THE ADJUDICATORS

DANCE – Angela Macdonald A.R.A.D. (Solo Seal) A.I.S.T.D.

Angela was taught by Madame Legat in the Russian method and then at Arts Educational School at Tring and the London School. Gaining major examinations in all branches of Dance, she obtained her Solo Seal and took part in the Adeline Genee Gold Medal Awards.

She joined the London Festival Ballet Company, now known as the English National Ballet, at a young age and toured extensively for many years, later becoming a soloist and performing in most major theatres around the World. After leaving Festival Ballet to get married, she performed in many West End Musicals, television productions and several films before settling down to start a family.

For many years, Angela ran her own dancing school in London entering pupils for competitions as well as obtaining excellent examination results in both R.A.D. and Ceccetti methods. After moving to Kent with her family, Angela started her own school again and was the Principal of Tenterden Ballet Studies for nineteen years.

Angela comes from a theatrical family and is still very much in contact with the world of theatre today and has greatly enjoyed the last seventeen years as a British Federation Adjudicator.

DRAMA – Geoffrey Annis – LRAM, ADB, BA (Hons), T.CERT., GODA, PGCA (Leeds University), Equity Member

Geoffrey Annis trained at Hull College of Education, Rose Bruford College of Speech & Drama and London University (External). He retired in 1993 from full-time teaching after 30 years as Head of Drama and English in Secondary Schools and many successful school and youth productions. He is a Member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators and the British and International Federation of Festivals.

An adjudicator, actor, lecturer and workshop-leader in Drama/Theatre Arts, he is a pro/am director with many Festival-winning productions to his credit. He is also a Performing Arts assessor and a professional actor with radio and TV experience, including parts in Coronation Street. Geoffrey has enjoyed success with a myriad of productions at well known theatres in Yorkshire, taken many leading musical theatre roles and has appeared in and directed more shows than he cares to remember!

Currently, he specialises as a Voice-Over Artist and Presenter in the corporate, commercial, documentary, interactive training and audio-book fields. Having recorded more than 50 audio-books, he has received an Excellence Award from AudioFile Magazine for his narration – under the alias of Paul Matthews – of The Six Wives of Henry VIII by David Starkey.

Geoffrey is fully immersed in his local arts circles and is, in particular, an aficionado of Rudyard Kipling, having run an adult education course about the author and published articles on him in the Kipling Society Journal. Courses Geoffrey has led have included sessions on Drama & Theatre Arts at Beamish Hall College, Durham and others of a similar nature for local and regional Dramatic/Literary Societies. In addition, he has also successfully completed a recent Open University Course on Shakespeare.

When time allows, he enjoys jazz and avoiding bunkers on the golf course and is both

delighted and honoured to be coming to the Isle of Wight.

SPEECH – Mia Ball – BA(Hons) AGSM, LRAM, PGCA, FSTSD

MIA BALL has been involved with drama since she played the Cheshire Cat at the age of eight. She studied for her LGSM while reading for an Honours degree in English, and then moved on to BBC Radio, working mainly in the drama department. Having a family encouraged her to go into teaching and she has taught all ages from 8 to 80. Until July ‘09 she taught in a girls’ independent school, taking “A” Level and GCSE Drama and Theatre Studies courses and directing plays, as well as preparing students for grade examinations. She holds the MA in Voice Studies from the Central School and has examined for the English Speaking Board and Guildhall. She now works for LAMDA, for whom she examines and runs workshops. She has also devised and run teachers’ courses in Hong Kong and Kenya. As an adjudicator member of the British Federation of Festivals she works regularly in the UK and in Hong Kong.

She is looking forward to her first visit to the Isle of Wight Festival in 2012.

MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL) – James Kirby – FTCL,GRSM, LRAM

James Kirby gives recitals throughout the UK, and has appeared as a soloist at Wigmore Hall and the Edinburgh and Aldeburgh festivals. His work overseas includes concerts in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland and the Czech Republic. Having studied at the Moscow Conservatoire he returns to perform in the former Soviet Union every year, special highlights being invitations to perform at the Sakharov Festival in Nizhny Novgorod and the Omsk Festival. He has given concerto performances with the English and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, Moscow, Khazakh and Belorussian Symphony Orchestras, and the Arad and Oradea Philharmonic Orchestras (Romania), at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire. He has performed both Brahms Concertos in Russia and Romania.

He has been a member of the Barbican Piano Trio since 1992, performing regularly at Wigmore Hall and in major UK festivals and concert series, and throughout Europe and the USA. The Trio’s repertoire consists of over seventy works and their discography includes trios by Lalo, Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, Rachmaninov and Schnittke. In 2007 the Trio celebrated its Twentieth Anniversary, culminating in a series of three birthday concerts at Wigmore Hall featuring works by Haydn, Beethoven and Taneyev.

James has worked with the Vanburgh Quartet, BBC Singers, Lydia Mordkovitch and the mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly and has made two recordings for Chandos. He teaches at the Royal Welsh College in Cardiff, Royal Holloway, University of London and is an Honorary Professor at the Rachmaninov Institute, Tambov, Russia where he makes annual visits to perform concertos, give recitals and master classes and lead chamber music courses.

He has served on the Juries of several international Piano competitions, most recently in Romania, Latvia, Russia and Slovenia.

 MUSIC (VOCAL & CHORAL) – Andrea Calladine – ARCM, ABSM

Andrea Calladine has a varied career as performer, teacher, conductor and adjudicator. She studied initially at the Birmingham School of Music (now the Birmingham Conservatoire) gaining honours in Diplomas and was awarded many major prizes. As a singer, she has travelled widely at home and in Europe performing from her wide concert and oratorio repertoire including performances of The Messiah and The Creation through the Mozart Masses to Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, the Requiems of Brahms, Fauré and Rutter, and she has made radio broadcasts. Operatic roles have included Despina in Così fan Tutti; Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring; Adele and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus; Dido in Dido and Aeneas; Pamina in The Magic Flute. Andrea’s teaching commitments are divided between a very busy private practice, where she coaches many professional singers, and a leading Independent School. Andrea is now the Central Area Representative of the Association of Teachers of Singing. She is also in demand for Choral Workshops. Other positions held have been at the Birmingham Conservatoire (1985-2009), Birmingham Junior Conservatoire, The Elgar School of Music, and Worcester University. Andrea is an active adjudicator member of the BIFF, where she hopes to bring not only her wealth of experience as both teacher and performer, but also her love of singing, encouragement of the competitors and, above all, a sense of humour!