We are delighted to introduce the adjudicators for our 2025 festival, which will take place on 10-11 and 15 - 22 February 2025.
ROSANNA WHITFIELD, DipRCM, ARCM, PGCE
Choirs, Orchestras & Bands; Composition
Rosie's experience as a performer, teacher, examiner and presenter, teamed with an innate love of music, underpins her unstoppable drive as a dedicated campaigner for music in education. Her natural ability to inspire young musicians to achieve their dreams stems from an unquestionable belief that music can change lives.
Rosie studied oboe at the Royal College of Music achieving an Exhibition Award in her first year. As an experienced adjudicator member of BIFF, Rosie is regularly called upon to adjudicate in the UK and abroad, and has forged long-standing links with specialist music schools in Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
As Director of Music at Whitgift School, Rosie devised numerous educational projects and regularly presented interactive concerts and masterclasses to primary school pupils.
Instrumental in developing the Whitgift International Music Competition in 2013, she continues to support and mentor young musicians hoping for a career in the profession. As an International Consultant, Rosie has worked to assist families in finding schools and applying for Music Scholarships and funding. Rosie was appointed Head of Junior Guildhall in January 2020.
ROY ROBINSON, MA, Dip Perf RCM, ARCM, LTCL, LRAM, ATCL, ALCM
Concerto; Instrumental Classes including Recorders; Millennium & Confinemento Classes
A prize-winning viola player and pianist, Roy trained at the Royal College of Music under the tutelage of Frederick Riddle and Angus Morrison. He holds a complete suite of performing and teaching diplomas on his two main instruments plus the violin. He won the Leslie Alexander Competition at the RCM, which is the highest award on the viola, gained an MA, and has a background as an organist, conductor and published composer.
Roy has spent most of his career combining teaching (largely as Director of Music in independent schools) and performing as a solo recitalist, an orchestral and chamber music player and as an accompanist. He has led numerous orchestral and singing courses for children and directed choral societies. He is a busy ABRSM grade, diploma and jazz examiner and has worked extensively all over the world; he has also presented teacher meetings and selected the previous viola syllabus.
As an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals, Roy is in demand at some of the UK's largest festivals, and enjoys adjudicating the complete range of classes. Away from music, Roy can often be found in one of his old cars, gardening, playing croquet or baking cakes!
SARAH JEFFERIES, ARCM
Solo & Ensemble Singing
Sarah Jefferies is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied with Patricia Clark and Josephine Veasey. Whilst at the Academy, Sarah won many prizes, ranging from Lieder to Opera and English Song, whilst also being the recipient of the Ann E Lloyd Scholarship to fund her postgraduate studies. She was an active member of the Opera course, singing several leading roles.
After leaving the RAM, Sarah studied in Amsterdam with Margret Honig where she began a long period working at the Opera D'Lyon, whilst undertaking recitals with the pianist Paul Turner as well as performing in oratorios and concerts all over Europe. Highlights of a busy career have been Canteloube's 'Songs of the Auvergne' at the Edinburgh Festival, and performances of Schoenberg's 'Moses und Aaron,' Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly' and Orff's 'Carmina Burana' with the LPO, under the baton of Kent Nagano.
Sarah is a visiting singing teacher to Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she teaches all standards of student ranging from Grade 1 through to Diploma, firmly believing that everyone should be helped to find their own voice.
Sarah also enjoys both working with and conducting choirs, as well as giving many well received master classes. She is much in demand as an adjudicator for the British Federation of Festivals, which takes her all over Britain, as well the Middle East and the Channel Islands.
JAMES KIRBY, GRSM, ARAM
Piano
James studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Moscow Conservatoire. Following his student years in Moscow, he undertook regular solo and chamber music tours of the former Soviet Union. James now appears regularly as a recitalist and concerto soloist throughout the UK and Europe. Highlights include performances at London's Wigmore Hall and the Edinburgh and Aldeburgh Festivals.
He has appeared as concerto soloist with the English, Scottish and Belarusian Chamber Orchestras, the Moscow, Kazakh, Astana and Penang Symphony Orchestras, the Arad and Oradea Philharmonic Orchestras (Romania), in venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Opera House in London, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire and Astana Opera House. He has performed both Brahms Concertos in Russia and Romania.
James is a member of the Barbican Piano Trio, whose highlights include many cycles of Beethoven's complete Piano Trios including the Master Concert Series at Wigmore Hall. He also enjoyed a long collaboration with the celebrated Russian violinist Lydia Mordkovitch, amongst many others.
James is a dedicated teacher and holds posts at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal Holloway, University of London, and Eton College. He is a regular jury member of international piano competitions and is much in demand for masterclasses and as an adjudicator.
JENNY THORNTON, AGSM, ALAM, Cert.Ed, LISTD, CDE
Speech & Drama
Jenny trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, gaining awards for Character Acting and for Most Promising Teacher. Jenny has led the Performing Arts Teams in large comprehensive schools, been an Assistant Principal for Edexcel, an examiner for LAMDA, and now enjoys running her own Performance Centre with ages from 4 years to adults delivering drama, dance and musical theatre and writing.
Her play 'Gone' gained a Commended certification when performed at The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond as did her play 'Young Love'. Her most recent teaching experience is working in a state school as a peripatetic teacher as part of her 'Outreach' programme. She was delighted when LAMDA chose two of her pieces for their acting anthology.
Jenny is looking forward to re-visiting Stratford and East London Festival and to making it a very enjoyable and positive experience for all concerned.
'Drama is a life skill that changed me from a stuttering introvert to a confident individual. We can give our children no better opportunity.'
RICHARD DEERING, FTCL, GTCL, LRAM, ARCM, PGCA
Young Musician of the Year
Richard has been an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals for well over 30 years, adjudicating an average of 12 festivals a year as a piano or brass specialist and generalist.
Although no longer active as a performing brass player, Richard has given piano performances as soloist and accompanist in many countries, and has held teaching positions in establishments such as London College of Music, Trinity College of Music, Cambridge University and New York State University. Composers of the calibre of Malcolm Arnold, Malcolm Williamson, Brian Chapple and Charles Camilleri have written piano works especially for him, and for several years Richard had a close performing relationship with Elisabeth Lutyens. In 2023 he recorded the entire piano works of Hubert Parry and William Wordsworth as two separate projects, whilst his recording of Lutyens piano music is due for re-issue during 2024.
Richard was an adviser to the London Arts Board on contemporary music and jazz. Federation work has included serving on the Central Board of Trustees, Vice-Chair of the Adjudicator's Council and the administration of the PGCA qualification. Currently he is the Chair of Trustees of Croydon Performing Arts Festival and he was elected as a BIFF Fellow in 2012.
Richard is also a high-ranking international cricket umpire, a Life Member of Essex County Cricket Club and a season ticket holder at Sutton United Football Club.