This position took him to many of the great concert halls in the world where he played and recorded with musicians such as Murray Perahia, Joshua Bell and Julia Fischer. Tom has played with many of the country’s top symphony orchestras as well as having been an experienced chamber musician, as a passionate believer in the capacity of music to make the world a better place. Until 2018 he focused much of his energy on teaching the violin and bringing international quality classical music to the High Peak through the Glossop Music Festival, and has now moved away from Glossop with his family, but has accepted the post of President.

She made her Welsh National Opera debut in 2011 as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and her Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut as Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Other roles include: Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Violetta (La Traviata), Gilda (Rigoletto), Leïla (The Pearl Fishers), Mimì (La Bohème), Governess (Turn of the Screw), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte) and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus). Solo concert highlights include performing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski (Royal Festival Hall), the OAE/Sir Simon Rattle (Royal Festival Hall), in Raymond Gubbay’s Last Night of the Spring Proms Concerts (Symphony Hall, Bridgewater Hall), and with the Berlin Philharmonic/Sir Simon Rattle (Berlin, Salzburg Festival). Claire appeared as a guest artist for the television series ‘Sopranos’. Claire now combines performing with a thriving teaching practice here in Glossop. She is passionate about quality classical music experiences for all, and in 2013 she established GLOSSOPERA. Claire is thrilled to also now be working with Glossop Music Festival to continue developing world-class music in the High Peak.

He has performed across the UK and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and song accompanist in venues including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Snape Maltings, The Bridgewater Hall, IRCAM (Paris), and Harpa (Reykjavik). In 2014 he was appointed pianist for Manchester’s leading contemporary music group, Psappha. Benjamin is much in demand as a chamber musician and has collaborated with many distinguished musicians including Leland Chen, Levon Chilingirian, Craig Ogden, Miklós Perényi, Thomas Riebl, and Sophie Rosa. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Carole Presland and later with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Alexander Melnikov at the Hochschule für Musik Cologne and RNCM respectively. Much in demand as a teacher, his students have gone on to win prizes in major competitions, including BBC Young Musician of the Year, James Mottram International Competition, Manchester International Piano Concerto Competition and the British Contemporary Piano Competition. Benjamin was born and raised in West Sussex and now lives in Glossop with his wife and three children.

Passionate about music education, Emma has always combined working as a performer with being a cello and musicianship teacher, working with students of all ages from beginner to advanced level for institutions including the RNCM, Pro Corda, Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester Camerata and the Hallé. She holds a Certificate in Dalcroze Eurythmics and is currently studying internationally for a further Licence in Dalcroze. Emma is delighted to be the Director of Strings for Dark Peak Music Foundation, working with dozens of young musicians on a weekly basis as ensemble director and with a particular focus on the development of string playing in the Dark Peak area and on creating opportunities for young people to encounter and fall in love with music. Emma grew up in Sheffield and lives in Glossop with her husband and three children.

She has worked with international orchestras include Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and Bolshoi Ballet, and she spent 4 happy years in Dublin working with the RTE Symphony and Concert Orchestras, and in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra. In addition to her performing career, Rachel has had the privilege of working on education projects with many orchestras. She helped to set up Dark Peak Music Foundation alongside Jeff Snowdon in 2001, relishing the opportunity to introduce music-making into the lives of hundreds of children. Alongside her teaching in Glossop, she has also taught at RNCM Junior School and has recently been appointed as a bassoon tutor at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. After staging 5 sell-out performances of The Snowman in her home town of Glossop in 2013, Rachel set up Carrot Productions. Since then, the company has staged almost 150 performances, with a further 46 planned for this Christmas. Exciting times lie ahead as the company has been granted exclusive rights by Aardman to develop a Wallace & Gromit tour in Spring 2019.

He directed the orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival, the Aldeburgh Festival and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and performed chamber music with Christian Zackerias, Richard Egarr and Artur Pizarro. Before the SCO, Chris toured widely as Leader and member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and many chamber groups with such wonderful musicians as Joshua Bell, Murray Perahia, Bernard Haitink and Nicolas Harnoncourt. Chris now spends his time conducting and teaching, and is enjoying both enormously. He recently conducted the Royal Northern Sinfonia on a British tour and the BBC Philharmonic in Salford. Chris teaches and coaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and with the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland where he also sits on the board.

In demand as a guest leader, engagements in this capacity have included projects with The English Concert, Le Concert d’Astrée, The King’s Consort, Arcangelo, Budapest Festival Orchestra, English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He is also leader of St James’ Baroque, Classical Opera, and the Magdalena Consort. A keen chamber musician, recent recordings have included a set of Purcell Trio Sonatas with Retrospect Trio, a disc of Bach chamber music with Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuel Pahud and Jonathan Manson, and one of Haydn Piano Trios with Richard Lester and Simon Crawford-Phillips. Matthew teaches baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

He has performed concertos with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and the Halle Orchestra. As a keen chamber musician, he has collaborated with many groups including the Leopold String Trio and the Sacconi String Quartet as well as artists such as Natalie Clein, Daniel Hope, Guy Johnston and Lawrence Power. Viv has recorded regularly for BBC Radio 3 as well as for radio in Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Poland. “Viv McLean revealed extraordinary originality, superb simplicity, and muscles of steel hidden by fingers of velvet. He plays with the genius one finds in those who know how to forget themselves, naturally placing themselves at the right point to meet the music, this mystery of the moment.” Le Monde (Paris)

Viv became the Vice-President of Glossop Music Festival in 2018, having been instrumental in the founding of the Festival.