Our Tutors

Peter Holman (course director, continuo)

Peter studied at King’s College, London with Thurston Dart, and founded the pioneering early music group Ars Nova while a student. He is now director of The Parley of Instruments and the choir Psalmody, and musical director of Opera Restor’d. He is a leading figure in the musical life of the Essex-Suffolk borders, directing Essex Baroque Orchestra and the Suffolk Villages Festival. He was joint Artistic Director of the 1995 Boston Early Music Festival, and Consultant in Period Performance at the RNCM from 2002 to 2005. Peter has taught at many conservatories, universities, and summer schools in Britain, Europe and the USA, is a regular broadcaster, and is much in demand as a lecturer at learned conferences. He is chair of the editorial board of Early Music Performer, and a member of the editorial boards of Early Music, Musica Britannica and the Purcell Society.

Philip Thorby (course director, voices)

Philip is well known as one of the country's leading performers and teachers in the field of Renaissance and Baroque music. He is founder and Director of the Renaissance ensemble Musica Antiqua of London, which has remained at the forefront of research-based performance of early sixteenth-century music.  As a recorder player, Philip's interests range widely. Two areas of special interest are sixteenth-century divisions (elaborate instrumental works based on vocal originals) and the music of early eighteenth-century London.  In addition to his past work at Trinity College of Music, where he was Professor of Recorder and Senior Fellow in Early Music, Philip has worked in contemporary fields with artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, John Taverner and David Bedford. He teaches widely in England and abroad.

Judy Tarling (upper strings)

After a period playing in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Judy became interested in early music and its performance through playing the harpsichord and viol. After running her own chamber group Brighton Baroque for some years in the seventies, she became involved in the early Academy of Ancient Music recordings of the complete Mozart symphonies. In 1981 Judy was invited to join the recently formed Parley of Instruments (directors Roy Goodman and Peter Holman), a group specializing in 17th century string consort repertoire, which she has led since the 80s. In 1985, The Parley assembled the first consort in modern times of the earliest known type of violin, a Renaissance string band such as Elizabeth I would have enjoyed for dancing. The group is made up of members of the violin family (violin, viola, bass violin) and still remains one of only three groups in the world to play on this type of instrument. The Parley have made over 70 recordings for Hyperion Records, on Renaissance, Baroque and Classical types of instruments, and toured extensively in Europe, U.S.A. and South America.

Mark Caudle (lower strings)

Mark is one of Britain's leading performers on Baroque cello and viola da gamba. Since the 1970s, he has played with most of London's period-instrument ensembles, including the Consort of Musicke, the Taverner Players, the English Baroque Soloists, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Brandenburg Consort, and the Parley of Instruments. He then relocated to Poland, where he has worked with groups such as Concerto Polacco, L'Arte dei Suonatori, and his own group Harmonia Parnassia. He has performed as principal cellist with Concerto Copenhagen and as continuo player for the Drottningholm Festival in Sweden and the English National Opera in London. Mark is a prolific recording artist. His recorded repertoire includes Telemann's Concerto for recorder and bass viol (with L'Arte Suonatori for the Swedish label BIS) and a disc of virtuoso bass viol music from 18th century England entitled The Noble Bass Viol (with members of the Parley of Instruments for Hyperion). In addition to his work as a performer, he also builds violins.

Gail Hennessy (woodwind)

Gail is one of the foremost exponents of the baroque oboe in Britain. She was born in Wisconsin in the USA, and studied modern oboe at the University of Louisville before taking a position as cor anglais player in an orchestra in North Carolina. There she encountered a baroque oboe for the first time, and fell in love with its sound.  She now has a busy career playing and recording with many of Britain's early music groups, including The Academy of Ancient Music, La Serenissima, New London Consort, The Parley of Instruments, St. James's Baroque, and Ex Cathedra. She appears as a soloist and chamber musician around the world, and has been broadcast as a soloist on BBC Radio 3, and on radio in France, Denmark, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium and the USA. She also encourages composers to write new music for old instruments, and has premiered works by Jennifer Fowler (1988), Roderick Williams (2004), Rhian Samuel (2008), and Thea Musgrave (2011). Her highly acclaimed recordings of Bach sonatas and Vivaldi chamber music are available on the Signum label.

David Hatcher (viols)

David was born in Warwick and upon attaining the LTCL diploma two years after taking up music, he went on to study viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music, London.  He began his career based in England, touring to America, Israel, France, Germany and the Netherlands. He has broadcast for both the BBC and independent radio and television.  In 1987 he moved to Japan where he was to remain for the next nine years, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene. He has recorded with Evelyn Tubb, The Consort of Musicke, I Fagiolini, Sprezzatura, and the Japanese ensembles Chelys, Ensemble Ecclesia and the Bach Collegium of Japan.  David now lives in Leominster on the Welsh Marches and has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Globe Theatre, The Consort of Musicke, Muisca Antiqua of London, The Corelli Orchestra, The Harp Consort, Glyndebourne Opera and many other period orchestras and ensembles. 

Emma Murphy (recorders)

Emma graduated from Birmingham University with a First Class (Hons) degree in Music, and was awarded the Roland Gregory Prize for the highest degree mark. She then won scholarships from Trinity College of Music and the Countess of Munster Music Trust to study for an MMus degree & Postgraduate Certificate, in which she gained a Distinction.  She studied recorder with Philip Thorby and singing with Linda Hirst. She later furthered her recorder studies with Ashley Solomon and singing with David Harper and Britta Sundberg.  Emma plays and has recorded with some of the UK’s leading period groups, including The King’s Consort, Gabrieli Consort & Players and Ex Cathedra. She plays and sings in many chamber groups, in particular with Da Camera and Philomel.  As well as early music, Emma has a keen interest in contemporary music, both as a solo performer and with other instruments, and has taken part in the acclaimed Park Lane Group New Year Series. She has performed with the marimba player, Daniella Ganeva, and the guitarist, Eleftheria Kotzia. Emma has appeared many times on the BBC both as a performer and occasional broadcaster for the Early Music Show. Emma has played with the CBSO under Emmanuelle Haim and Giovanni Antonini. 

Lynda Sayce (lutes)

One of Britain’s leading lutenists with over 100 recordings to her name, Lynda read Music at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, then studied lute with Jakob Lindberg at the Royal College of Music. She performs regularly as soloist and continuo player with leading period instrument ensembles worldwide, is principal lutenist with The King’s Consort, Ex Cathedra and the Musicians of the Globe, and has broadcast extensively on radio and TV. She is also director of the lute ensemble Chordophony, whose repertory and instrumentarium is based exclusively on her research. Equally at home working with modern instruments, Lynda has performed with many leading orchestras and opera companies including English and Welsh National Operas, Opera North, the CBSO and the Berlin Philharmonic. Her repertory spans many centuries, and her discography ranges from some of the earliest surviving lute works to the jazz theorbo part in Harvey Brough’s ‘Requiem in Blue’. An experienced teacher at all levels, Lynda writes beginners’ lute lessons for the British lute society, has taught on many summer schools and courses, and is regularly invited to serve as specialist examiner by both universities and music conservatoires. She is currently preparing a didactic recording and companion edition of lute duets, commissioned by the lute society.

Frances Eustace (loud winds)

Frances began studying the bassoon as a teenager with Martin Gatt, and after graduating from Surrey University, she won a Countess of Munster Award to study with Roger Birnstingl at the Geneva Conservatoire (Gold medal, Classe de Perfectionnement).  Upon her return to Britain she freelanced, playing with the Halle Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Scottish Ballet and giving recitals at The Wigmore Hall, The Purcell Room, the Barbican and St. John's Smith Square.  She fell in love with the sound of "original instruments" when her friend and colleague, Jeremy Ward, lent her his baroque bassoon while he was on holiday and so began her distinguished career in the field of early music. Since 1983 she has performed with all the leading orchestras in London and many in Germany, Belgium and Holland. She has been involved in award winning recordings with Tavener Players, The London Classical Players, Gabrieli Players, Ensemble Sonnerie and was a member of The London Oboe Band. She was a member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment from 1989 to 1996 and her solo CD on instruments from 1600 to 1910 (The Finchcocks Collection) is regularly broadcast across the world from the ABC to the BBC. 

Jeremy West (loud winds)

Jeremy is an evangelist for the cornett, the often-overlooked wind instrument which was held in the highest possible regard during the 16th and 17th centuries. He continues to play a lead role in re-establishing this instrument as a recognised and accepted virtuoso and ensemble instrument and now has thirty-five years of top class playing and recording experience with many of Europe's leading renaissance and early baroque ensembles. Jeremy has on several occasions been acclaimed a “pioneer” of his instrument. He is a founder member of His Majesty's Sagbutts & Cornetts – the leading ensemble of its kind – and is Principal Wind Player with the Gabrieli Consort and Players for their earlier repertoire. He has more than 60 recordings to his credit.