Until her retirement in 2000, Sheila Armstrong was one of Britain’s foremost lyric sopranos, appearing at almost every important venue worldwide and collaborating with many great conductors including Giulini, Abbado, Ashkenazy, and Previn. A few highlights of her career were: the first live broadcast from Buckingham Palace (as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas), a TV production of Die Fledermaus for BBC1 in which she sang the Countess, Britten’s War Requiem at the Herod Atticus Theatre below the Parthenon, and a concert with Sir Thomas Allen televised from Durham Cathedral to mark its 900th anniversary. She has also been much involved with young singers, being for example President of the Kathleen Ferrier Society which provides bursaries for promising students at the main music colleges. She holds a number of honorary degrees including a doctorate from Durham University and a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music.

A pupil of David Kelly (head of Singing at the RSAMD), Barbara Dix began her career at Glyndebourne, while gaining wide experience as a contralto soloist in oratorio. As a recitalist she specialised in 20th century classics, notably Webern and Messiaen, and she took a leading part in the first British performances of Cage’s MusiCircus.

For over thirty years Barbara maintained a flourishing private teaching practice in the North-West. In 1975 she founded Mastersingers Opera as a platform for her students, including a number – such as Rosa Mannion and Andrew Slater - who went on to distinguished careers in opera and other fields.

Barbara also taught at the University of Liverpool and various summer schools. With her husband, the pianist and mathematician Alex Abercrombie, she founded the National Mozart Competition (forerunner of the Mozart Singing Competition) in 1987.

Eric von Ibler was the first countertenor to graduate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He won early recognition as Apollo in Britten’s Death in Venice and as Bernstein’s chosen soloist in Chichester Psalms. He has been involved with the Edinburgh International Festival, appearing regularly there ever since his solo debut in 1973. In 1990 he inaugurated a series of recitals giving a platform to young performers at the Festival. He is also vocal advisor for the Edinburgh International Concerts Series and has been artistic director of Schola Cantorum of Edinburgh since its foundation in 1983.

Eric has been a lecturer in Singing at the RSAMD and currently at Edinburgh University. He continues to give masterclasses throughout Europe, the USA and the Far East. Former students are now principals in opera houses worldwide

A native of Cornwall, Richard Jackson studied with Thomas Hemsley, and became one of the founder members of Graham Johnson’s “Songmakers Almanac”, touring with them in the USA, Europe, and the Far East and contributing to their CD series. He has also appeared in a variety of roles with ENO, Glyndebourne, and Opera North. He sang Christus in Jonathan Miller’s staging of the St Matthew Passion on BBC television and CD. Richard’s extensive involvement with contemporary music includes roles in six new operas for the Almeida Theatre and CDs of works by Michael Finnissy and Bernard Stevens.

Richard is a professor at the Guildhall and also teaches at the RAM, the RCM, and a number of summer schools. He has served several times on the jury of the Mozart competition as well as the Kathleen Ferrier competition.

Mark Wildman has travelled throughout Europe and the USA as a bass soloist in oratorio. In 1976 while still a student, he took a part in a complete performance of Bach’s Church Cantatas. He has since appeared with most of Britain’s leading orchestras, notably at the Promenade Concerts. Recent performances include the Bach Passions, the Verdi Requiem, several Elgar oratorios, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony and the televised premiere of Giovanna Marini’s Requiem at the Paris Festival.

Mark is a professor of Singing at the RAM, where he was appointed Head of Vocal Studies in 1991: he was elected a Fellow in 1994. Many of his current and former students are now singing principal roles with national and international opera companies. He has served as a jury member at a number of international competitions.

Alex Abercrombie studied the piano with Margaret Kitchin and Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen and became well-known in the 1970s as a contemporary music specialist, appearing at most of the major London venues. He gave first performances of difficult works by Finnissy, Ferneyhough, Xenakis and others including more recently Sorabji, some of whose major works he has also edited for publication. While continuing to work as a pianist, he taught himself mathematics, published many research articles, gave lectures at leading universities including Imperial College, and in 1996 was awarded a doctorate by Liverpool University for his work in number theory and probability.

 Hazel Ramsay graduated from the University of Glasgow before specialising in piano accompaniment at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where she won several prizes for chamber music and accompaniment and represented the RSAMD on an exchange with the Rakhmaninov Conservatoire in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. She then continued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Graham Johnson among others. During her time there she was awarded a Scholarship from the Cripplegate Foundation and won the Sydney de Vries Memorial Prize and the Accompaniment Prize. In 1996 Hazel was joint winner of the prestigious Gerald Moore Award for vocal accompaniment and in 2003 was a prizewinner in the 10th International Kuhlau Flute Competition in Germany. Hazel appears frequently as an accompanist at London venues, and is also a staff pianist at Benenden School and at Sevenoaks School.