Our Teachers
Anna McLachlan
Anna McLachlan
Singing
(Wednesdays & Thursdays)
Anna Marie McLachlan completed a Masters in Vocal Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, taught by Alison Wells and Robert Bottriel. Whilst there, she participated in the English National Opera Mentor Scheme.
In 2018, Anna co-founded the opera company, Grassroots Opera, co-directing and performing the role of Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Anna was recently a Young Artist with Bury Court Opera, performing in the ensemble of mad voices and covering the title role in the premiere of Mad King Suibhne (Noah Mosley). The production was recently revived as part of Helios Collective’s Formations series with English National Opera, performing at Lilian Baylis House and with Bury Court Opera at Messums, Wiltshire. Anna’s operatic experience includes Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart), Nancy (Albert Herring, Britten), Zerlina (Don Giovanni, Mozart), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi, Puccini), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte, Mozart), Instigator (It Makes No Difference, Simone Spagnolo, Tête à Tête Opera Festival) and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini, Italian Cultural Institute).
Anna was a finalist in the Schubert Song Prize and masterclass with Dame Felicity Lott (London Song Festival). Solo performances include Berio’s folk songs at the Southbank Centre, solos in Vivaldi's Gloria and Haydn's Nelson Mass in Exeter Cathedral and participation in Eugene Asti’s Richard Strauss project.
Anna is an experienced and enthusiastic vocal teacher who teaches pupils of all ages and abilities.
Gregory Scotland
Violin & Piano
(Thursdays)
Gregory started playing the violin at age 10 and went on to be awarded the Len Smith and Felicity Young Scholarship to study violin performance with John Crawford and Lana Trotovsek at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. During his time in London he has become a keen chamber musician, having received coaching and masterclasses from Michael Bochmann MBE, Rivka Golani, David Kennedy and Douglas Finch, as well as members of the Carducci, Piatti, and Smith string quartets. Gregory is a founding member of the London based string quartet “The Creation Quartet,” who have collaborated and performed with prominent musicians such as Andrew Bernardi, Malcolm Singer, and the “Chavez Twins,” and has also been invited to perform internationally as part of the Pietrodarchi String Quintet. As an orchestral musician he has performed across the world, including as a member of the San Diego International Youth Orchestra and as concertmaster in the premiere run of Edward Jessen’s opera “Syllable”. Alongside his classical training, he is also an enthusiastic folk violinist with experience in music from Ireland, Scotland and Romania, regularly performing with his traditional Irish trio “Abhainn”.
Gregory is a passionate violin, piano and ensemble tutor, having previously taught at Junior Music School and appearing regularly as a guest tutor at the Bernardi Music Group String Academy.
Ayako Yamazaki
Violin & Piano
(Fridays)
Accomplished violinist Ayako Yamazaki performs in various orchestras, throughout the U.K., Japan and all over the world. Ayako studied the violin with Kazuki Sawa, Richard Deakin and Bela Katona. She also received tuition and chamber music coaching with Rivka Golani, who was greatly influential in developing her musical approach.
Ayako graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with BMus and PGDip and received numerous scholarships. Since graduating she has participated in the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival in Maine, U.S.A. and Tarragona Music Festival, Spain (2019). Ayako has played solo recitals in St. James’s Piccadilly Church and Bristol Cathedral, which were highly rated. She has toured with the Solomon Piano Quintet in the U.K., in such places as the Steiner Hall and St. Mary’s Perivale Church, and Japan, in the Toppan Hall, Tokyo. With her violin-viola duos, she has performed in Kings Place, London and at the Marlborough Recital Series in Schott Music. Ayako’s next engagements are a recital series and summer tour, which focus on French violin sonatas and pieces by composers such as Franck and Faure. As an orchestral player, she has played in Philharmonia, Arion Orchestra, London Chamber Players, Orchestra of Stowe Opera and Instant Opera.
Ayako is a devoted teacher and has been teaching in the Cavendish School, London and the Hyde Park Schools. Her students have successful pass rates with their ABRSM graded exams and some have performed at the North London Festival.
Ayako enjoys sharing the joy of music with her students is her passion and she also is a well respected musician. Thanks to the tuition received from Hungarian master Bela Katona and Rivka Golani, she has absorbed the great old school violin tradition and seeks to pass this on to her students. Ayako always strives for the best and constantly improving is her motto.
Yohei Nakajima
Violin & Viola
(Tuesdays & Saturdays)
Yohei Nakajima studied under Rivka Golani and Mayumi Fujikawa at Trinity College of Music in London. He has won several awards and scholarships, and regularly performs professionally at recitals and chamber music across the UK and Japan. Yohei has also been invited to play in a number of international Festivals in the UK, Spain, Japan, USA, Israel, including Airas Nunes Aula de Camara in Santiago de compostela (2018), the Tarragona Music Festival (July, 2016) and the International Bartók Seminar and Festival (2013 and 2015) in Szombathely, Hungary.
Yohei's recent projects include solo viola recitals which included his own transcripts of arrangements, complete Bach Cello Suites, four viola quartets, Solomon Piano Quintet’s tour in UK and Japan and a chamber music project with an Argentine pianist, Alberto Portugheis.
Yohei teaches both the violin and viola to students of all ages. He delivers a structured approach to teaching which allow students to develop confidence when performing. His unique approach has helped numerous students successfully complete Grade 8 and diplomas (ABRSM / Trinity / Guildhall) with excellent results and a number of his students have also gone on to secure music scholarships at schools/colleges across the UK.
Yohei holds a BA(Music), BMUS, FTCL (viola), LTCL (violin) and has also won several awards, including:
- Winner, Barbirolli String Quartet prize (2011)
- First Prize, Cavatina Chamber Music Competition (2009)
He is a member of the String Committee of the Blackheath Music Festival. Yohei plays Hungarian viola by Otto Erdesz.
Stuart Fiddler
Stuart is a Trinity college of music graduate who has been teaching guitar to students of all levels for 20 years. He has worked in various secondary and primary schools across London including, working for the Kingston music service.
Although a graduate of Jazz guitar has taught various styles ranging from Classical, pop, rock, blues etc also helped various students achieve exam grades in theory and performance, helping them prepare for higher music education.
He has over 20 years gigging experience in a number of musical situations ranging from solo guitar to larger ensembles, in various venues in England and abroad.
Stuart is currently a member of The Counterfeit Stones playing Keith Richards performing to sold out audiences in theatres in the U.K. and venues abroad.
Guitar
(Online Zoom Lessons Only)
Theodora Stamoulaki
Piano
(Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays)
Greek pianist and soprano singer and teacher, Theodora Stamoulaki began her musical studies at an early age with Classical Piano and continued with Advanced Music Harmony and Counterpoint studies and gained her Diplomas with Distinction. She then continued with Vocal Studies at the Athens Music Conservatory 1871, where she acquired her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance and graduated with distinction and 1st prize - under the tutelage of the renowned Greek Soprano Loulia Troussa. She then joined the Young Artists Opera Course at Nakas Music Conservatory while at the same time was studying at the class of Melodrama of Athens Music Conservatory under the renowned Greek baritone Kostas Paskalis. Theodora continued her training in London at the Royal Academy of Music where graduated with the PGDip Ram with Specialism in Singing Performance after studying with Alison Pearce, Diane Forlano and Mary Hill.
Theodora has performed in recitals at the Athens Megaron, the Athenaeum International Cultural Centre in Athens, Parnassos Athens Music Society, and the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, the Hellenic Centre in London, Kingston University Music Hall, at Hinde St. Methodist Church, the French Protestant Church in London, St. James Church, the Southwark Cathedral, at the Grimsby Music Hall and various other venues in UK. She has also performed as a soloist with Greek National Orchestra, the Greek National Opera and Music Festival of the Aegean.
As well as performing, Theodora leads a very active teaching career and has over 13 years experience in London teaching piano, singing, as well as General Musicianship. She is also an assistant Junior Choir Conductor at Blackheath Music Conservatoire.
Kinuko
Rogeon-Pipe
Piano
(Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays)
Kinuko completed her first music degree at Toho School of Music, Tokyo. She attended master classes in Vienna held at the Music Conservatoire, Vienna, where she received tuition from Austrian pianist Viktor Teuflmayr. Kinuko also attended master classes in Sobernheim, Germany (where she studied with Bernard Roberts) and in Vienna (where she received tuition from Austrian pianist Viktor Teuflmayr) and gave a performance in 'Beethoven House' in Vienna.
Kinuko graduated from ‘Trinity College of Music’, London in 2001 with a ‘BMus’ performance degree and later completed her ‘Postgraduate Diploma in Piano Accompaniment’ in 2006. During her time at Trinity, she received tuition from world-renowned pianist Eugene Asti and chamber music coaching from Philip Fowke and Deniz Gelenbe, one of Europe’s leading chamber musicians.
In 2010 Kinuko performed at Chopin’s bicentenary concert held in Meudon, France in November 2010 and also during at a charity concert in Kingston-upon-Thames to raise money for orphaned children, following the Japanese tsunami disaster.
Kinuko is currently focusing on collaborative work, as well as solo performances. Kinuko’s noteable performances with both vocalists and instrumentalists have taken place at Charlton House, Blackheath Halls, St. Olave Hart Street, St. George’s Beckenham, St. Alfege Greenwich, All Saints Kingston and Rose Theatre Kingston. Kinuko is also a keen arranger and composer, having received musical training from pianist and composer Douglas Finch (professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance).
Martina Joy Peter
Violin, Viola & Piano
Martina Joy Peter is a violist, violinist, and music educator from Bangalore, India. Currently a student of Professor Rivka Golani, Joy is pursuing her Master’s degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London.
Joy loves travelling for music festivals and chamber music. As violist of the Creation Quartet, Joy enjoys touring England; organising concerts, coaching string ensembles as a guest tutor, and conducting workshops both online and in-person.
Among the many orchestras Joy performs with, she was a soloist with the India National Youth Orchestra; performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, with the Vienna Youth Orchestra; and was principal violist of Trinity Laban’s Symphony Orchestra in London.
At Trinity Laban, Joy was awarded her Bachelors degree as a Trinity College Scholar; Gladys Bratton Scholar; GREAT India Scholar; Sama Family Scholar; and an Udmi Devi Scholar.
Enjoying versatility, Joy studied Indian Classical music as a SaPa Scholar; classical piano as a BSM Scholar; and violin as an Asawari Scholar.
Joy is passionate about gardening, animals, and yes, all kinds of music!