11th March: Solos, Duos and Trios
Andrew Hansford
Andrew Hansford, born in Berkshire, UK, holds UK music-degrees from Surrey ((UniS), Guildford), Bristol and Cambridge (St Catharine’s College) universities, and with the Open University (OU) (both a BA (Hons) in Humanities with Music with First-Class Honours and a Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities with Music (PGCert (OU)) with Distinction) in addition to an MMus(Perf) from Bath Spa University (BSU), UK with Distinction in which Andrew specialised in Performance as a piano accompanist, as well as the ARCM, ARCO, LRSM, LGSM, LTCL, FLCM music-diplomas (awarded mostly in piano accompaniment/performance) and the FRSA, being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts at the age of 26, and he is now a life-member of the RSA. A performing classical pianist, specialising in piano accompaniment relatively early on whilst at school, he is also an organist, a harpsichordist (focusing mainly in accompaniment in both these instruments as well) and a choral singer (tenor).
Andrew is an active Trinity College London (TCL) Diploma Theory of Music examiner, a panel-member script-marker with Oxford and Cambridge Schools (and RSA) Examinations (OCR) Board for which organisation he examines GCSE Music (appraising/listening (written) paper), and an active international BIFF Music Adjudicator (both in person and, if necessary, virtually); he is also a former international (practical) ABRSM Examiner (classical/jazz grades/ARSM performance-diploma) and a former CT ABRSM Mentor (piano). Andrew’s professional work additionally involves presenting his own written courses at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) as a Visiting Tutor in Music. A committed and experienced piano/jazz piano tutor (at all ages and from beginner to diploma levels and in a wide variety of different learning-environments since 1990), Andrew is a permanent Visiting Piano/Jazz Piano Tutor with a part-time position at two leading independent schools in Oxfordshire, UK as well as a permanent part-time Visiting Music Tutor position (in various capacities) at a Music Academy in Oxfordshire, UK and also gives piano tuition privately on a consultative basis.
1st July: Ensembles and Choirs
David Hoult
Professor David Hoult has been an adjudicator member of the Federation for over forty years. He studied at Manchester University, the Royal Northern College of Music and Lancaster University, and is a former professional singer and brass player, and regular broadcaster on BBC Radios 3 and 4. He was Principal of Leeds College of Music from 1993–2008, having previously been Head of Music at University College Salford and Director of Music at Cheadle Hulme School, Cheshire.
As a horn player David performed with many UK orchestras, including Sadlers Wells Opera, the Hallé, and the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. From 1975 until 1990 he was a member of the BBC Northern Singers, giving countless concerts and broadcasts throughout the UK and Europe, and also in Australia, Hong Kong and South East Asia. He has performed at most of the major British festivals, including the Proms, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and Cheltenham. As a soloist he has sung much of the standard concert and oratorio repertoire, as well as a number of operatic baritone roles, including Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Leporello in Don Giovanni.
David is well known as an adjudicator of music festivals and competitions, appearing at UK events such as the National Festival of Music for Youth and the Granada Television National School Choirs Competition, and further afield at festivals in Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Trinidad.