Teachers

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	Teachers Julie Gray - BA(Hons) ARCM PGCE - Principal Teacher Julie Gray is a classically trained professional soprano who works extensively as an oratorio and concert singer. Her busy singing career sees her perform many of the major oratorio works from Handel to Verdi to Orff with choirs and in cathedrals such as York Minster, Rochester Cathedral and St. Alban's Abbey and in churches and concert halls all over Britain. She is an experienced concert artist who has performed many operatic roles such as Donna Anna, Violetta, Fiordiligi, Aida alongside operetta heroines such as Mabel in a performance of The Pirates of Penzance at Windsor Castle. She is the Artistic Director of The GraySingers and Classic Opera for whom she arranges bespoke concerts for Music Festivals, Weddings, Societies and Corporate Events, most recently for Knebworth House. For further information on Julie's Concert Diary and to find out more about her work as a singer see her dedicated website Julie Gray Soprano Julie has a passion for teaching which has been developed during her time working with inspirational teachers such as Elizabeth Robson and James Lockhart and she has worked with the eminent vocal consultant Janice Chapman for the past 6 years developing her technique and learning teaching methodology. Julie believes very strongly in being a life-long learner and her mission is to pass on this desire to constantly learn and improve to the students and singing teachers she teaches. She began her teaching career in 1990 firstly as a peripatetic teacher in Hertfordshire at schools such as Parmiter's and Aldenham and now her work is solely for The Singing School as principal teacher and workshop leader. Julie leads workshops in Vocal Technique, Confidence and Overcoming Performance Anxiety and is a Co-Leader of The Pop Singing Workshop and Acting For Singers. Julie also developed a six lesson beginners and intermediate course which she now trains other singing teachers to teach! Julie teaches daytime only and works mainly with professional singers, post grade 8 singers and singing teachers, although she is still happy to hear from beginner and intermediate singers, time permitting!!Julie singing Vilia Julie Gray has invited a number of other teachers to be part of The Singing School. These teachers have all been trained in teaching The Singing School Beginners' Course and they share Julie's ethos and ideas for singers. They all take regular lessons with Julie Gray. The Singing School is happy to recommend the following teachers who teach The Beginners' Course. Please note that any further teaching after the Beginners' Course is as part of the individual teacher's private practice and The Singing School has no input into the content of the lessons thereafter. Sarah Hay Sarah’s career in theatre has been varied both as an actress and singer. She has had a long and happy association with the West End production of Blood Brothers first joining the company in 1996 as Mrs Lyons. She has since returned to the show a number of times playing Mrs Johnstone, most recently in October 2009 in Manchester.Early theatre credits include Maria in West Side Story, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Liz Essendine in Present Laughter, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Manchester), and a one-woman show Perfect Swine (Unity Theatre, Liverpool). Other more ‘exotic’ career moves include working on the club circuit in the North of England; entertaining on board SS Canberra whilst having a wonderful time travelling the world; and co-producing new work with her own company, The Cracked Actors Company, which toured theatres, arts centres and 25 British prisons with Rule 43 by Kevin Fegan.Following that, Sarah was directed as Anna by James Hammerstein II on the national tour of The King and I, and played the role both on tour and at Sadlers Wells. Other roles include: Mrs Cratchit in the world stage premiere of Scrooge with Anthony Newley, Mrs Hudson in Sherlock Holmes - the musical with Robert Powell, Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables at The Palace Theatre in London, and toured Japan in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s production of Cinderella with Janie Dee.In 2002 she joined the company of Tartuffe at The Royal National Theatre with Martin Clunes in the title role, when she understudied the role of Dorine.TV includes Casualty, Doctors, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Top Gear and numerous commercials. She has a successful career as a concert singer both in the UK and on the continent, particularly in Belgium as part of the West End Divas project promoted by producer Thomas Van der Spiegel. She was a special West End guest at the Musicalprijzen Awards in Antwerp last year presenting and performing and has a series of dates lined up for 2009/10. Concert appearances in the UK include Pizza on the Park in September and October 2009 with her own show ‘The Sweetest Sounds’ which explores the musical legacy of Richard Rodgers from his collaborations with Hart and Hammerstein all the way to his grandson Adam Guettel. With Musical Director, Leigh Stevenson, she formed Sarabande in 2007, and performs in concert and cabaret for private and corporate events. Please visit www.sarabande-uk.com for more information and to book. As a teacher and workshop leader, Sarah has worked extensively with the National Theatre Education Department and also The Mousetrap Foundation and was Head of Performing Arts at Queens School in Bushey for four years until 2008. Sarah works as an affiliated teacher for The Singing School and she is trained to teach The Singing School Beginner's Course. She is also a Co-Leader of The Pop Singer's Workshop Sarah as Madame Thenadier Mark Rice-Oxley Mark was chosen by Dame Judi Dench for the Patricia Rothermere Award (Evening Standard Awards) which allowed him to study acting for three years at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, having already done English & Drama at Birmingham University. Whilst at University, Mark appeared in Cabaret, South Pacific, Jesus Christ Superstar, Into The Woods, Grand Hotel, and played Billy Flynn in Chicago, and Macheath in The Thr’peneny Opera. Since graduating from drama school, Mark has done almost every type of acting possible from Shakespeare to Sitcom, live Radio to Physical Theatre (with Frantic Assembly), corporate videos, audio books, soap opera (Eastenders) and over ten World or British Premieres of new plays both in the West End and around the country, such as Harold Pinter’s The Dwarfs at the Tricycle Theatre (also on BBC4), Cuckoos at The Barbican, David Copperfield at the West Yorkshire playhouse, The Danny Crowe Show at the Bush, Cressida (with Michael Gambon) at the Albery. Musically, Mark has sung in productions as diverse as the Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Entertainer at Liverpool Playhouse, impersonated Liza Minelli in The Kindness of Strangers at the Liverpool Everyman, and played George Harrison in a film about the Beatles. In addition to guitar, Mark has also played trumpet, tenor horn, piano, ukelele and recorder on stage. Mark is often asked to do development work on plays and films and has been involved in new musicals Tin Pan Alley, and the Lord of the Rings Musical, in which he helped create the character of Gollum. Mark was last seen in the new series of Hotel Babylon and New Tricks on BBC1. Click on the link to see Mark's Showreel Mark is a workshop leader for The Singing School's Acting For Singers Workshop and is qualified to teach The Singing School Beginner's Course. For more information about Mark see Mark's Official Website. Mark singing with Joshua Malone Abigail Smith Born in St. Albans, Soprano Abigail Smith LRAM recently graduated with a Bmus Hons from the Royal Academy of Music, having studied with singing Professors Elizabeth Ritchie and Audrey Hyland. Solo operatic experience to date includes; Lauretta in Bizet’s Doctor Miracle, Monica in Menotti’s The Medium, Bastienna in Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienna, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Susanna in Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna, Mary in Stephen Dodgson’s Premiere of Nancy and the Waterman and chorus in the premiere of Dardanus by Rameau for Royal Academy Opera and La Traviata, Idomeneo and La Boheme with St. Albans Chamber Opera. Abigail has also sung with the Southbank Sinfonia as Amor in Gluck’s Orpheus, Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aenaes and the Angel in Handel’s Jephtha. Abigail was awarded the Edith Oulten de Pauley Associated Board prize, the Sherrards and Observer Excellence award, the Guinness Music in Community prize, Herts Young Musician of the Year and was recently a finalist in the Yamaha European Scholarship Competition. Abigail is also an accomplished pianist, oboist and saxophonist, and enjoys teaching in various schools across Hertfordshire and London. Abigail works from her home in Chiswell Green and teaches Adult Beginners, ABRSM Grades 1-8 and preparation for recitals etc. She is the leader of The Rock Choir in Watford and St. Albans. For more information on Abigail see Abigail's Website The Singing School Master Class Series with eminent vocal consultant Janice Chapman AUA OAM (3rd from right).

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