Chepstow Coffee Concerts

Born in Norwich into a musical family Daniel started piano lessons from an early age with the Suzuki method. Alongside this some years later he also studied Jazz piano in tandem providing a diverse scope of musical exposure and experience. As time progressed so did Daniel’s involvement with music which lead to Conservatoire study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama between 2007-2013 both as an undergraduate and postgraduate. Here he developed a fondness for exploring piano arrangements and repertoire that spanned multiple genres. He also began teaching the piano after being inspired by the world class tuition he received at music college.
Following graduation he quickly gained pupils in an interim 4 year period in London where at its peak Daniel was managing around 250 pupils and overseeing a team of other talented piano tutors. This was where his business name Cadenza Music Tuition was forged. Now, living back in Cardiff once again, Daniel teaches, composes and arranges piano scores from his home piano studio where he now has a family with two children. Piano performance has played a part of Daniel’s life since he was a very small child and that will never cease to be.
He currently performs a limited number of concerts each year locally alongside occasional accompanying work. Performances most recently have included some of Daniel’s own piano arrangements which recently included a premiere of his solo piano edition of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2.

Susan Coates completed her undergraduate degree in Music at Bath University.  She has studied with notable singing tutors including Cynthia Glover, Penelope Price-Jones, Rosalind Plowright OBE and Rosa Mannion.  Post-university, Susan became a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music and has had a varied career in performance and teaching.  Susan has taken lead roles in opera including the title roles in Carmen and Madam Butterfly and was honoured to be an official soloist for the world-renowned Treorchy and Ynysowen (Aberfan) male choirs for a number of years.  She has performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for Bath International Festival and at Carnegie Hall, New York for Sir Karl Jenkins’ 75^th Anniversary.  Susan teaches singing privately.  She is a founder member of Opera Sulis and also performs with Musica da Camera for a series of opera dinners in Dorset.

Anne Braley has studied as an external student at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with tutors including Elizabeth Ritchie and Patricia O’Neill and latterly with Rosa Mannion.  She has performed with a number of opera companies in the UK including European Chamber Opera, Opera Playhouse and London City Opera.  Her extensive operatic experience includes  the roles of Carmen, Sorceress (Dido & Aeneas), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Meg Page (Merry Wives of Windsor), and Mrs Grose (The Turn of the Screw).   She also enjoys working as an oratorio soloist with choirs and choral societies and has performed many of the major choral works extending from the Baroque to the 20th century.  Anne also takes part in opera galas, and charity events with ensembles including Opera Sulis, Opera d’Amici and Viva to the Diva.

Nick Goodall started learning the piano at the age of 5 and attended the Central Oxford Music School.  He went on to study Music at Nottingham University, majoring in composition with British composer Nigel Osborne and then completed a Masters Degree in Music Theory and Analysis at King’s College, London.  Nick has spent much of his career in education and has recently retired from full-time teaching after spending 28 years as Director of Music at Stonar School in Wiltshire.  He has written a wide range of music including over 40 songs, a musical, music for reviews, plays and a large number of original instrumental and choral music and arrangements.  He performs regularly as both accompanist and soloist.  Nick works closely with a number of local musical groups including Opera Sulis and the Park Lane Big Band in Bath.  Recently he has worked as Musical Director with Trowbridge Music Theatre and has written the music for the Bradfordians’ production of Macbeth.  He is now working as a freelance teacher, pianist and composer.

The Riverbank Ensemble was set up in 2024 and played its first concert in St Mary’s Priory Church, Chepstow exactly one year ago. The ensemble has now expanded slightly and continues to work with invited local musicians. The Riverbank Ensemble enjoys playing music from all periods but particularly the baroque era. It is hoped to commission new music from local composers too. Please contact us through our facebook page at The Riverbank Ensemble.

Fiona Crawley – Flutes
Fiona studied Music with Italian at the University of Bristol, specialising in flute performance and the music of Claude Debussy. Upon graduation, she pursued a career in publishing working for Faber and Faber but returned to music some 25 years ago.She is currently in high demand as a teacher and performer and works extensively with young people in local schools. She founded the Forest Flute Choir 18 years ago and is currently the conductor and musical director of The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra. She is often asked as a stand in conductor for other orchestras and ensembles and is also an adjudicator for musical festivals. She is particularly keen to promote young players and composers, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds.

Anne Holder – Oboe
Anne moved to the Forest only four years ago. She joined the RFODO in September 2021where she met Fiona and Liz and they asked her to join the Riverbank Ensemble earlier this year. She also has played with Liz in Forest Baroque since 2022. Anne started playing the oboe when she was 12 at Secondary school and also plays the Cor Anglais. She was a founder members of The City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and has continued to play in different musical ensembles  – Orchestras, Wind ensembles, Pit orchestras, Chamber ensembles, Choral society orchestras and Baroque ensembles to name just a few.

Liz Pritchard – Cello
Liz has been principal cellist in the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra since its inception in 1993. She loves playing continuo parts and to this end, started her own group, ‘Forest Baroque’, in 2018.

Richard Kubiak – Keyboards
Since moving to South Wales 30 years ago, Richard has accompanied many soloists and choral groups in the area. He has played keyboards and written music for several rock bands, as well as for 3 drama groups – acting as their musical director. He has now retired from these hectic activities and accompanies the Chepstow Choral Society… though he is always looking for new musical challenges.

Andrew Matthews was born in Swansea and has worked as a dentist in Cardiff for over 30 years. He has since retired as a clinician but is still involved with postgraduate training at Morriston Hospital.
Andrew is a member of the Gorsedd following his success in winning the blue riband open solo competition at the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli 2014. 
His high baritone timbre has developed over the years and he now sings as a baritenor. He is a student of vocal phonation with particular interest in the coordination of the chest and falsetto registers. He’s always happy to discuss this with anyone who is interested.
He has performed extensively in South Wales as a guest soloist with several choirs choral societies. In addition he has given many song recitals, including Paris and Los Angeles. In the 90s he sang for 10 years with close harmony group Baroc, and they worked regularly for Radio Wales. The group also performed at St David’s Hall and the Sherman Theatre. His opera roles include Papageno, Eisenstein, Oniegin, Don Jose, and Singin.

Emyr Roberts MA (Performance Studies), B.MuS (Hons), LRAM,LTCL,PGCE is a practical tutor at Cardiff University. Emyr teaches advanced keyboard skills at both undergraduate, and postgraduate level, at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was also a piano tutor at the former Junior Department of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Emyr teaches the piano to a wide range of pupils at both Monmouth School. Emyr is a Grade, Diploma and Jazz examiner and Trainer for ABRSM and had undertaken extensive examining tours in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Turkey. In his capacity as a piano mentor for ABRSM Emyr has delivered professional Development Courses in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.
After graduating from Sheffield University Emyr pursued a one year post graduate diploma course in London before commencing an MA at Cardiff University. Prior to starting his studies at Sheffield Emyr undertook piano lessons at the Paris Conservatoire with Yvonne Loriod, wife of the French composer Olivier Messiaen.
Emyr is a fluent Welsh speaker and his hobbies include watching live sport, cycling, tennis, walking and cooking.

Following studies at the Royal College of Music, London David was for many years a member of Welsh National Opera. Since becoming freelance David has worked with major UK orchestras, on concert platform and opera pit. Theatre credits include several productions with RSC in Stratford, and on the silver screen David has appeared in ‘The madness of King George’ and ‘Youth’(Sorrentino). Wearing his ‘period instrument’ hat David has performed with groups such as Academy of Ancient Music, (AAM) London Classical players, and London Handel Orch. He has toured USA and Japan with AAM and Canada with the 18th century concert orchestra, an ensemble he leads and directs. David is a tutor with “Making music changing lives” (MMCL) in Cardiff, string coach for London Schools Symphony Orchestra and regular dep with the Centre for Young Musicians (Guildhall). A former leader of RSO, he is in demand as an educator and adjudicator.

Elizabeth is from Sheffield.  She trained and worked as a lawyer prior to commencing postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, specialising in playing with instrumentalists and singers.  Elizabeth previously studied with Benjamin Frith and has also been fortunate to participate in masterclasses with Stephen Osborne and Joanna McGregor.  Elizabeth worked for five years at the Royal College of Music in London, supporting the students there in developing their careers.  She has lived in London, Berlin and Norfolk, where she continued to perform and teach. She is now a sought-after chamber musician, accompanist and teacher in Cardiff.  Elizabeth loves playing with other musicians and particularly enjoys appearing in concerts at St Edward’s Church, Penylan, Cardiff.  She gave a solo piano recital there in January and has also recently performed as one of the pianists in ‘Carnival of the Animals’ with the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra in Cheshire.  Elizabeth cares passionately about giving children and young people the opportunity to learn an instrument and to participate in high-quality musical experiences, and she is the Chair of Trustees for the Cardiff charity, Making Music Changing Lives:  
https://makingmusicchanginglives.org 

Gail made her professional operatic debut as Gilda, Rigoletto for Welsh National Opera at the age of twenty three. She has subsequently sung many roles for the company including Gretel, Hansel and Gretel, Musetta, La bohème, Oscar, Un ballo in maschera and Frasquita, Carmen. For the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden her numerous roles include Papagena, Die Zauberflöte, Pernille, Maskarade and Jano, Jenufa. Gail has been a regular guest principal at English National Opera singing a wide range of roles in operas from Purcell to David Sawer. She created the role of Mary Woolstonecraft Godwin in the world premiere of Sally Beamish’s Monster for Scottish Opera, a company for whom she has also sung Pamina, The Magic Flute and Asteria, Tamerlano. Other engagements in the UK include Lisette, La Rondine for Opera North, Agilea, Teseo, Gilda and Sophie, Werther for English Touring Opera and Woglinde and Waldvogel in Longborough Festival’s Ring cycle. Highlights of her international work include Anne Trulove, The Rake’s Progress for Nantes-Angers Opéra, Arbate, Mitridate at the Théatre du Châtelet, Erste Knappe and Blumenmädchen, Parsifal at the Opéra de Paris, Bastille, Jano, Jenufa at the Opéra de Lyon and Oberto for Operhaus Zürich. Her extensive orchestral concert work includes performances with the Vienna Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, BBCNOW, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Sir Charles Mackerras, Richard Hickox and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Gail’s recordings include Iris, Semele (Curnyn), Echo, Ariadne on Naxos (Sir Richard Armstrong) and Jano, Jenufa (Sir Bernard Haitink).

British bass-baritone William Stevens started his professional singing career as a choral scholar at Bristol Cathedral.  He then went on to study with Donald Maxwell at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama whilst continuing to sing in Llandaff Cathedral Choir. 

Currently an Associate Artist with Welsh National Opera, recent operatic highlights include stepping in at short notice to sing the monumental role of Hans Sachs in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with Saffron Opera Group.  Other roles in his repertoire include the title role, and Bartolo [Le nozze di Figaro], Sarastro [Die Zauberflöte], Il Commendatore [Don Giovanni], Hagen [Götterdämmerung], Fasolt [Das Rheingold], Hunding [Die Walküre], Don Basilio [Il barbiere di Siviglia], Dulcamara [L’elisir d’amore], Colline [La bohème], Nick Shadow [The Rake’s Progress], Superintendent Budd [Albert Herring], Sir John Falstaff [At the Boar’s Head], numerous Gilbert and Sullivan roles, and the title role in Sweeney Todd. 

Engagements in the immediate future include the title role in Le nozze di Figaro (WNO), the title role in Falstaff (Cardiff Cotswold Opera), Swallow in Peter Grimes (Cambridge Philharmonic), and Shostakovich’s Suite on Words of Michelangelo (City of Cardiff Symphony Orchestra).

After leaving the teaching profession, Sian trained at Wales’s International Academy of Voice on their repetiteur course. Sian has accompanied for many leading opera singers such as Stuart Burrows, Leah Marion Jones, Rebecca Evans, Donald Maxwell, Katherine Jenkins, Mark Stephen Doss, Doreen O’Neill, Trystan Llyr, Rhys Meirion and many more. Sian has accompanied for masterclasses for Kiri Te Kanawa, Ryland Davies Dennis O’Neill, Rosemary Joshua, Della Jones, Susan Bullock, Michelle de Young and Paul Groves. Also for Stephen Iscerlis. Sian is the accompanist for Cor Meibion De Cymru and has had the privilege of accompanying artistes such as Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, Jess Robinson, Melvyn Hayes, Peter Carrie, Joan Hind and many more. Sian is very fortunate to have as a mentor Jeanette Massocchi and more recently, Michael Pollock , James Southall and Joyce Fieldsend. Sian is employed by the Welsh National Opera as a repetiteur, where the variety of work sees her go into schools and hospitals and also on to their youth and communities projects. Sjhe is also a repetiteur for the youth opera when required. One of the projects close to Sian’s heart was to be a repetiteur on their Blaze of Glory, which has been coaching the male-voice choirs who were participating in the opera, to line with the Welsh National Opera Chorus.

Sian enjoys recital work and is asked to play for many recitals for many singers. Sian has also been repetiteur for the Cardiff Opera Company for their production of Cosi Fan Tutti and The Marriage of Figaro. Sian had the pleasure of playing the harpsichord for their recent production of Cosi Fan Tutti. Sian has also been approached to be a repetiteur for the Opera Ddraig on their production of La Traviata. Sian was selected to be one of the repetiteurs at the Vienna Opera Company, working with the conductors, singers and coaches for their production of Cosi Fan Tutti and Rigoletto. She was invited back as a repeituer, but this time a member of staff. January 2022 Sian was selected to be a repetiteur at the Castleton Vocal immersion Program in Virginia. USA. The eminent coaches were, Paul Groves, Michelle de Young and Professor Robert Grayson. The drama events were led by Dietlinde Maazell. Sian has been asked to play a Mozart Concerto with the Cardiff Chamber Orchestra, led by William Stevens in this pursuing year. Sian is back in demand playing for Eisteffodau and was invited as official accompanist at the National Eisteddfod in August 2024. In August of 2024 Sian was selected to be one of the repetiteurs at New Brunswick Repetiteur workshop out of over 1,600 applicants with Anna Larlee. Sian has also been asked to be deputy accompanist for the Welsh Association of Male choirs. Sian has also been one of the repetiteurs at the WAVDA course.

Sian’s passion is to see music pass onto the younger generation and teaches at Bridgend schools for the Bridgend Music Services. Ensuring live music continues is important and enrich their young lives as it has for Sian.

Sian is MD for the Ladies of the Lake choir, where the ladies of Ferndale can enjoy choral singing and learn the art of choral singing.

Sharon grew up in Porthcawl, South Wales and developed an early interest in music, starting piano lessons at the age of 5 and the violin at 9. As a violinist, Sharon loved playing in the Mid Glamorgan County Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales but it was the piano that she decided to take forward into higher education. Sharon graduated from the University of Wales and continued her studies at the University of Keele, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio.
Since then, Sharon’s career has been incredibly varied. As an accompanist and operatic repetiteur (that’s someone who coaches singers and accompanies them in the early rehearsals for an opera), she has developed long associations with Glyndebourne Opera, Welsh National Opera and Opera North, and worked with some of the biggest names in opera along the way including Sir Bernard Haitink, Sir Charles Mackerras and Dame Janet Baker. She certainly has some stories to tell!
As a pianist she has appeared with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia and was accompanist to the BBC National Chorus of Wales for several years.
Nowadays, Sharon devotes much of her time to coaching the next generation of singers and accompanists at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and as Head of Piano at UWC Atlantic College where she enjoys engaging with young musicians from all over the world.  Somehow, she also manages to fit in being an examiner for the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). Living in the Vale of Glamorgan, Sharon loves being outdoors whether that’s out walking her new border collie ‘Mud’, horse-riding (including dressage) or growing her own veg with varying success! These are all passions she shared with her great friend and local music legend, the late Karl Daymond, founder of Chepstow’s The Singing Club, whom she met at Opera North in the 90s. Sharon and Simon met at Welsh National Opera and the two families have been close friends ever since.