2010 Adjudicators and Accompanists - Biographical Notes

TIMOTHY BARRATT, ARAM, GRSM, LRAM, ARCM, LTCL

Timothy Barratt studied on a Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, winning many major awards, and completed his studies with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris and Geoffrey Parsons. He has toured and broadcast extensively in the UK and abroad as soloist, accompanist and chamber music player. Whilst still a student he developed a special interest in song accompaniment through playing for Masterclasses at Aldeburgh, subsequently partnering such artists as Dame Felicity Lott, Marilyn Hill-Smith, Stephen Varcoe and Robert White. In addition, instrumentalists he has worked with include Jack Brymer, Bradley Creswick and Håken Hardenberger. Teaching forms a major part of his musical life and he enjoys working with pupils of all ages and levels. He is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, teaching piano and lecturing in Principles of Education and also Head of Keyboard at Dulwich College with a department of seven visiting piano and organ teachers. He frequently directs masterclasses and teachers’ workshops and he is a busy competition and festival adjudicator.

An Associated Board examiner since 1991, he has been a Trainer of new examiners for many years and was recently appointed Consultant Moderator. Other work for the Associated Board includes co-writing the Board’s Teaching Notes on Piano Exam pieces, presenting Seminars and acting as a mentor on the CT ABRSM Course.

DR EILEEN BENTLEY, MBE, MEd, GRSM, ARMCM(P)

Eileen Bentley was born in Oldham and studied voice, piano and organ at The Royal College of Music in Manchester. She has spent most of her career working with young people as singing teacher and choralist and in 1974 became one of the first peripatetic singing teachers in England working in schools with youth choirs and childrens’ choirs. The following year she founded the Oldham Girls’ Choir which went on to establish a national reputation winning awards at many Festivals including Llangollen International Eisteddfod, The Elgar Festival, The International Choral Competition in Malta and the British Federation Choir of Choirs Festival in Warwick.

In 1982 she became Director of Music for the Oldham LEA where she continued to work with young people until her retirement in 2009. During the 1980s she undertook research into the development of music education in the curriculum in England during the twentieth century and in 1989 was awarded a Doctorate from Manchester Victoria University. In 1995 she became the conductor of the Oldham Boys’ Choir and in 1999 she founded the Oldham Youth Choir.

During her career Eileen has been a member of two National Executives for Music Education in this country. She is an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festival specialising in choral, vocal, piano, organ and strings. She is currently the organist at her local church. In 2006 she was awarded the MBE for services to music education.

YVONNE PATRICK, GRNCN, ALCM

Yvonne Patrick studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and began her professional career with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company performing numerous roles including Elsie Yeomen of the Guard and Josephine HMS Pinafore. She joined Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1994 and made her Festival debut in 1998. She made her Glyndebourne Touring Opera debut in the role of Despina Cosi fan tutte and in their production of The Bartered Bride she sang the role of Esmeralda which included training to be a trapeze artist! For Opera North she sang Musetta La Boheme. She has also worked for Welsh National Opera, Garsington Opera, Kentish Opera, Carl Rosa Opera Company, Swansea City Opera, Garden Opera, Opera Box and Opera Brava. Roles performed include Violetta, La Traviata, Fiordiligi Cosi fan tutte, Micaela Carmen, Pamina and First Lady The Magic Flute, Donna Elvira Don Giovanni, Clorinda La Cenerentola, Cio cio san Madame Butterfly, Mimi La Boheme and Rosalinda and Adele Die Fledermaus. On a tour of Kenya, she was the soprano soloist in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in Nairobi Cathedral. As a well-known performer of Gilbert and Sullivan, she was invited to appear as soprano soloist in the Centenary Gala Concert of the Philadelphia Savoy Company, the oldest Gilbert and Sullivan society in America. Yvonne is a regular guest performer on cruises and has also appeared on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night.

Alongside her busy performing career, Yvonne works extensively for the education departments of the major opera companies in the UK and teaches privately and at Windlesham House School in West Sussex.

ACCOMPANISTS

ROSEMARY M LANG, GRSM, LRAM, ARCM, LGSM, LTCL, DipEd London

Rosemary Lang was born and educated in Scotland. She trained at the Royal Academy of Music studying piano with Michael Head. After attending the Institute of Education in London she started her teaching career and was later appointed Head of Music at Faringdon Girls Grammar School. She also taught piano for many years at Abingdon School and at Our Lady’s Convent, Abingdon. At present she accompanies for Swindon Music Festival and is Competitions Director for Wantage Music Festival. She has been for many years an accompanist member of the British and International Federation of Festivals.

PAUL TURNER, ARAM, GRSM (Hons), LRAM, ARCM

Paul Turner is an Honours Graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where his many prizes and awards culminated in the Queen's Commendation for Excellence and the Peter Pears Accompaniment Prize. He has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), a discretionary award only given to distinguished past students.

As a concert pianist, his work is increasingly taking him abroad, (Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Berlin, Bremen, Valencia, Paris etc.) as well as to London's leading venues and UK Festivals. Recent work has included Wigmore Hall recitals with Patricia Rozario and Caroline Dale, a BBC recording and concerts with Elizabeth Watts, a concerto appearance with the English Chamber Orchestra, appearances with the ECO ensemble and live broadcasts on BBC radio 3's `In Tune'. His recordings for flute and piano, saxophone and piano and solo piano have been released by Prologue to critical acclaim.

In addition to his busy concert schedule, Paul is a visiting piano teacher to Marlborough College in Wiltshire and is increasingly in demand as a coach and adjudicator. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the Swindon Recital Series, which brings internationally known classical musicians to the area.