Staff A-Z

Sam Ellis is co-lead of the Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree programme, working closely with School of Music staff in the delivery of the undergraduate curriculum. He teaches in a broad range of core and elective subject areas, supports wellbeing across the whole student journey, and plays a key role in ensuring the continued academic and professional relevance of the BMus.

Leonor Estrada Francke is an interdisciplinary theatre artist from Lima, Peru. She works across genres, creating live art that is political and visceral, documentary and surrealist. Her current research interests include anticolonialism, feminism and the city, as well as developing a language of surrealist auto-fiction with which she disentangles her biography.

Tamás’ repertoire includes all the major violin concertos, from Baroque to the 20th century, and at the end of 2016, he recorded Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin,  released under Discovery Music and Vision label and launched the CD in two performances at the RSNO centre to huge acclaim.

David Fennessy’s music has been performed internationally by many groups including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta and the RTE National SymphonyOrchestra of Ireland.

DIP MUS ED (RSAMD), DRSAMD (Piano & Singing), LRAM, PG DIP (RCM)

A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), in both piano (with Lawrence Glover) and singing (with Elizabeth Izatt), mezzo-soprano, Kathleen McKellar Ferguson, then qualified with honours as a class teacher before pursuing post-graduate studies in singing (with Marion Studholme) at the Royal College of Music in London. Whilst there she won several awards including a Countess of Munster Scholarship. She then studied with Margaret Hyde and pursued a highly successful professional singing career in both opera and on the concert platform before becoming a very sought-after singing teacher and vocal coach both at home and abroad.

Students from Duncan’s Studio have gone on to excel in institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Colburn, Julliard and Guildhall. Many are now enjoying professional roles in quartets, orchestras and teaching environments.

Brian graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (then the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) in 2001. Since then, he has worked extensively as an actor with many of the UK’s leading theatres, including The Royal Court, The Almeida, The National Theatre of Scotland, The National Theatre of Great Britain, The Citizens Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has also worked extensively in television and film in the UK and abroad.

Self-taught fiddler Marie Fielding is lecturer in Performance and Fiddle, Traditional Music at RCS. Her role is to nurture uniqueness and innovation, guiding the students on their journey as a person and musician, building resilience, confidence, identity, performance style and much more.

Dr Fabrice Fitch is a composer and musicologist specializing in Renaissance polyphony and its performance. He taught music for 15 years at Durham University, and was Head of Graduate School at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester; he is now a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He is also known as a reviewer, notably with Gramophone, for which he has been writing since 1993.

Member of the Academic Board & Risk Management Group

Lois has extensive experience in HE curriculum design, innovation and review and institutional review, as well as issues and leadership in quality assurance and enhancement and academic management.

Head of Music, English National Opera

William’s international career was launched in 1984 when he won the first prize, gold medal and Rosa Sabater prize at the Concurso Internacional de Piano in Jaén, Spain. His concerto début at St. John’s Smith Square with the Philharmonia Orchestra followed soon after. He subsequently added successes in the Busoni, Cleveland, Iturbi, and Scottish International Competitions.

Principal Trumpet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Fred Freeman has, over many years, taught Scottish literature at The School of Scottish Studies and the English Department, at the University of Edinburgh. He had a postdoctoral appointment at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford for two years in the late 1980s.

Anna is a lecturer on the Traditional Music course.

Gary took up a role as a tutor in Scenic Art at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2009. In 2014, Gary was the head scenic artist for the props at the opening and closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.