Henley Festival Orchestra 2011-2012: Professional Coaches

Ron Colyer - violin

Ron Colyer was a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra and of the BBC SymphonyOrchestra. He has extensive experience as an orchestral leader and as soloist. He has performed much of the concerto repertoire, and in recital has played the complete sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert, along with most of the nineteenth and twentieth century repertoire for violin and piano. As a member of the St Johns Piano Trio he has performed cycles of the complete piano trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert and nearly all of the rest of the great piano trios.

Sought after as a violin teacher, he has taught students from aged three to postgraduate performers. He has prepared pupils for entry to the major Conservatoires and many past students are now professional players (including Laura Reineke). He teaches for Reading and Southampton Universities and has been a member of the teaching team of the Henley Festival Orchestra since its inception.

Ron is also an experienced teacher of the Alexander Technique, and is frequently consulted by musicians and other performers for help with performance stress and musculo-skeletal problems.

Maddie Cottam - trumpet and trombone

Maddie was inspired to pursue career in music by her first teacher Bernard Hazelgrove. After a memorable demonstration at her primary school, involving a brass quintet and hosepipe, she was hooked!

Maddie was a member of the Berkshire Young Musicians Trust for 10 years and gained an excellent grounding and vast experience from regular rehearsals, concerts and tours. She was a scholarship student for three years and a member of county ensembles, including Principal Trumpet in the Berkshire Youth Orchestra. Maddie has toured Paris (1996), Austria (1998), Italy (2000) and Germany (2001) and played at many prestigious venues including The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Eton College Hall.

After obtaining a degree at Huddersfield University, Maddie continued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Under the tuition of Paul Cosh, Paul Beniston and Steave Keavy, Maddie gained a Masters degree. Participation in GSMD ensembles encompassed a wide variety of genres and styles and invaluable experience. 'Sit-ins' with the RPO and LSO Side-by-side schemes, tours to Italy (Orchestra Bruno Maderna di Forlì, 2006 and GSMD Symphony Orchestra 2007), Brass Ensemble at Spitalfields Festival, Opera Orchestra, Gold Medal Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble RNCM Wind Festival and Chamber Music. During her time at Guildhall Maddie started learning the Natural Trumpet with Steve Keavy, which she hopes to continue and develop.

Maddie regularly takes on a variety of freelance work in shows, orchestras and brass ensembles in Reading and London, and is a founding member of The Chiltern Brass Quintet and 'Party Band' Misbehavin'. Maddie is an enthusiastic brass teacher with The Henley Festival Trust, Leighton Park School, Cranford House and Berkshire Maestros. When not playing the trumpet, Maddie enjoys horse riding and is a member of Phoenix and Ranalagh Hockey Club.

Elizabeth Drew

Liz was captivated by music from birth, so it is told, following tests that were being carried out at the hospital at the time of her arrival into this world. So when an interest in recorders of varying sizes was shown this was fostered, leading to Liz taking up the clarinet at the age of eight and confirming two years later that she wished to be a professional musician.

Years at the Purcell School and Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music (GSMD) followed, being taught by Paul Harris, Thea King and Andrew Marriner.

Stints in the National Children's Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra and European Community Youth Orchestra working with the likes of Haitink, Ashkenazy and Jurowski further enforced the musical dream. Final studies at GSMD with Antony Pay and then in Hanover, Germany with Hans Deinzer, ensured an initially European based career playing with German orchestras and touring extensively with the Moscow Virtuoso string ensemble.

Aside from other work, Liz has enjoyed a productive association with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for twelve years or more with whom she plays regularly as a freelance musician, anything from bass clarinet to principal, and is a regular member of Kokoro, the orchestra's contemporary ensemble. An interest in contemporary music has led to many musically rewarding collaborations with Lontano, Continuum and the New Music Players.

As a chamber musician Liz has played at all the major London concert venues, often with the London Concertante Chamber Ensemble.

Variety of work keeps your mind fresh and so Liz relishes the opportunity to coach young aspiring players. She teaches at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music and coaches for the National Youth Wind Orchestra.

She also conducts and arranges music for the Henley Festival Orchestra and examines for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is in increasing demand as an adjudicator.

Emma Gale - flute

Emma is a fellow of Trinity College of Music where she was the recipient of various prizes and scholarships. She has worked as a freelance orchestral player in London and with the Bournemouth orchestras and a member of many chamber ensembles. She now lives with her husband and three children in Marlow and plays and teaches locally.

Laura Reineke Dip TCL - violin

Laura studied at Trinity College of Music, London and now regularly performs with a variety of orchestras, chamber music groups, and solo recitals. In addition to her passion for playing, Laura teaches individuals, classes and ensembles at the Oratory Preparatory School, the Henley Festival Trust, Langtree School, Gillotts, Shiplake Primary School and Trinity C of E School. Laura's most recent achievement of which she is most proud is the founding of Henley Music School which she established in September 2010, and continues to co-ordinate all the clubs, and tutor recorder club.

Simon de Souza - French horn

Simon was brought up in Henley-on-Thames. He studied horn with the virtuoso Ifor James at Colchester Institute, winning several prizes for chamber music, and gaining a Cert. Mus and G. Mus (CNAA) and then undertook postgraduate studies at Trinity College of Music in London.

He has developed a busy schedule as a freelance performer with orchestras such as the CBSO, BBCNOW and Bolshoi Ballet, West End and touring shows, chamber music and recitals. He has a major commitment to the brass quintet Chaconne Brass, with whom he is frequently heard on radio and TV and has made four recordings, the most recent of which, Dancing in the Dark on the Deux-Elles label, was awarded four stars by the Independent. Simon has performed virtually all the standard horn concerto repertoire, a highlight being a performance of the Britten - Serenade in the Purcell Room on London's South Bank.

Simon has been the specialist horn tutor at Wells Cathedral School for 27 years, and also fulfilled the same position for ten years at the Purcell School. In September 2004 he also became Professor of Horn at Birmingham Conservatoire and for the past eight years has also been the specialist tutor at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music in London. Very few horn teachers nationwide can equal his breadth of teaching experience. Many of his pupils have gone on to win awards and scholarships to conservatoires and he numbers two under-18 winners of the Shell/LSO prize and a winner of the British final of the prestigious Paxmans International Horn Competition among many competition successes. Many of his former students have gone on to successful careers as performers and teachers, several holding principal positions in major British orchestras.

As an orchestral and chamber coach Simon has worked for the National Youth Wind Orchestra (for whom he runs the Focus on Chamber course with JRAM bassoon tutor Pete Harrison, National Children's Wind Orchestra, National Schools Symphony Orchestra, National Children's Orchestra, IAPS Orchestras and many county orchestras. He undertakes seminars and master classes on horn teaching and also writes regularly on horn teaching matters for a range of publications including Music Teacher and the Hornplayer magazine. Some of these articles have also been published abroad. Simon is the vice-chairman and educational consultant of the British Horn Society.