Music Online Open Day

Professor Fali Pavri is an international soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Performing with eminent musicians, he tours globally with orchestras and plays world premieres by distinguished composers.  Professor Pavri had his first piano lesson in his native city of Mumbai, India, with Shanti Seldon. He graduated with distinction from the Moscow Conservatory under Victor Merzhanov. Pavri completed his postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, with Christopher Elton. Professor Pavri is a committed and sought-after teacher with many international prize-winning students. His masterclasses worldwide and served on the jury of countless international piano competitions.  

John studied initially at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) before he completed a postgraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Since her London debut performing Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy at St. James’ Palace for Yehudi Menuhin’s 60th Birthday Celebration at the age of 12, Scottish violinist Andrea Gajic has enjoyed an international career as a soloist and chamber musician of the highest order. Alongside an active performing career, Andrea is also a passionate and dedicated pedagogue. A professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, many of her students have excelled in national and international competitions.

Professor Allan Neave, Interim Deputy Director of Music, studied at the RSAMD (1984) and the RNCM (1988) and since then has been performing worldwide. He is a regular guest at many of the world’s leading musical events and has worked with many influential musicians including Nikita Koshkin, Edward McGuire, Hans Werner Henze, Gordon McPherson and Stephen Dodgson.

Heather Nicoll is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), and was appointed Head of Woodwind in 2007.

Dr Oliver Searle has written a wide variety of works for many professional, amateur, youth and theatre organisations, which have been broadcast and performed around the world.

Born in Edinburgh, Smith began his prolific career at 14 when his quartet won Best Band, and he received Best Musician Trophy at the 1981 Edinburgh Jazz Festival. He has documented over thirty solo albums for Blue Note, Linn, ECM and his own Spartacus Record label; toured 50+ countries, composed over 300 works, and collaborated with musicians, poets, and visual artists. In 1995 he established the SNJO and ensured its progress until funding began in 1998. In 2009 Smith was appointed head of Jazz at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and became Professor in 2010.

Born and raised in Alaska, Joshua arrived in Scotland in 1992 to study Scottish Gaelic at the University of Aberdeen (MA, 1996). He then undertook doctoral research in the history of the piping tradition of the southern Outer Hebrides at the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh (PhD, 2001), now published under the title When Piping Was Strong: Tradition, Change and the Bagpipe in South Uist (John Donald, 2006).

Jane Irwin studied music at Lancaster University and sang at the Royal Northern College of Music as a mezzo. As a concert and recital singer, she has appeared regularly in Britain, Europe and America. In 2002 she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Mariss Jansons. She has sung for the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Berlin Festival, the Concertgebouw and the Musikverein.

In the UK Philip has worked as a guest on the music staff of the Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and Longborough Opera and he is currently Head of Music for Grange Park Opera.

Jamie Mackay (SFHEA) is a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art and joined the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (then RSAMD) as a freelance tutor in scenic art in 1995. Following attainment of the RCS Postgraduate Certificate and HEA Fellow status, Jamie secured the role of Lecturer in Design and Scenic Art from 2009.

In 2015, Jamie was appointed as the Head of Postgraduate Learning and Teaching Programmes and Academic Development and now leads the PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in the Arts and the MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Arts.