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- Adjudicators
The Festival is delighted to welcome this excellent team of adjudicators for the 2024 Festival.
Each of them is an expert teacher in their field.
(Scroll down to find the Adjudicator for your section)
Vocal 2025
Belinda Mikhaïl BMus(Hons),PgDipRCM,ARCM,EMT
Solo Vocal Section
Belinda Mikhaïl was awarded the Associated Board and the Queen Mother Scholarships to study piano and singing as a joint first study at the Royal College of Music where she won the Hopkinson Gold Medal for her final recital. She has travelled extensively performing both as a soloist and as a chamber musician and has appeared as a concerto soloist at the major London Concert Halls.
She has made numerous recordings for Sony BMG and Universal and is a vocal soloist on EMI's Vocalise album as used in trailers for ER, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. She appears as the featured soloist on many film soundtracks and her solo piano playing of the theme from Chariots of Fire was heard at every medal ceremony at the London Olympic Games.
Belinda is also in demand as a vocal coach for classical, musical theatre, pop and rock singers and runs an extensive private teaching practice. She has trained performers as diverse as
Siouxsie Sioux, Jennifer Ellison, Jack Garrett, Cathy Tyson, the Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche, as well as the world-renowned dancer Akram Khan. Her students are enjoying major roles in theatre companies up and down the country as well as West End Shows such as Anything Goes, Chicago, Dreamgirls,
Haddestown, Dirty Dancing, Book of Mormon and High School Musical, and the hit TV series’, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and Broadchurch.Belinda’s work as an adjudicator has seen her travel extensively; she was invited to Trinidad and Tobago where she adjudicated their month-long biennial Music Festival and future trips will see her travel to both Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. She thoroughly enjoys listening to a wide variety of music and meeting a wealth of musicians as she travels in her role as an adjudicator.
Jane Wilkinson BMus (Hons) (RSAMD), GradDipRCM
Choral Section
Jane trained as a soprano at the Royal Scottish Academy ofMusic and Drama and then at the Royal College of Music where she won many competitions and awards.
She performs solo art song recitals across the country and has toured South Africa, Europe and America. Jane teaches singing at Laine Theatre Arts and is a singing tutor at Imperial College, London. She is a former singing teacher at St Cecilia’s School, Wandsworth, Brunel Universities, Chelsea Academy and Flora Gardens School, Hammersmith.
Jane is a former member of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and now conducts New Malden Voices and New Malden Youth Choir. Jane has premiered many contemporary operas and frequently works alongside composers on new works for the stage and for recordings. She has performed oratorios and concerts at Edinburgh Festival, Royal Albert Hall and many other distinguished venues.
Jane leads vocal masterclasses and workshops internationally and often runs ‘audition technique’ days for aspiring singers. Jane has taught singers of all ages and standards and has a great passion for educating. Her voice has featured on a wide variety of albums and recordings from children’s repertoire to contemporary folk rock. Jane has been adjudicating for the British and International Federation of Festivals since 2012.
Instrumental 2025
Hilary Sturt
Instrumental
Hilary Sturt studied the violin with Sheila Nelson, DavidTakeno, and Felix Andrievsky, graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal College of Music with solo, chamber and contemporary music prizes. As a violinist and violist she performed and recorded worldwide with Ensemble Modern for 20 years, including notable projects with Frank Zappa, Peter Eotvos and Pierre Boulez. Chamber music has played an important role in her life, previously as a member of the Rasumovsky Quartet and Apartment House, winners of the Philharmonic Society Award for the Most Outstanding Chamber Music in 2011. Most recently she is delighted to have joined the Bingham quartet.
Hilary is much in demand as a teacher, adjudicator, and conductor, sitting on audition and interview panels throughout the UK and was Head of Strings at St Paul’s Girls’ School for twenty-four years. Hilary was awarded an MA in Education from the University College London in 2018. Currently, she is the Head of Chamber Music at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music and Instrumental Teaching Tutor and mentor to the MA Ed course at the Senior RCM. She has worked with the ABRSM as a Diploma examiner, recording the violin syllabus Grades 1-4 in 2015, and a member of the advisory panel for the 2020 ABRSM violin syllabus.
Rosie Whitfield Dip RCM Performers, ARCM Teachers, PGCE
Instrumental
Head of JuniorGuildhall
Rosie’s vast experience as a performer, teacher, examiner and presenter, teamed with an innate love of music, underpins her unstoppable drive as a dedicated campaigner for music in education. Her natural ability to captivate audiences and inspire young musicians to achieve their dreams stems from an unquestionable belief that music can change lives.
Rosie studied oboe with Michael Winfield at the Royal College of Music achieving an Exhibition Award in her first year. She went on to study at Durham University
and gained a PGCE in 1996.As an experienced adjudicator member of The British and International Federation of Festivals, Rosie is regularly called upon to adjudicate in the UK and abroad and has forged long-standing links with specialist music schools in Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Her positive, interactive adjudicating style inducing young musicians to participate, year on year.
As Director of Music at Whitgift School, Rosie devised numerous educational
projects and regularly presented interactive concerts and masterclasses to
thousands of primary school pupils.Instrumental in developing the Whitgift International Music Competition in 2013, she continues to support and mentor young musicians hoping for a career in the
profession. As an International Consultant, Rosie has worked with numerous
families to assist them in finding the perfect UK school and applying for Music
Scholarships and funding.
Rosie was appointed as Head of Junior Guildhall in January 2020.Piano 2025
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Speech and Drama 2025
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Speech & Drama
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Dance 2025
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Karen received her formative training at The Phyllis & Hilda Skinns Ballet School (Hull) and with Louise Browne (York Scholars). At the age of twelve, she was the British Junior Ballet Champion, a silver medalist at the All England Dance Finals (Sunshine Festival) and runner-up at the IDTA Miss Dance of Great Britain.
Upon graduating, she furthered her professional training at the Urdang Academy of Ballet & Performing Arts and performed as a classical and contemporary dancer for several years, touring nationally and internationally.
As a freelance choreographer, Karen has devised award-winning pieces for many UK dance schools alongside ensemble pieces for youth theatre company productions. In addition, she created the first-ever summer season show at Alton Towers with commercial works for Dansez, Euro Disney and Adidas.
Karen is a Royal Ballet School Affiliate Teacher, a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, Rambert Grades and Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).
She holds a Masters Degree in Dance Research for Professional Practitioners and is passionate about holistic, student-centred training, focusing on creativity and
individuality, encouraging self-esteem, confidence and a love of dance.
Karen is also an examiner for The Dang Theatre and Dance Syllabus and an adjudicator with the British and International Federation of Festivals and All England Dance.
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