Welcome to the Music Department!

Director of Music

Mr Geoffrey Field, Dip RAM, GRSM, ARCO, LRAM
e-mail: geoff.field@stcatherines.info

Geoffrey Field started studying the piano at 4 and by 11 had won a scholarship to the Junior Exhibitioners’ Course at the Royal Academy of Music. By the time he was 18, and about to start full-time studies at the RAM, he had won an Associated Board Gold Medal for the highest mark nationally for Grade 7 piano, and the Open Piano class of the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Geoffrey then spent the next five years studying organ, piano, composition and choral conducting at the RAM, winning eleven prizes for organ, piano, aural and general musicianship. Since leaving the RAM he has given organ recitals at home and abroad, as well as conducting many choirs, and composing whenever he gets the time. His youth choir Schola Cantorum of Calne recorded three CDs, appeared on TV and radio, won the BBC Minstrels In The Gallery and HTV’s ‘Sing Out 2000’ competitions, and reached the semi-finals of Sainsbury’s ‘Choir of the Year’. The choir also toured in the UK, Austria, Germany, Italy (twice), Sweden and Iceland, as well as being invited to sing for HM The Queen and Prince Philip in Malmesbury Abbey.

Although not having as much time to compose as he would like, Geoffrey’s compositions include three published pieces, five commissions, and many choral arrangements including Orff’s Carmina Burana for upper voices. He has won Anthem competitions given by the Church Music Society and the Norwich Contemporary Church Music Festival as well as writing the winning TV Theme in the 1989 Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Geoffrey began his teaching career at Queenswood School where he was Organist and Head of Music Technology before moving to Wiltshire to teach at St Mary’s School Calne, initially also as Organist and Head of Music Technology, before becoming Director of Music in 2001. During his 17 years at St Mary’s Geoffrey was often in demand as an adjudicator for Music Festivals and competitions, and was also President of the Wiltshire & Bath Organists’ Association from 1998-2000.

Geoffrey came to St Catherine’s in 2006. When he is not making music, or encouraging others to make it, he enjoys hill walking, birdwatching, travel, reading, photography, gardening and DIY.

Assistant Director of Music

Mr. Andrew Lamb MA, MPhil (Cantab.), ARCO
e-mail: andrew.lamb@stcatherines.info

Andrew received his early musical education in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, where he was also the cathedral organ scholar. In 1994 he went up to read Music at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he held the position of Organ Scholar. He undertook research into J. S. Bach’s "Die Kunst der Fuge", taking the degree of Master of Philosophy in 1998 under the supervision of Dr John Butt.

In 1997, Andrew began teaching at Trinity College and also at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Aural, Keyboard, Notation, Composition and Harmony and Counterpoint. In 2002, Andrew was appointed Assistant Director of Music at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford.

He joined the staff of St Catherine's as Assistant Director of Music and Head of Academic Music in January 2006.

Outside St Catherine's, Andrew maintains his interest in academic music and regularly works both as recitalist and as accompanist. He is particularly interested in the works of J. S. Bach and the modern French school of organ composition.

Since 2005 Andrew has been a founder committee member of the Trinity College Choristers Association, recently being voted General Secretary.

Academic Staff & Heads of Section

Miss Tia Kuchmy MusB GRNCM ARNCM LRAM ARCM
Academic Staff & Head of Woodwind
e-mail: tia.kuchmy@stcatherines.info

Tia Kuchmy won a Junior Exhibition to the Royal College of Music at the age of 14 to study flute and piano and went on to read music at the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music. In addition to her degrees she holds teaching diplomas in flute, piano and singing. Her teachers have included John Barstow and Colin Horsley for piano, Marjorie Thomas for singing, and Christopher Hyde-Smith for flute.

Tia began her career as a visiting music teacher in Peterborough and then Brighton, but subsequently gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Homerton College, Cambridge, working thereafter as a class teacher at Roedean School, Surbiton High School and Old Palace Croydon, before moving to St Catherine’s in 1998.

Performance has always been an important part of her life. She was a longstanding member of the Chorus of the Academy of St Martins in the Field, singing with them in the UK and abroad from 1978 to 2002. Until quite recently she also played the flute regularly in the foyer of the National Theatre, London. Whilst at Surbiton High School, where she was Director of Music, she conducted their Association Choir in a wide variety of repertoire, from Monteverdi and Charpentier with an early music group to Constant Lambert’s Rio Grande. She also trained a selection of year 9 pupils for two professional operatic productions: Jonathan Miller’s Carmen for English National Opera in 1995 and La Boheme for Covent Garden in 1996.

In 1997, Tia decided on a change in career direction and looked for a post as an assistant teacher once again in order to allow greater space in which to pursue a professional training to become a Jungian analyst. The training, with the Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists, London, commenced in autumn 2000 and is ongoing. Alongside her strong teaching commitment at St Catherine’s Tia is now an Advanced Candidate with IGAP, balancing her psychotherapeutic practices in London and West Sussex with her work at the school. Occasionally these worlds overlap: she gives regular talks on Jung to 6th form Psychology, Classics and RE classes.

She also lectures on music and psychology in Jungian circles, and has a special interest in the life and music of Sir Michael Tippett, the subject of her IGAP thesis. In October last year she gave a talk to the C.G. Jung Club, London, entitled The Composer as Instrument of the Objective Psyche. She will speak to the Club again in June this year on Tippett’s opera The Midsummer Marriage, and to the Cambridge Jung Circle on Tippett in March 2009.

Mrs. Maria Williams DipRCM (Hons) DipPG advanced performance (Chopin Academy)
Academic Staff & Head of Keyboard
e-mail: maria.williams@stcatherines.info

Maria Williams was an Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, where she studied the piano with John Barstow and Niel Immelman, and the violin with John Ludlow on the Performers’ Course. Whilst at the RCM, she won numerous prizes in a range of disciplines including solo performance, chamber music and academic music.

After completing her studies at the RCM, Maria won a scholarship to study on the Advanced Performers’ Postgraduate Course at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, where she undertook a double first study of Piano and Chamber music with Regina Smendzianka, and Maja Nosowska. Whilst at the Chopin Academy, Maria made several recordings for Polish radio and television, and subsequently began to perform in Poland, most notably for HRH Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to Poland. .

Her concert career developed when she undertook further engagements under the auspices of the European Mozart Academy. She won competitions in Poland, which led to performances of concertos by Rachmaninov, Beethoven and Mozart. As the winner of the Peoples’ Chopin Prize in Antonin, she also won the opportunity to perform Chopin recitals which were broadcast in Poland.

After completing her postgraduate studies, Maria went on to perform at music festivals in the Vallais, Switzerland, Holland Music Sessions in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, Luxembourg, festivals in Italy and contemporary music festivals in the Hague and Warsaw performing as a soloist with M-use Contemporary Music ensemble. She also participated in masterclasses with the renowned pedagogues, Lazar Berman, Karlheinz Kammerling, Tatiana Nikolaeva and Tatiana Shebanova. She combined her solo and Chamber concerts with work as an accompanist of violinists participating in international competitions and masterclasses.

In 1998, Maria became Musician-in-Residence at St. George’s School in Rome, and she continued to perform in Eastern Europe, Italy and Switzerland whilst directing Chamber Music, Choirs and ensembles at the school. This subsequently led to more formal teaching at the school. In 2000, Maria moved to England and she decided to settle here permanently in 2001. She joined the music team at St. Catherine’s in 2002 where she is Head of Keyboard and coordinator of Chamber Music and A level.

Heads of Section
Head of Strings Mr P. Howe ARCM (classical, acoustic and jazz guitar) Head of Brass Miss. A. Peters FLCM LLCM Head of Percussion and Contemporary Music Mr I. Young (Royal Military School of Music) Head of Vocal Studies Mrs V. Crocker BMus LRAM ARCM

Piano
Mrs. M. Bonello MMus Mrs. E. Chalwin GRSM ARCM Miss J. Farrow BMus (Hons) RCM, DipRCM, ARCM PG Mrs. J. Freeman LRAM (perf.) PGDip Miss E. Krivenko MMus Dip.Performance Moscow Conservatoire (Hons) Mr. A. Lamb MA MPhil (Cantab.) ARCO Miss S. Warwick BMus (Hons), PGDip Mrs M. Williams DipRCM (Hons) DipPG advanced performance (Chopin Academy)

Organ
Mr Geoffrey Field, Dip RAM, GRSM, ARCO, LRAM Mr. A. Lamb MA MPhil (Cantab.) ARCO

Percussion and Contemporary Music
Mr. I. Young, Royal Military School of Music Mr P. McKenzie (electric guitar)

Strings
Mrs. F. Andrade ARCM (Hons) (violin/viola) Mrs. W. Chew GGSM AGSM (cello) Mrs. J. Edwards MA DipRCM ARCM CTABRSM (violin) Mr. P. Howe ARCM (guitar) Mrs. V. Mitchell LRAM (cello) Mrs. D. Rogers BMus (double bass) Miss J. Spencer AGSM, LGSM (cello) Miss L-E. Spencer ARCM (Hons) DipRAM (violin) Miss C. Woehrel (Grad Lucerne Conservatoire)

Woodwind
Mrs. D. Burt FTCL LTCL (flute) Miss R. Cow BMus (bassoon) Mrs. F. Howe ARCM (flute) Miss T. Kuchmy (flute/recorder) Mrs. G. Langley GLCM LLCM(TD) (clarinet/sax) Mr. J. Matthews MusB GRNCM PPRNCM PGDipRAM (clarinet/sax) Mr. I. McKay ARMCM (clarinet/sax) Mrs. S. Rolls GTCL LTCL (oboe)

Brass
Mr. S. Caldicott GNSM FTCL (French horn) Mr. P. Sykes RMSM (trombone/trumpet/tuba) Miss. A. Peters FLCM LLCM (trumpet)

Voice
Mrs J. Barklem LLB, LGSM (Dist) Miss G. Black BA (Cantab), Dip ABRSM Mrs L. Brown MA (Hons), MMus, ARCO, LTCL Mrs. V. Crocker BMus LRAM ARCM Mrs. F. Shelfer GRNCM

Prep. School
Mrs A. White MA (Oxon.) Director of Music, St Catherine's Preparatory School e-mail: alexandra.white@stcatherines.info Mrs S. Rolls GTCL LTCL St Catherine's Preparatory School e-mail: sally.rolls@stcatherines.info