SE Music Conference 2022

based in London. He graduated from Anglia Ruskin University with a BA (Hons) in Music. He moved to Hamburg, Germany, and quickly embedded himself into the music scene there, and was soon travelling and teaching across Europe performing with different bands and artists including Johannes Oerding, Latonius and SaraJane. He was appointed as the musical director for two music theatre shows, working with over 40 young people to write, arrange and perform to sold-out audiences. Moving back to London, he started teaching in various primary schools while continuing to travel and perform. He founded Holders Hill Publishing in 2017 and published his first book called I Wish I Didn’t Quit: Music Lessons in 2018. He completed a master’s degree in music at Kingston University, and was awarded 1st class honours and won the MMus Prize for Outstanding Achievement. Nate continued to perform, tour and record with artists such as KOKOROKO, Ghetts and New Purple Celebration across Europe, until the pandemic stopped all performances. After the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests, he began to speak at universities and music education hubs, and consult for music industry leaders. He is currently serving as a Professor and International Chair of Music Education at the Royal Northern College of Music, and has written four more books: I Wish I Didn’t Quit: Music Lessons (2018); Why Is My Piano Black and White? (2020); Where Are All The Black Female Composers? (2020); Where Are All The Instruments? European Orchestra (2021); Where Are All The Instruments? European Orchestra Activity Book (2021).

African Viola Music by John Joubert, Hendrik Hofmeyr, Monthati Masebe and others in 2022.

Louise Lansdown Louise Lansdown was appointed Head of Strings at the Royal Birmingham

Margaret O’Shea Margaret is Director of Creative and Extended programmes for Ark

Conservatoire in 2012, after holding the position of Senior Lecturer in the School of Strings at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester from 2001-2012. Louise is the founder of the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition and Festival, launched at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in October 2014 as well as the founder and President of the British Viola Society. She is a trustee of the Quartet of Peace Trust, Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, and the Albion Quartet and directs a viola course at Blisland, Cornwall, as well as teaching at Cadenza and Quattro Corde festivals. Louise, along with her viola students, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire runs in collaboration with the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto, South Africa, called ARCO. The project was launched in July 2015 and was nominated for a Guardian Internationalisation award in 2018. Louise and the ARCO Project currently financially support three of its Soweto students in full-time education, two cellists (UK) and a double bassist (SA). In February 2021, Louise launched ARCO India, a similar project providing 1:1 instrumental teaching for the Sunshine String Orchestra founded by AR Rahman in Chennai. Louise plays on a c.1750 French viola and 1890 Sartory bow, both previously belonging to the South African violist Cecil Aronowitz. She has also recently acquired a beautiful viola made by Antoine Gourdon. Louise plays mostly chamber music and solo concerts, collaborating with violists and other musicians across the world. She commissions new music for the viola and concocts harebrained schemes to perform music by Paul Hindemith and much unknown viola music, bringing the viola to many unsuspecting and innocent people. Louise was awarded a PhD from the University of Manchester in 2008 for her thesis: ‘The Young Paul Hindemith: Life, Works, Influences and Music Activities until 1922’. She is a member of the South African Ubuntu Ensemble. She is planning to record a solo CD of South is the founder of a major distance learning education project that the

Schools, one of the most successful multi-academy trusts in the UK. She is currently music curriculum lead for Oak National Academy, where her work has received over 5 million views, making it the most widely accessed music education resource in the UK last year. Margaret firmly believes music holds a unique place in supporting young people to develop resilience, empathy and a rich understanding of the world around them. Margaret is Artistic Director of the Spark Choir, associate Artistic Director of Farnham Youth Choir and a member of the Irish Youth Choir Artist team. She is a tutor at the Ambition Institute for teacher development, sits on the board of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and in her spare time is an avid consumer of all things ‘pop culture’, and a fair-weather hiker.

Matt Phillips Educated at Wellington College then as Organ Scholar at St Chad’s

College, Durham University, Matt has worked in prep school music for the last 20 years, first at Eagle House (Berkshire), before spending ten very happy years at Winchester House School in Brackley. Appointed as Director of Music at Swanbourne House in September 2014, Matt has enjoyed building up the Music Department while also, more recently, having a role on the Senior Leadership Team. Two European choir tours, plus two annual musical productions of a very high standard are particular highlights.

Phil Castang Phil Castang has over 25 years of experience in creating and leading highly successful music, arts and

Nathan Holder

education projects. Originally training as a sound engineer, Phil spent much of the late 80s behind a mixing desk and went on to produce numerous classical recordings including the Gramophone

Nate Holder is a musician, author, speaker and music education consultant

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