Gemma has won numerous 1st prizes including the RNCM’s Concerto competition, the National Derby Piano Concerto competition, and the National Toshiba Chamber Music Awards.As a soloist, accompanist and chamber pianist, Gemma has performed across the U.K. including at Queen Elizabeth Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, St. Martin-in-the-field’s, Buckingham Palace (for HRH the Prince of Wales),the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Sheffield and York, Ribble Valley Piano Festival, Lancaster International Series and for BBC television and BBC radio.

Overseas concerts have included the Ftan Institut (Switzerland), Utrecht Musikcentrum, Rolston Hall (Canada) and Martinu Hall (Czech Republic).Gemma has performed Piano Concerti by Chopin, Schumann, Shostakovich, Ravel and Franck in the Netherlands and the U.K. under conductors such as Martyn Brabbins and Darrell Davison.

As a chamber musician, Gemma has collaborated with Jonathan Cohen, Steven Isserlis, Ian Clarke, Guy Johnston (BBC Young Musicians Winner), Daniel Bates (ROSL Gold Medal), Jenny King (BBC Symphony Orchestra), David Waterman (Endellion Quartet), Denis Bouriakov (Principal Flute, Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra), Naomi Williams (Royal Opera House), Katherine Baker (Principal Flute, Royal Opera House), Ani Kalayjian (Anglo-Czech Competition Strings Winner), Marie Macleod (BBC Young Musicians Strings Winner) and Camarilla Ensemble (ROSL Ensemble Winner).

Gemma has accompanied instrumental masterclasses given by Alexander Baillie (at Bremen Hochschule), David Waterman, Steven Isserlis (at IMS Prussia Cove), Steven Doane (at RCM), Benjamin Zander (in Switzerland), Ralph Kirshbaum (at RNCM) and Ian Clarke.

Gemma has taught Piano at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Music, Chetham’s International Piano Summer School, Westminster School (London), Christ’s Hospital School (Head of Piano 2010 – 2018) and Cherry Pie Music London (Head of Piano 2018 – 2019).  Gemma has been part of the team of accompanists at Chetham’s School of Music since 2019.

Simon is currently the Director of Music at St Ann’s Church, Manchester, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Ronald Frost, who held the post for over 38 years and performed over 1000 free recitals.

After finishing a BMus at the RNCM, studying with Murray McLachlan, Simon completed the repetiteur course supported by a full scholarship, studying with Kevin Thraves. His awards whilst an undergraduate included the Alfred Clay Prize for the highest final recital mark, the Christopher Duke prize, 1^st prize in both EPTA UK and EPTA Belgium competitions, and several prizes for accompaniment.

Aside from music, Simon is a keen football fan and hopes to see Plymouth Argyle succeed beyond anybody’s reasonable expectations.

Elena came to the United Kingdom in 1997 after winning the Inches Carr Scholarship for Accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 1999 she completed a Masters degree in Solo Performance supported by RSAMD Trust Scholarship. During 2001-2003 Elena held the Geoffrey Parsons Junior Fellowship in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal College of Music, London. In 2012 Elena completed a Doctorate in Performance Practice at the Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Whilst in the UK, Elena has won several prestigious accompaniment prizes, including Megan Foster Accompanist Prize and Gerald Moore Award. She took part in master-classes with distinguished artists such as Nathan Perelman, Dmitry Alexseev, Barry Douglas, Konrad Richter, Boris Berman, Martino Tirimo and the members of the Rosamunde Trio, Graham Johnson, Elly Ameling, Martin Isepp, Malcolm Martineau, Thomas Allen, Paul Hamburger, Sarah Walker, Jane Manning, Robert Holl, György Kurtág, and Anthony Marwood to name but a few.

Elena has given solo and chamber music recitals in the Glasunov and National Philharmonic Hall (St. Petersburg), Pollock House (Glasgow), Art Gallery Hall (Aberdeen), Grand Saloon Theatre, Drury Lane, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St. John’s Smith Square, the Royal Opera House’s Crush Room, St. James Piccadilly and Wigmore Hall, Sheldonian Theatre and Jacqueline du Pré Hall (Oxford), and Snape Maltings Concert Hall (as part of Britten-Pears Young Concert Artist Programme).

As a chamber musician, she performed at Bromsgrove, Lanercost and Windsor festivals, Aberystwyth MusicFest, IMS Prussia Cove, Les Vacances de Monsieur Haydn Festival (as part of The Atlas Trio) and other venues throughout Russia, Europe and the UK. Elena performed as part of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now! scheme and was a Concordia Foundation artist. Elena taught piano at the junior department of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Rachmaninov Music School in St. Petersburg, Latymer School (London), Ardingly College (West Sussex), and worked as an accompanist and Russian language coach at RCM and the AIMS International Summer School before joining the team of Piano Accompanists at Chetham’s School of Music in 2009. Since 2012 Elena has been a member of the piano faculty at Chetham’s International Piano Summer School.

Elena appeared on Radio 3 in a special edition of In Tune celebrating the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss in 2014, and is regularly featured as an accompanists for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and other musical contests, such as Concours International de violon d’Avignon Ginette Neveu (2013), Concours International Grumiaux (2014), Manchester University Concerto Competition (2015).

Born in London, Nicholas studied for four years at the Purcell School for young musicians before gaining a scholarship to study piano with Jean Anderson at the Royal Academy of Music from where he graduated with GRSM and LRAM qualifications.

Postgraduate studies continued at the Royal Northern College of Music with Marjorie Clementi, Martin Roscoe and Ka Kit Tam after which he was awarded the PGRNCM, awarded jointly by the college and Manchester university. Prizes gained included the RAM’s Elsie Cross prize for performance of twentieth century piano music and the Christian Carpenter award for piano accompaniment.

He won the Young Pianist of the Year Award in 1984 and second prize at the 1991 Dudley International Piano Competition, since when he has been enjoying a successful and varied career.

His performing career has encompassed solo recitals, concerto playing and numerous recitals with instrumentalists and singers for music societies and festivals throughout the UK. He has appeared several times at London’s South Bank, the Wigmore Hall and at most of Britain’s major concert halls.

Nicholas has undertaken concert tours in many European countries and has also performed in the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia. He has broadcast frequently on radio and released several recordings.

Nicholas is an experienced adjudicator and has been a faculty member at summer schools including MusicFest Aberystwyth and the Manchester International Piano Summer School. He has given frequent seminars and masterclasses both in person and online, including ones for piano teachers and students in China. Maintaining a busy private teaching practice, he has taught piano and ensembles at the RNCM Junior School for several years and spent three years on the accompaniment staff at the senior RNCM.

For over twenty years Nicholas, has undertaken examining work in the UK and internationally for ABRSM, including the role of overseas tour coordinator. He is a member of the grade, diploma and jazz examiner panels and has additional roles on the examiner training, ITAC training and professional review teams. He has been an author of Teaching Notes for the graded piano syllabus and regularly delivers INSET for teachers across the UK and overseas on many aspects of exams and examining in general, and on piano syllabuses and teaching in particular. Since 2022 he has been in the role of examiner consultant helping to devise and introduce the new suite of ABRSM Diploma exams.

He was a founder member of The Commonwealth Resounds, a charity dedicated to promoting music and musicians across the Commonwealth and in that capacity has worked with students, teachers and professional musicians in Africa, the Caribbean, Malta, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Nicholas was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 1997 and was elected to the Royal Society of Musicians in 2000.