Music

Welsh Eisteddforau provided Marilynne Davies with her early experience of performance on piano, cello and singing in all its forms. Since then she has continued as a performer, teacher and conductor and was until recently Head of the School of Performance at the College of Ripon and York St John - a post that embraced Music, Dance, Drama, Film and Television.

She now has a busy freelance career as an adjudicator at national and international festivals, as a voice consultant, teacher and conductor, and as a leader of a variety of workshops.

She has sung with professional orchestras including the London Mozart Players and has conducted choirs for BBC and ITV - the largest being a choir of 1100 children. Her experience in teaching ranges from nursery to post-graduate levels and has involved classroom and individual teaching as well as being external examiner and assessor in performance for a numbe of universities at the graduate and postgraduate level.

When not performing or listening to music, she enjoys collecting English enamel snuff boxes (for interest not use) and walking (the softies type of walking - coastal paths and contour walks).

Marilynne Davies is an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals.

Richard Deering

Richard Deering studied at Trinity College of Music with Frank Merrick (piano) – and subsequently with Peter Wallfisch and Clifford Curzon - and trumpet/cornet with Norman Burgess. He has given piano recitals and broadcasts in over 90 countries worldwide, and has also made several commercial recordings – including an arrangement of the Beatles music as a piano concerto with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Many leading composers have written works especially for him, and in 1981 he was elected a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society for “distinguished services to British music”.

As an accompanist he has worked with Julian Lloyd Webber, Nigel Kennedy, Robert Tear, Brian Rayner Cook, James Blades and others – including popular singers such as Martine McCutcheon - while for many years he worked as a cabaret performer on cruise liners and as Musical Director for television programmes. Currently, he is the director of the unique performing and recording group of 4 pianists known as Piano40. He has also played flugel horn with many brass bands.

His interest in contemporary music – especially by British composers – has led to many commissioned magazine articles and a series of albums of new music for young musicians published by Bosworths/Music Sales. He has also been an Advisor to the London Arts Board on aspects of contemporary music and jazz. He is also involved with the setting, and examining, of the higher grade and diploma levels of the TrinityGuildhall piano syllabus and examines for Rockschool. In 2006 he was awarded the Chairman’s Award by Trinity College London for services to musical assessment.

His adjudicating and examining work has taken him throughout the British Isles as well as to Australasia, North America, Africa, Orient and Caribbean and he has served on the juries for several national and international competitions, often as Chairman of the Jury. Until 2002 he was the Vice-Chairman of the British and International Federation of Festivals’ Adjudicator’s Council as well as being a Federation Trustee, and he also held the position of Chief Assessor for the adjudicator’s qualification – PGCA – when validated by the University of Leeds, and was the co-writer of the adjudication criteria used by all Federation festivals and adjudicators.

As a teacher Richard has held positions at the London College of Music and Middlesex University as well as visiting positions at Trinity College of Music, Trinity College Dublin, Christ’s College Cambridge University, Hong Kong’s Academy of Performing Arts and the State University of New York.

IIn his spare time he is busy as a cricket umpire both in England and overseas.

Chanter and Piping

Pipe Major Jim Wark

Jim Wark is paying his sixth visit to Inverclyde Festival as adjudicator in our Piping classes. He is currently Pipe Major of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band and has extensive experience as a solo piper, band member and adjudicator. He is heavily involved in the RSPBA education programme, running courses for young pipers in a variety of centres in Scotland. He is much in demand as an adjudicator and his judgement has been highly respected in competitions in Scotland, England, Ireland and the USA.

Percussion

Alasdair Rankin

Since graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Alasdair has performed, recorded and toured with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Sinfonia and the City of Glasgow Philharmonic Orchestra.

Alasdair has also played in concerts for artists including Mel Torme, George Shearing, James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Nicola Benedetti and Carol Kidd and worked with conductors such as Sir Alexander Gibson, Osma Vanska, John Maksymik, playing in some of the most prestigious concert halls and venues across the world, including many performances at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London.