Simon Hall & Nicki Bolton, Suki Cohen, Jonathan & Miff Minter, Caroline Steane, Celia Edey, Brooks & Lucy Newmark, Francis Norton, Timothy & Marisa Orchard, Rupert & Vanessa Watson, Bill & Kay Abbott, Georgie & Andrew Garthwaite, Peter & Sarah Glossop, Jane Hindley, Jasper & Jennie Hunt, Patrick & Jayne Jennings, Zélie Jopling, Rupert & Leonie Marks, Mark & Jill Pellew, and our anonymous patrons.
Jessie Chapman started her working life organizing events for the Friends of the Royal Academy, she was poached by a renowned dealer in fine art and antiques based between Mayfair and Brussels, before joining first ATG Oxford and then the BBC (where she directed and produced travel programmes and live events).
After a period with indie pro
Jessie Chapman started her working life organizing events for the Friends of the Royal Academy, she was poached by a renowned dealer in fine art and antiques based between Mayfair and Brussels, before joining first ATG Oxford and then the BBC (where she directed and produced travel programmes and live events).
After a period with indie production company Talkback Thames, she moved to Essex with her family and fell in love with the county for its salt marshes, wide horizons, and the wonderful community in her village of Wivenhoe. She has since worked as a freelance book editor, and produced yoga, book, and living history festivals.
As well as holding a degree in Italian Language and Literature, she was a ‘musico’ at school and university – founding an early recorder group, playing the violin, and singing in choirs (including taking part in Bologna's 1,000 year celebrations while on her year abroad).
Supported by Patrick and Louise Grattan
Violinist Sijie ‘Susie’ Chen moved to the UK when she was five years old. While studying in the UK, US and Germany, she was a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. She now enjoys a varied career playing modern and period violins.
Sijie’s chamber collaborations have include
Supported by Patrick and Louise Grattan
Violinist Sijie ‘Susie’ Chen moved to the UK when she was five years old. While studying in the UK, US and Germany, she was a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. She now enjoys a varied career playing modern and period violins.
Sijie’s chamber collaborations have included performances with Nicola Benedetti, Roderick Williams and many other wonderful musicians and friends; at the Edinburgh International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Roman River and other festivals worldwide. She leads the Bloomsbury Players and Wild Arts ensembles, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Vermeer Chamber Concerts.
Sijie is the co-leader of the London Mozart Players, tours with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and was previously a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. On period instruments she plays with the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Concert and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Kirsty Hopkins is a freelance producer and soprano and has joined Wild Arts to produce their tour of Handel’s Messiah in association with director Tom Morris. Previously Artistic Director of West Green House Opera in Hampshire and producing many shows there, other producing credits include a podcast project for Charles Court Opera and Li
Kirsty Hopkins is a freelance producer and soprano and has joined Wild Arts to produce their tour of Handel’s Messiah in association with director Tom Morris. Previously Artistic Director of West Green House Opera in Hampshire and producing many shows there, other producing credits include a podcast project for Charles Court Opera and Little Radio. She is the beneficiary of an ACE grant to develop projects to attract new audiences to classical music.
As a singer she enjoys a versatile career performing all over the world with some of today’s most renowned ensembles and is a proud member of The Sixteen.
Passionate about staged work, recent performances include Purcell The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes for OAE at Queen Elizabeth Hall, First witch in Purcell Dido and Aeneas at Grange Festival; the immersive one-woman show The Apple Tree for OAE Tots; soprano soloist in The Sixteen and Streetwise Opera's The Passion - a staged version of Bach's St Matthew Passion broadcast on BBC4; playing Ruth Ellis in Charlotte Bray's opera Entanglement; Betrayal, I Fagiolini's murderous fusion of renaissance music and contemporary dance and Thomas Tallis at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Andrew Jenkins joined Wild Arts in November 2024. He has been Artistic Director of Thaxted Festival since 2019, programming through to 2025. During that time, the reputation of the Festival was greatly enhanced, receiving glowing reviews in the national press. He developed their Young Artists Programme, with financial support from Essex C
Andrew Jenkins joined Wild Arts in November 2024. He has been Artistic Director of Thaxted Festival since 2019, programming through to 2025. During that time, the reputation of the Festival was greatly enhanced, receiving glowing reviews in the national press. He developed their Young Artists Programme, with financial support from Essex County Council, culminating in a series of artists-in-residence, in collaboration with the Leeds International Piano Competition and YCAT (Young Classical Artists Trust).
A staunch advocate for new music, Andrew has commissioned works from Sarah Cattley, Ben Palmer, Iain Farrington, and Noah Max, among others. Wild Arts has been making an annual visit to Thaxted since 2023.
Andrew has enjoyed a long and varied career in music publishing, venue management, and theatre producing and is delighted to be able to combine his passion for opera with running an arts organisation.
Orlando Jopling is a conductor and cellist. His conducting work has ranged from guest music staff and conducting positions at the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, to performing and recording a huge range of orchestral repertoire with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Mo
Orlando Jopling is a conductor and cellist. His conducting work has ranged from guest music staff and conducting positions at the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, to performing and recording a huge range of orchestral repertoire with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the Irish Chamber Orchestra among many others.
His music-making as a cellist has ranged from over 150 solo recitals, recording the 6 Bach cello Suites to critical acclaim, or a lifelong obsession with chamber music, to playing on numerous film scores and on tour as a guest tutti cellist with all of the great international orchestras based in London, most regularly with the Philharmonia and London Symphony Orchestra.
He loves collaboration and has created experimental new work with theatre companies, dancers and choreographers, poets, school pupils, students, folk musicians, global superstars like Sinead O'Connor, and visual artists.
He has appeared in several feature films and TV series as a conductor, most recently as Pierre Monteux conducting an early performance of the Rite of Spring.
Rebecca Milford is a soprano and outreach practitioner based in London. She studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where (supported by the Sheila White Scholarship) she graduated with a distinction in her Masters in 2022, and she was one of the first participants in the Wild Arts Young Artists Programme, before leading their firs
Rebecca Milford is a soprano and outreach practitioner based in London. She studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where (supported by the Sheila White Scholarship) she graduated with a distinction in her Masters in 2022, and she was one of the first participants in the Wild Arts Young Artists Programme, before leading their first Primary School Music Project in 2023.
As well as her successes on the stage, including singing the title role in John Ramster’s Cinderella ‘23 (Merry Opera Company), Frasquita in Carmen (Opera Brava), and Head Hen (and Vixen cover) in The Cunning Little Vixen (Hampstead Garden Opera), she works regularly with Newham Music Service as a freelance project coordinator and music teacher, and provides workshops and vocal coaching for various groups (ranging from 1:1 singing lessons to sessions with English National Ballet’s children’s choir. She ran the “Stopping Place” project for Brolly Productions, and was lead vocal coach for Newham’s community opera Full Circle, performed at the Youth Proms.
Katerina Mina is a prizewinning soprano based in London. She studied voice and piano at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, commanding an operatic repertoire that includes Tosca, Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Giorgetta (Il tabarro) and Leonora (La forza del destino). She has won prizes at the Julián Gayarre International Singing Compe
Katerina Mina is a prizewinning soprano based in London. She studied voice and piano at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, commanding an operatic repertoire that includes Tosca, Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Giorgetta (Il tabarro) and Leonora (La forza del destino). She has won prizes at the Julián Gayarre International Singing Competition and Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra.
As well as international engagements in Japan, America, and across Europe, Katerina has appeared at concert venues such as London’s Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square and St Martin-in-the-Fields, Buxton Opera House, De Montfort Hall (Leicester), and, with the RPO, Northampton’s Royal and Derngate Theatre.
In 2018 Katerina released her debut album, Angel of Fire, with Grzegorz Nowak and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, including arias by Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Beethoven. She has since received a medal at the Stockholm Culture Awards for her contribution to opera and classical music.
Max Parfitt is a freelance producer, writer, and content creator based in London. After working with the Learning and Engagement department at Glyndebourne, he joined Wild Arts prior to their 2023 tour, first creating their programmes and web content, before taking over as company manager for their Summer Opera Evening tour and taking on
Max Parfitt is a freelance producer, writer, and content creator based in London. After working with the Learning and Engagement department at Glyndebourne, he joined Wild Arts prior to their 2023 tour, first creating their programmes and web content, before taking over as company manager for their Summer Opera Evening tour and taking on a more regular production role.
As well as his work for Wild Arts, he has created programmes for Thaxted Festival, the London Mozart Players, Armonico Consort, and Voces8, and collaborates regularly with writers group 26 – editing their newsletter, contributing poems and articles, producing events, and sitting on their board. He also leads and assists with creative writing workshops, most recently for Scribeasy, working with children and young parents with special educational needs.
He studied music at Oxford University, where he was a choral scholar with Exeter College Chapel Choir.
Starting his career as a presenter in 1982 on BBC-Radio 3, Donald was head of presentation there for four years. In 1996 he took up the challenge of setting up and presenting Through the Night, Radio 3's first 24-hour broadcasting service. He has presented more proms than he cares to remember, and he has covered the widest imaginable spec
Starting his career as a presenter in 1982 on BBC-Radio 3, Donald was head of presentation there for four years. In 1996 he took up the challenge of setting up and presenting Through the Night, Radio 3's first 24-hour broadcasting service. He has presented more proms than he cares to remember, and he has covered the widest imaginable spectrum of music, continuing to present Composer of the Week every morning.
His musical education was fairly rudimentary - his piano teacher gave up on him at the age of 8, telling his parents that he was wasting their money! - but he kept listening to Radio 3 and would ultimately become the voice of it.
Donald has won awards like The Voice of the Viewer and Listener for Excellence in Broadcasting for Best Music & Arts Programme. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music by St. Andrews University.
Theatre director, lyricist and translator of plays and opera libretti as well as a composer, orchestrator and musical director, Jeremy Sams is the ultimate polymath. He studied Music, French and German at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and Piano at the Guildhall School of Music.
Jeremy's directorial credits include The Wizard of Oz, The So
Theatre director, lyricist and translator of plays and opera libretti as well as a composer, orchestrator and musical director, Jeremy Sams is the ultimate polymath. He studied Music, French and German at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and Piano at the Guildhall School of Music.
Jeremy's directorial credits include The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the London Palladium and Noises Off for the National Theatre. His translations include Mozart’s Figaro’s Wedding, La Boheme, The Magic Flute and Wagner’s The Ring Cycle for ENO, and The Merry Widow for the Royal Opera House.
Jeremy's soundtracks include the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and the 2005 film of Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love, for which he won a BAFTA and an Ivor Novello award respectively.
He wrote the libretto for This Enchanted Island (Metropolitan Opera, New York).
Roderick Williams is one of the UK’s most sought-after baritones and an established composer, working regularly with the BBC Singers. Opera engagements have included major roles at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Dallas Opera, the Bregenz Festival and Oper Köln.
He is a regular performer at the BBC Pro
Roderick Williams is one of the UK’s most sought-after baritones and an established composer, working regularly with the BBC Singers. Opera engagements have included major roles at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Dallas Opera, the Bregenz Festival and Oper Köln.
He is a regular performer at the BBC Proms, featuring as the soloist in the Last Night in 2014, and most recently appearing in the St Matthew Passion in 2021, and the world premiere of Matthew Kaner’s ‘Pearl’ in 2022. This season’s engagements include tours of Japan with the BBC SO, of Europe with the RIAS Kammerchor, and of North America with Bach Collegium Japan.
In 2016 he won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Singer of the Year award, and in June 2017 was awarded an OBE for services to music. He also performed at the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
John Kennedy (Chair)
Entrepreneurial CEO who has held executive positions at Adlens, Moo, Wayfair, Moyses Stevens and Green & Blacks Ltd. He is an experienced non-executive director having held positions at the National Parks Partnerships and others.
Caroline Compston
Worked at the V&A and Tate Gallery and has since been a fundraiser and producer, organising operas, concerts and flashmobs raising considerable funds for a number of charitable causes.
Kate May
Data scientist at Cirium and previously Head of Financial Operations at LexisNexis Risk Solutions Group.
Silvia Melchior
Director of Strategic Development and Fundraising at the Donmar Warehouse. Previously, Silvia was Head of Individual and Trust Giving at English National Ballet, Membership Executive at the Royal Opera House and Marketing Manager at the Southbank Centre.
Jill Pellew
Senior research fellow at Institute of Historical Research at the University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has headed development teams at Imperial College and the University of Oxford and taught British political science at the University of Saigon, American University Washington, and the University of Sussex. She is trustee of several arts charities.
Emma Stenning
Chief Executive, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Formerly Chief Executive of Bristol Old Vic and Executive Director of Soulpepper Theatre in Canada, Head of Producing for the 2009 Manchester International Festival, and Executive Director of Battersea Arts Centre. she was Deputy Chair of Shakespeare's Globe, and currently serves on Globe Council and as a Director of Shakespeare’s Globe USA. She is Chair of Shoreditch Town Hall, and a trustee of Cheek By Jowl and The Wardrobe Ensemble. Clore Fellow, and winner of the Clore Prize.
Stephen Barter, Tessa Bartlett, Adrian Biggs, Laura Caldow, Laura Canning, Nicholas & Sheila Charrington, Mike Figgis, Simon Hall MBE, Will Hutton, Audrey Hyland, Colin Kitching, Kate McGrath, Fabienne Morris, Tom Morris, Jo Paton, Sarah Playfair, Jocelyn Poulton, Katie Price, Libby Purves, John Ramster, Nicholas Sears, Dr Joseph Spence, and Peter Wilson-Smith
Stephen Barter, Sir Bernard Jenkin, Silvia Melchior, Katerina Mina, Lucy Newmark, and David Sayer
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