After graduating from both the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London, Chris joined the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2016 as Principal Trumpet. Alongside this, Chris has a varied freelance career, performing all over the world as Guest Principal with the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House among others.
Woodwind and Brass Collaborative Pianist; Lecturer in Collaborative Piano; Coach and accompanist for Vocal Performance
Learn about Claire Haslin
Claire Haslin
Woodwind and Brass Collaborative Pianist; Lecturer in Collaborative Piano; Coach and accompanist for Vocal Performance
Claire is a Lecturer in Piano Accompaniment for the MMus course, a coach and collaborative pianist in both the Vocal Performance and Woodwind Departments, a coach for the BEd Ensembles module, and a tutor and mentor for piano pedagogy students participating in the IVP Masters course.
At RCS Mark teaches acting to opera students, and an elective called Introduction to Opera Directing, as well as directing main-stage productions and opera scenes.
As a practitioner, Susan May has staged world premieres and high-profile galas, as well as having been a touring stage manager to all the major cities across the UK and Ireland, and has worked on small-scale touring and community theatre to all the smaller places in between!
In her role as Impact Officer, Verena develops new approaches for capturing and amplifying the impact of the work produced by our staff, students and alumni, their projects and partners. With a background in the creative application of new technologies, she is particularly excited to be working on the next iteration of Innovation Studio, supporting creative experimentation, collaboration and interdisciplinary work at RCS.
Jane joined the Musical Theatre Department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018, firstly as a discipline lead in Acting, before moving quickly into a role as Head of Programme (MA Musical Theatre) and subsequently Head of the Musical Theatre Department (Academic Lead) in 2021.
Associate Head of Musical Theatre & Co-Ordinator of MA & PGD Musical Directing Strands
Learn about David Higham
David Higham
Associate Head of Musical Theatre & Co-Ordinator of MA & PGD Musical Directing Strands
David Higham is a Musical Director based in Scotland. He currently co-ordinates the MA and PGD Musical Directing strands on the Musical Theatre programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as well as working in many theatres across Scotland as a Musical Director/Orchestrator and Vocal Coach.
Matthew James Higham was born in 1998 in London. Shortly after taking up the flute, he was awarded a place at The Purcell School for Young Musicians. During this time, Matthew won first prize at several competitions, including the Alexander and Buono International Competition and the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition. He continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Prof. Robert Winn and the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main with Thaddeus Watson.
As a soloist, Matthew has played in halls such as the Carnegie Hall, the Wigmore Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields. In 2019, Matthew joined the academy of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and was awarded a contract as assistant principal flute from 2020 until 2022. He has been Section Principal Flute of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra since 2023. Matthew is also a member of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and has played as a guest with several leading orchestras across Europe.
Lee Holland has a successful and varied freelance career involving performing, and performance psychology coaching throughout the UK. Currently as a freelance orchestral flute player Lee performs regularly with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Orchestra of Scottish Ballet.
Dr Sarah Hopfinger is a Lecturer in Research at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is a practitioner-researcher with specialisms in disability dance, chronic pain and crip theory, ecological performance, and intergenerational practice.
Roy Howat studied at the RSAMD and Cambridge University, where his doctorate formed the basis of his 1983 book Debussy in proportion. He combines international concert performance with research, which has included revelations about musical structure, performing and editorial issues. Among his publications are acclaimed critical editions of major works by Debussy, Fauré, Chopin and Chabrier, the book The Art of French Piano Music, chapters in numerous other books, and a wide range of CD recordings.
David Hubbard is a lecturer of bassoon at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the bassoon tutor at the Music School of Douglas Academy. He regularly coaches the bassoon section of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. He has been invited on several occasions to give masterclasses at Wells Cathedral School and Chethams School of Music, and is an examiner for the Royal Northern College of Music.
