Children and Young People’s Services: Learning’ which provides around 13000 music opportunities for children and young people every week. He occasionally works as an examiner for the ABRSM, a Team Leader for EdExcel at GCSE, and as an adjudicator for the British Federation of Festivals.

He has been Chair of the National Association of Music Educators, and is Chair of the Advisers, Inspectors and Consultants Forum of that body. He is Vice Chair of the Adventure, Service, Challenge Scheme for young people. He is also an accompanist organist and choir director on a regular basis.

 

Richard Deering FTCL, GTCL, LRAM, ARCM, PGCA (Brass and Composition)

Richard Deering studied at Trinity College of Music with Frank Merrick (piano) and subsequently with Peter Wallfisch and Clifford Curzon – and trumpet/cornet with Norman Burgess. He has given piano recitals and broadcasts in over 90 countries worldwide. Many leading composers have written works especially for him, and in 1981 he was elected a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society for ‘distinguished services to British music’.

As an accompanist he has worked with Julian Lloyd Webber, Nigel Kennedy, Robert Tear, Brian Rayner Cook, James Blades and others. Currently, he is the director of the unique performing and recording group of 4 pianists known as Piano40. He has also played flugel horn with brass bands.

He has been an Advisor to the London Arts Board on aspects of contemporary music and jazz. He is also involved with setting, and examining, of the higher levels of the TCL piano syllabus and examines for Rockschool. His adjudicating and examining work has taken him throughout the British Isles as well as to Australasia, North America, Africa, Orient and Caribbean. Until 2002 he was the Vice-Chairman of the Adjudicators’ Council of the British and International Federation of Festivals as well as being a Federation Trustee. He also held the position of Chief Assessor for the new adjudicator’s qualifications when

administered by the University of Leeds and he was the co-writer of the new adjudication criteria used now by all Federation festivals and adjudicators. As a teacher Richard has held positions at the London College of Music and Middlesex University as well as visiting positions at Trinity College of Music, Trinity College Dublin, Hong Kong’s Academy of Performing Arts and the State University of New York.

Festival Adjudicators