About us…

Pianist

Melissa is a freelance pianist from Somerset, based in Birmingham. Melissa graduated from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a First Class Honours degree in 2005 and was awarded Distinction LRSM for piano performance the same year. Following an Erasmus Programme of study at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar, Germany, she was also awarded the Weingarten Scholarship and spent a year studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, after which she returned to Birmingham to complete her Masters achieving Commendation.

Since graduation, Melissa has been active as a classical recitalist, whilst working freelance playing for projects with Birmingham Royal Ballet, CBSO, DanceXchange and local community-based choirs such as The Midlands Hospitals' Choir. Melissa is also currently working with Birmingham Opera Company and Welsh National Opera, delivering workshops across the West Midlands, for charities who support various groups such as refugees, women in crises and Opera projects in countywide special schools. Melissa is passionate about sharing the joy of music and alongside her thriving network of private pupils, teaches at Royal Birmingham Junior Conservatoire and Stowe School in Buckingham.

Working with people is at the heart of Melissa’s passion and her most recent projects involve creative collaborations and compositional commissions bringing together classical and neo-classical piano, working with electronica artists EIF and contemporary dance, Vanhulle Dance Theatre, for their most recent release, “Half Light”.

Melissa loves walking, flasks of hot tea, flying her drone, horse riding and singing with the CBSO Chorus.

Clarinet

Rosie is a freelance musician and composer based in the Midlands.

After graduating from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a First Class Honours degree and a PGCert from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Rosie has embarked on an exciting and eclectic music career!

As well as being one third of The Willow Ensemble, Rosie is one third of Threaded, a folk-fusion acoustic trio that perform original material that have released 3 albums to great critical acclaim and tour the acoustic and festival circuits.

Recent projects have seen her work as a musician and composer for theatre company Red Earth Theatre, and as a Musician in Residence for The University of Nottingham's Mixed Reality Lab, exploring accessible technologies for music performance. She has recently gained status as an associate Artist for their VIP studio.

Rosie works as a Musician in Healthcare for a number of hospital trusts, which is a job she feels very privileged to do, and loves being able to bring music to community settings, and is also the Music Coordinator for Air Arts at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton!

Outside of musical life, Rosie drinks lots of tea, eats a lot of cheese and is a mum to three beautiful children.

Flute

Based in her home town, proud Brummie Nicole enjoys a career working as a flautist and educator. Since graduating from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2012, Nicole has dedicated her time to giving back to the young people of Birmingham throughout her work with the local music service, where she is now Assistant Head of Woodwind.

Alongside this she enjoys performing regularly with Sinfonia of Birmingham and on occasions with other local Orchestras including Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Sutton Coldfield Orchestra and Halesowen Orchestra.

Nicole also regularly plays at Weddings with her Flute Trio 'Paradise Flutes', performing a range of classical, film and pop arrangements.

Aside from her love for music, Nicole enjoys hiking in the Lake District. A recent bucket list tick was hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu!