Adjudicators for 2012 Festival

"The Festival would like to extend a warm welcome to this year's adjudicators."

Melanie Armitstead (Vocal)

Melanie Armitstead studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio after taking a degree in Russian and French at Durham University. She began her career with Scottish Opera singing Micaela in Carmen, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart and The Governess in Britten's The Turn of the Screw . She subsequently appeared as a soloist with Kent Opera, Opera North, Opera Northern Ireland, English National Opera and The Chatêlet in Paris.

Melanie is a recitalist for BBC Radio 3 and has enjoyed working with many of the leading orchestras in the UK, performing numerous oratorios, Korngold's Die Katrin , ( Marguerite ) Mozart Concert Arias , Canto a Seviglia by Granados, Ravel's Scheherazade, Britten's Les Illuminations and The Mikado , ( Yum Yum ), by Gilbert and Sullivan. Concerts and recitals have taken her to Japan, Oman, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Gran Canaria.

Melanie is the Senior Singing Teacher at Sherborne Girls' School in Dorset. Over the last 12 years she has prepared senior students for grades 7 and 8 and the ABRSM Diploma, and helped numerous others to find a more secure technique in singing and therefore a greater enjoyment. She has an informal Madrigal Group, and enjoys adjudicating at Festivals and Competitions around the country and in Hong Kong. She has twice been invited to adjudicate the Cecil Drew Oratorio Prize at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

Oliver Gledhill MA(Mtpp) PGCA ARCM (Strings)

Oliver Gledhill, cellist, was a Scholar at the Guildhall School of Music and won numerous awards including the ISTEL/Redditch Music Society Competition.  He studied with many eminent cellists including William Pleeth, Edmund Kurtz and André Navarra.  He has given acclaimed recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, including three in the Kirckman Concert Society Series.  Festival appearances have included solo performances in England, France, Italy, Mallorca and the Czech Republic.  Oliver has recorded eight CDs, including the complete works for cello by Léon Boëllmann, which was awarded five stars for performance by BBC Music Magazine, and has been played on ABC Classic FM (Australian Radio) and RTBF musiq3 (Belgian Radio).

Oliver Gledhill is Professor of Cello at Junior Guildhall (STP), and also teaches at Mill Hill School and Chigwell School.  He has edited music for Peters Edition and Durand.  His published writings include articles and reviews for The Strad Magazine and the British Journal of Music Education.  He is an examiner for Trinity Guildhall, for whom he selected and revised both the 2009 Cello Diploma and Cello Grade Syllabuses.  As an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals, he has adjudicated at ninety festivals. 

The official accompanist for the SGFYM 2012 Festival is Helen Roberts B Mus(Hons)

Helen was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. She started to learn a variety of instruments at an early age, including the flute and violin, but soon developed an aptitude for the piano. She joined the West Wiltshire Young Musicians and at the age of 10, won the prestigious Honeywell cup for outstanding musicianship.

While she was at the Clarendon School, she was in demand as an accompanist and during this time, she played the piano in a command performance at Longleat House at the request of Lord Bath himself. In 2000, Helen became the principal accompanist for the Silver Ring Choir of Bath, during which time, she toured with the choir to Germany and Holland.

Following a concert in 2003 featuring the Silver Ring Choir and the Treorchy Male Choir Helen was invited to join the Welsh Choir as their deputy accompanist. She joined Treorchy Male Choir on their successful tour of Australia in 2004, and one of her proudest moments to date is performing at the Sydney Opera House. Helen became principal accompanist of the choir in 2007 and is looking forward to a return trip to Australia and New Zealand with the choir at the end of May.
In December 2005, Helen had the honour of accompanying Katherine Jenkins in a concert in Bath.Helen gained her BMus (Hons) from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2007 where she studied under the eminent Russian pianist Fazlidden Husanov and other guest pianists.
In 2005, she was the assistant accompanist with the Pontarddulais Male choir until January 2007 when she accepted the invitation to become the accompanist for Llanelli Male Choir. She returned from a successful tour of Canada at the end of last year. As an accompanist, Helen has performed in many prestigious venues in and around the UK including the Royal Albert Hall. Helen is delighted to be back at the festival for her third year and wishes everyone taking part a successful and enjoyable experience.

John Reynolds won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Thea King and Colin Bradbury, and won many College prizes. He was also the recipient of an award at the Royal Overseas League Competition. As a freelance musician, John played for all of the BBC Orchestras and was Principal Clarinet in Kent Opera under Sir Roger Norrington. John has held teaching positions at the Guildhall School of Music and at Chethams School of Music in Manchester, and he was Director of Woodwind Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music prior to his appointment at RWCMD. He is a senior moderator, trainer, examiner, and consultant for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.