About Us
Meet our Artistic and Musical Directors, or scroll down to read about our Trustees and other members of the team.
Tom Elliott
President
Soon after leaving the Royal Academy of Music in 1998, violinist Tom Elliott became a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.Read More

Viv McLean
Vice-President
It was on Viv McLean’s suggestion that our President, Tom Elliott, founded the Glossop Music Festival. Viv has been our Pianist in Residence sine 2013, and in 2018 accepted the position of Vice-President.Artistic Team

Claire Surman
Artistic Team Leader
Claire completed the postgraduate opera course at the Royal College of Music with distinction, having won the Lies Askonas Prize, Agnes Nicholls Harty Trophy and Ted Moss Lieder Prize.Read More

Benjamin Powell
Artistic Team
Since winning the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 2010 Benjamin has gained a reputation for intelligent and expressive performances with a strong commitment to contemporary music.Read More

Emma Dixon
Artistic Team
Emma studied cello at the Royal Northern College of Music with Jenny Curtis and Kim Bak Dinitzen. She has performed as a chamber musician and orchestral player on modern and baroque cellos throughout the UK and Europe.Read More

Rachel Whibley
Artistic Team
Rachel is a professional bassoonist, a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, and has worked extensively with many of the top UK orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic, Northern Chamber Orchestra and Manchester Camerata.Read More

Christopher George
Conductor
As a violinist, Christopher George has had a happy and varied career. He was the leader of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra working regularly with Sir Charles Mackerras, Andrew Manze and Robin Ticciati.Read More

Matthew Truscott
Leader/Director
Leader of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, one of the leaders of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and principal violin for a number of other international ensembles, Matthew Truscott is a versatile violinist who shares his time between period instrument and ‘modern’ performance, appearing with some of the finest musicians in both fields.Read More

Viv McLean
Vice-President and Pianist in residence
Viv McLean won First Prize at the 2002 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona and has performed in all the major venues in the UK, as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA.Read More
Viv became the Vice-President of Glossop Music Festival in 2018, having been instrumental in the founding of the Festival.
Our Trustees and Team

Mike Bull
Chairman
A retired solicitor, local authority Chief Executive, and formerly a politically Independent Chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority and Chairman of the Devon Community Foundation (before moving to live in Glossop). He is an experienced promoter of professional arts events from the Royal Shakespeare Company on tour to opera and regional orchestral and musical events, and more local arts events.Rachel Whibley, Trustee
Rachel is a professional bassoonist who has worked with many of the top UK orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, Halle, RLPO, Northern Chamber Orchestra and Manchester Camerata. After four very happy years living in Ireland, working with the RTE orchestras in Dublin and the Ulster orchestra in Belfast, she and her family moved to Glossop in 1999. In 2002 she established, with a colleague, the very beginnings of a music centre for Glossop children, which has blossomed into a multi-faceted organisation encompassing many groups, and catering for all levels of ability. Rachel is the Managing Director of Carrott Productions.
Tim Cox, Trustee
Tim is a retired chemist whose career involved wood preservation and the analysis of certain building materials in the investigation of defects, or potential defects, in buildings. He was a committee member of the Consultancy Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry and served on a number of British Standards Committees. He is currently involved with two other Chamber Music Festivals and is a trustee of one of them. He has taken on the role of coordinating the Friends’ Membership.
Judith Fuidge, Trustee
A musician herself, Judith teaches piano locally and has been a Trustee of GCS for many years.
Simon Hurrell, Trustee
Simon lives in Glossop and has retired after many years as a chief officer in local government. He has had a keen interest in singing since he was a child, and remains active.
Professor Sam Griffiths-Jones, Trustee
Sam is a Professor at Manchester University.
Jeff Snowdon, Honorary Life Member
Jeff is a horn player, conductor, and music teacher.
Nick Reed, Special Advisor
Nick is now Chief Executive of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Town Hall, having been formerly Chief Executive of Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and has spent his whole working life in the cultural sector. He has led performance arts buildings across the UK and opened the Helix Arts Centre in Dublin. Nick is Chair of the national touring consortium Music Beyond Mainstream and also serves on the Board of Z-Arts, The Audience Agency and Inner City Music.
Siobhan Parker, Marketing Coordinator
Siobhan lives in Glossop and has a diploma in Social Media Marketing. She brings over 20 years experience in Arts Marketing and Ticketing to the Festival.