Adjudicators
Ieuan Jones
Simon Channing
Nigel Clayton
Yuri Torchinsky
Ieuan Jones
At the age of thirteen, Ieuan Jones was the youngest member
of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales where he gained
valuable early orchestral experience with Marie Goosens.
At sixteen, he moved on to the National Youth Orchestra of
Great Britain where he came into contact with Marisa Robles
who later became his tutor at the Royal College of Music 1981-
1985.
Upon leaving the RCM in 1985, Ieuan was awarded the Queen Mother’s Rose Bowl for the most distinguished student of his year and the Tagore Gold Medal. In the same year, he won the Royal Overseas League International Commonwealth Competition and became runner up at the prestigious Israel International Harp Competition in Jerusalem…a feat not since repeated by any harpist. Having toured as a solo harpist to great critical acclaim playing at many renowned Concert Halls and Festivals all over the world…including the Melbourne Festival, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Japan, Manila, Bangkok, Brunei, Singapore, Poland and many more, Ieuan’s work is now concentrated on teaching at the Royal College of Music in London where he has been a Professor since 1997.
Simon Channing
After graduating from Cambridge with a degree in English,
Simon finished his studies at the Guildhall School of
music with Peter Lloyd in 1982. He worked regularly as a
freelance flautist with the English Chamber Orchestra, Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and
London Philharmonic Orchestra, before joining the London
Philharmonic Orchestra as sub-principal flute in 1988. He
was a member of the orchestra for eight years, including
three as chairman, and his wide orchestral experience has
included playing for many of the world’s great conductors,
including Solti, Tennstedt, Mehta, Rattle and the late Haitink. In 1997 he was granted a
year’s sabbatical by the London Philharmonic Orchestra to become Head of Woodwind
Brass and Percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, before returning
to London as Head of Performance Planning at the RCM. He was Head of Woodwind at
the RCM in 2010 to 2022.
After graduating from Cambridge with a degree in English, Simon finished his studies at the Guildhall School of music with Peter Lloyd in 1982. He worked regularly as a freelance flautist with the English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra, before joining the London Philharmonic Orchestra as sub-principal flute in 1988. He was a member of the orchestra for eight years, including three as chairman, and his wide orchestral experience has included playing for many of the world's great conductors, including Solti, Tennstedt, Mehta, Rattle and the late Haitink. In 1997 he was granted a year’s sabbatical by the London Philharmonic Orchestra to become Head of Woodwind Brass and Percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, before returning to London as Head of Performance Planning at the RCM.
Nigel Clayton
Nigel Clayton studied with Stephen Savage and Angus
Morrison at the Royal College of Music London, where he
won prizes in every category of piano performance and was
awarded the College’s yearly prize for his Bachelor of Music
Degree. Whilst there, a particular interest in chamber music
and accompanying developed and was further encouraged
by international prizes from competitions in London, New
York (Concert Artist Guild) and from the English Speaking
Union. Since then his worldwide travel has included four
major tours of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with Indian cellist
Anup Kumar Biswas, tours of the Middle East and America
with Wissam Boustany, of Scandinavia with Gerard LeFeuvre and several throughout
Europe; he has also appeared at most of the music clubs and festivals in the UK, at the
BBC’s radio network, the Wigmore hall, the South Bank Centre, as well as longstanding
partnerships with Gina McCormack, Michael Cox, the Bingham Quartets among others.
He has performed many times in Japan and since 2013 has made regular recital and
lecture tours of Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Nigel has been a piano professor and Art of Teaching lecturer at the Royal College of Music for 25 years and is principal teacher of piano at the North East of Scotland Music School in Aberdeen. For his services in the musical world Nigel was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music (FRCM) presented by HRH Prince of Wales in 2017
Yuri Torchinsky
Yuri Torchinsky was born in Kharkov, Ukraine in 1955. He began playing the violin at the age of six and was recruited by the Moscow Violin School to study in Soviet Russia. He eventually graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory.
Yuri’s career as an orchestral guest - leader included work with many famous orchestras and conductors (not least Georg Solti, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Rafel Frühbeck de Burgos and other similarly distinguished figures). What stands out however, in his musical career, are two posts as orchestral leader of remarkable length. Twelve years as leader of the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and twenty nine years as leader of the BBC Philharmonic from which he retired in 2025. His experience therefore of live performances, broadcasting and recording is very deep.
Official Accompanists
Ian Buckle
Ian Buckle maintains a varied freelance career as solo pianist,
chamber musician, orchestral pianist and teacher. He is the
artistic director of Pixels Ensemble, which he formed in 2016
www.pixelsensemble.org.
He enjoys longstanding associations
with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the John Wilson
Orchestra, appearing as soloist on numerous occasions; and
has played concertos with the Royal Philharmonic, Opera North
and Sinfonia Viva.
He has been the pianist in Ensemble 10/10 since its inception and regularly plays orchestral piano in the BBC Philharmonic. Ian teaches at the University of Liverpool, is an examiner with ABRSM.
Kumi Matsuo
Kumi Matsuo is a versatile solo and collaborative pianist. She has
won numerous competitions including First Prize in the 6th Isidor
Bajic Memorial Piano Competition in Serbia and First Prize in the
5th Louisiana International Piano Competition, USA. She is a staff
member of the Royal College of Music, working as Duo Coach to
the String Faculty, as well as accompanying other instruments.
She studied at the Toho Gakuen Music High School and the
Toho Gakuen College of Music, Tokyo, and then at the Royal
College of Music in London. She completed her studies there
with the awards of Master of Music and Artist Diploma after
which she was invited to be the Anthony Saltmarsh Junior Fellow
in Collaborative Piano. Her study was generously supported by Charles Napper Award, the
Russell Gander Award and the Rohm Music Foundation.
Kumi has been an official accompanist of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition and served on the faculty of Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse, New Virtuosi International Violin Mastercourse, Musica Mundi International Chamber Music Course, Saline Royale Academy and London Master Classes.