Profiles

Cormac Byrne

Percussion Tutor (Rhythm & World Percussion)

Cormac Byrne is a bodhrán player and percussionist from Waterford, Ireland and is now based in the UK. He has received many awards for his work including The BBC Young Folk Award and was winner of the BBC Fame Academy Education Bursary in 2006. Cormac has appeared at numerous festivals around the world and has toured...

Alexej Gerassimez

International Solo Percussion Consultant

Alexej was born in Essen, Germany. He studied with Christian Roderburg at the Cologne Conservatory of Music, Hanns Eisler at the Berlin Conservatory and Peter Sadlo at the Munich Conservatory of Music. Alexej has had much success in competitions including winning the International Marimba Competition in Nuremberg, the European...

Owen Gunnell

Percussion Tutor (Solo and Ensemble)

Owen graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2003 and then became a Junior Fellow from 2004-2006. Since, Owen has had an extremely varied career, appearing as a soloist with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony, BBC Concert, Melbourne Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Sinfonia Viva, Macedonian Symphony, Britten...

Matthew Hardy

Percussion Tutor (Timpani)

Matthew Hardy studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with ‪ Steve Barnard, Chris Stock and Phil Girling, graduating in 2010 and winning the Gemma Sharp Memorial Award. Matt has been Principal Timpanist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since January 2018, having previously held the position of...

Sophie Hastings

Head of Drum Kit, Rhythm & World Percussion

Sophie Hastings studied at the RNCM in Manchester and graduated in 1998. Since then, she has performed with many professional orchestras, TV and touring shows playing drum kit, Latin and orchestral percussion. The orchestras include the City Of Birmingham Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal...

Toby Kearney

Head of Percussion

Toby Kearney is Principal Percussion and Timpani of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, regularly appears as principal percussion of Britten Sinfonia and is a member of O Duo with Owen Gunnell. Since winning the percussion category of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2006 Toby has had an extremely...

Adrian Spillett

Percussion Tutor (Orchestral)

In 1998 Adrian became the first percussionist to win the title of BBC Young Musician of the Year. Adrian then took third prize in the Eurovision Grand Prix for Young Musicians in Vienna. In 1999, he formed the Percussion Quartet, 4-MALITY.