NICK BEACH

Conductor Nick grew up in Cornwall where he led the Cornwall Youth Orchestra. He studied at Dartington with Malcolm Latchem and then at the National Centre for Orchestral Studies. Nick worked for several years for Berkshire Young Musicians Trust as a violin teacher and later manager. There he conducted the Berkshire Youth Orchestra and several string orchestras. He also conducted several large scale collaborative projects, including community operas. In 2002 Nick moved to Trinity College London in a role working closely with UK music services, including providing training and development for teachers. He was appointed as Academic Director with Trinity in 2010 with leadership of Trinity’s qualifications and examiners across the performing arts. In 2018 Nick stepped down from Trinity and he and Sally moved to Jopes Mill, where they have set up Jopes Music which is developing music performance activities in South East Cornwall, including the Jopes Mill Orchestra which Nick conducts. He is also active in Cornwall as a violinist and is leader of the Jopes Ensemble, a flexible group offering chamber concerts in Cornwall and Devon. Nick writes on music education and has two previously published books and another coming out later in 2024.

MARTIN WHITE

Leader Martin studied violin from an early age most notably with Nesta Franklin and Sue Otty. He attended specialist music school on Saturdays during the whole of his school career, and read English and Music at university. He completed external degrees on the violin from Trinity College London. Now retired from teaching in state secondary schools, he is a member of a number of music ensembles in Cornwall including the Corineus quartet, the Heinichen Ensemble an original instrument group and the South West Baroque Orchestra based in Devon.