Teachers

Ivan – piano teacher

Ivan is an accomplished jazz and classical piano performer and experienced educator studying Psychology of Learning and Motivation at Oxford. He adapts his teaching style to interests of the students. Ivan also teaches essential and less common music aspects like ear training, special memorization techniques, and music theory analysis for improvising.

“For me, music is the greatest source of energy and enjoyment – I want to share this with students!”

Ivan’s psychology of learning research shows studying music at a high level is very beneficial to learners:

• increases self-esteem from setting and achieving goals
• increases ability for emotional self-expression
• enhances focus and discipline which leads to better learning capabilities and academic performance

Ivan is in the Lady Margaret Hall Jazz Band, Chapel Choir, and Pop Choir.

Alfie – piano teacher

Alfie is a classical pianist with a passion for music education, currently studying Music at the University of Oxford. He performs regularly across Oxford both as a soloist and chamber musician and has played at venues including St John Smith’s Square, Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Cathedral.

Alfie has experience teaching the piano, music theory, and academic music to a range of age groups and is a Licentiate of Trinity College London.

Christos – piano teacher

Christos is a prize winner classical pianist trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London (BMus, MMus). He holds the prestigious LRAM for music pedagogy, awarded by the Academy, and he is currently pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Oxford, holding the Hélène La Rue Scholarship. He made his debut with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra when he was still a teenager, and since then, Christos performs regularly as a soloist and a chamber musician throughout Europe. He is currently working on interesting projects with young composers and multimedia artists while preparing for his upcoming solo and two-piano recitals.

Christos is an experienced and enthusiastic piano and music theory teacher, whose students have achieved impressive results for their ABRSM Graded Exams. He is adaptable, tailoring each lesson according to the student’s strengths and needs, and focuses on building strong foundations in technique, development of musicality and aural skills from the early stages of a student’s musical training. Most importantly, Christos aims to deliver enjoyable and fun lessons to students of all ages and levels!

In addition to SCMT, Christos is currently teaching undergraduate students at King’s College London as well. Excerpts from Christos’ performances can be found here: https://youtu.be/piDEpNhVJdw and https://youtu.be/laDjMhqiPeo

Lennie – piano teacher

Entering his 2^nd year at Oxford University, Leonard is studying for a BA in Music, with a focus on composition and performance. Starting playing classical piano at 5, he has entered a variety of musical activities throughout his education. Picking up the French Horn a few years later, he is now a graduate of the Royal College of Music Junior Department as well as playing in multiple orchestras and bands at his local music foundation and youth orchestra. In recent years, this involved guiding the younger students through pieces and supporting sections. In studying for his degree at Oxford, he has found a new passion for piano and teaching, hoping to guide new students through their early musical journey, just as many teachers had done for him in the past.

Carlos – piano teacher

Carlos is a classically trained piano teacher in Oxford.  He has been teaching in music for 20 years in schools and privately including the piano, violin, music theory and conducting Chinese drum ensembles, Percussion and Wind bands. Carlos graduated from Kingston University a Bachelor in Music and Master in Education in Hong Kong University of Education. He is a full-time music tutor. 

Lucy – piano teacher

Lucy is a classically trained pianist with over five years teaching experience. She has recently completed her musicology degree at the University of Oxford, during which time she also studied at the Royal Academy of Music.  Prior to Oxford, Lucy attended Chetham’s School of Music where she earned her LRSM Piano Performance diploma and received accompaniment and vocal training. She is a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher and enjoys teaching all kinds of music! 

Antonia – piano teacher

Antonia, born in Athens, Greece, started taking piano lessons at the age of 8. Soon after, she began taking theory of music lessons receiving her Music Harmony Diploma (1994) and Counterpoint Diploma (1996). In 1997 she received her Piano Teacher Degree and two years later Piano Soloist Degree (1999). In the same year she was accepted at the class of Mr. Ringeissen of the Salzburg International Music Academy for one-to-one sessions. She has worked with several Greek musicians accompanying saxophone, oboe, cello, violin, flute and voice at the conservatories “Music Study” and “Athenaeum” in Athens. She has been teaching piano and theory of music at all levels in Athens since 1995 and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2008 until 2018 (British International school). In 1995 she became a registered pianist of London’s Royal Academy of Dance accompanying ballet classes, examinations and seminars around Greece. Antonia has been playing different kind of music in concerts all around Greece, in Germany, Russia and in Saudi Arabia. She has been volunteering as a pianist for children’s school performances at the British International school of Riyadh, the Dragon school, Summer Fields school Oxford and the Greek school of Oxford. In 2022 she obtained her Master in Music (historical Musicology) from Oxford Brookes University.

Arthur – piano teacher

I am a self taught full time musician; my credentials are; that I have been playing music for a long time, and loving music for a long time.

Over my years in music, I sought direct advice & wisdom from leading names in the industry such as Jools Holland & Jon Cleary.  I believe strongly in a self propelling, intuitive approach to learning music, that never gets tedious; and only encourages further joy and appreciation for your instrument, or voice.

Rather than demonstrating short-cuts, I endeavour to show students an in depth approach to improvisation and playing by ear (which can be taught!).

How to have fun doing it? By learning all of your favourite tunes from the radio; arranging piano for a song you’ve written; or even transcribing the most virtuoso jazz piano solos from the 1930s. With constructive use of music theory & ear training, I can carry you forward into passionate playing, and/or a fulfilling music career.

Roan – piano teacher

Roan is a first year music undergraduate at the University of Oxford, specialising in critical musicology, historically informed performance and composition. He has studied piano since the age of seven, later on developing an interest in the capacity of historical musicology to offer novel insights in performance practice. He has been shortlisted in Oxford composition competitions and had a piece performed by the Egglesfield Music Society at The Queen’s College.

Roan has experience in teaching piano, music theory, and composition, having founded a Composition Club during his final year of secondary School and taken on students for ABRSM theory and A-Level Music essay writing outside of school.

Having come to the theoretical side of music later on, Roan feels that he understands some of the challenges that deter students from further study in the field. In this way, he seeks to take a more than simply practical approach in teaching, inspiring students to make connections between the music they are playing and the context in which it was written. All in the aim to produce more enriched, conceptually engaging performances.

Holly – piano teacher

‘I started teaching beginner’s Piano at the age of 16 and have loved every minute of it since then. I am very passionate about the piano and have been playing it for 12 years. I have experience teaching a range of ages from as young as 4 years old, to 85 years old! I like to fit my teaching style around the student, so I am happy to either guide them through exams, or simply help them learn their favourite songs. My favourite part about teaching is helping each student fulfil their passion and watching their inspiring progress!’  More to follow…

Philip – piano teacher

Philip is a composer and pianist studying BA Music at Oxford University; and has had an extensive performance history, having performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall, and in 2022 was offered a scholarship to study composition at RCM. He has several years of experience teaching both piano and composition to students of all standards – though primarily focusses on the importance of developing a love for the instrument and the music above all else.

Joseph – piano teacher

Joseph is a pianist, educator and composer currently based in Oxford.  He received a scholarship to study piano under Philip Fowke and Penelope Roskell as well as composition under Deirdre Gribbin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2015, graduating in 2019 with a first- class bachelor’s degree with honours.  Joseph teaches in a manner that is personal to each individual. His aim is to work with his students at their own pace to cultivate the needed skills at the instrument and beyond. At the heart of the teaching is the importance of musical communication with the belief that that is fundamentally the core of technique. In addition to aspects taught in graded syllabuses such as scales, sight reading etc., Joseph encourages personal musical exploration and expression to allow his students to find their musical selves. Often, a broadening of awareness to the nuts and bolts of music and therefore an opportunity to further grasp the deeper meanings of it comprises his work.

Joseph has have played in several venues including Cadogan Hall, New College, Oxford, the Denis Arnold Hall, Oxford, 49 Queen’s Gate Terrace (South Kensington) for the Vernon Ellis Foundation, St. Alfege Church and the Old Royal Naval College. One of his passions in repertoire lies with contemporary music. Joseph commissioned a work by composer Caitlin Harrison for a recital in May 2019, recorded music for Robert Saxton and has frequently played new works by young composers for auditions to the national colleges of music and composition competitions. Despite this however, Joseph also feels at home when performing staple repertoire such as Bach, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. Some of his more recent performances include participating in the Oxford Chamber Music Festival with violinist Marie Schreer and accompanying for New College music students. Joseph is principle organist at the Glyme Valley churches, where he also regularly sings as a countertenor. Joseph has previously sung as a choral scholar at Exeter College Chapel Choir, Oxford.

Susie – Piano teacher, accompanist and performance coach

We’re so excited to welcome Susie onto our team!  She is a highly experienced collaborative pianist whose regular partnership with Roderick Williams OBE has brought her national recognition. Having always combined the mentoring of the younger generation alongside her performing career, Susie now has more space to consider new projects with intermediate and advanced musicians, looking to enhance and hone their performing and collaborative skills, be they  pianists, singers or instrumentalists. 

‘Pianist Susie Allan is appreciated as one of today’s most perceptive accompanists.  Her poetry at the keyboard has established her in collaborations with significant voices including Emma Bell, Sophie Daneman, Susan Gritton, Nathan Berg, Rowan Pierce, Jonathan McGovern, Mark Padmore, and Roderick Williams.  

Susie is recognised throughout the UK as a guest artist of the major concert societies and prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, and at festivals including the Buxton, Endellion, Oxford Lieder and Three Choirs Festivals. She has made numerous appearances for BBC Radio 3 and for television including Proms Extra, and she played for the ‘Schubert Shorts’ Channel 4 series with Christopher Maltman and Claron McFadden.  

Susie’s long-standing musical partnership with Roderick Williams stretches over twenty years.    In an exploration of the three Schubert song cycles, a tour of Scwhanengesang, illustrated with poetry readings by Jenny Agutter, took them both sides of the Atlantic from New York City’s Park Avenue Armory to the Sam Wanamaker Theatre, London. Of her 2019 appearance at the Chipping Campden Festival John Quinn, of Seen and Heard International, highlighted that “..there is an added something when his recital partner is Susie Allan.  There seems to be a special musical chemistry between these two perceptive artists….” In 2022 for the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ birth the duo performed at The Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke’s, Bath Mozart Fest and Malvern Concert Club. The duo further collaborated in 2023 including for the Shropshire Music Trust.

An impressive discography of song repertoire on the SOMM Recordings label for which Susie has received high praise includes a debut disc, Severn & Somme, with Roderick Williams, noted by BBC Music Magazine as “revelatory”. “This present performance features not only beautiful singing but also what I can only describe as rapt piano playing by Susie Allan, with every chord and note perfectly weighted and placed”, describes Susie’s contribution in Celebrating English Song (2017) which followed. Their third disc released in 2020 explores the songs of Arthur Somervell about which Gramophone magazine commented “Superbly partnered by Susie Allan (whose deft touch and ingratiating tone are a constant source of pleasure)”.  Susie‘s next disc released in 2022 for SOMM Recordings is of Stanford’s Children’s Songs collaborating with mezzo Kitty Whately and baritone Gareth Brynmor John. 

Susie has accompanied masterclasses of many luminaries including Sir Thomas Allen, Elly Ameling, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Elisabeth Söderström and Roger Vignoles and at important musical institutions including the Britten-Pears School.  Professor of Accompaniment at the Royal College of Music and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama she was a former student of the Guildhall School herself. Susie derived much inspiration from her teachers and mentors including Paul Hamburger, Martin Isepp, Graham Johnson and Iain Burnside.  She is recipient of the GSMD Accompaniment Prize, the Gerald Moore Award and a Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Award. She recently adjudicated the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s English Song Prize.’ 

Aida.  Piano teacher.

Aïda is an active concert pianist and the recipient of over 20 awards at international and national piano competitions. A graduate of the prestigious University of Cambridge and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she uses her passion for music and the arts to create ground-breaking and often multidisciplinary concert experiences. She has performed in 11 countries, and her work has been the object of several television and radio profiles.

Aïda has 10 years of experience teaching one-to-one piano lessons, from complete beginners to semi-professional students, and from 4-year-olds to senior adults. Under her guidance, some of her students have achieved top prizes at national competitions.

By putting meaning and artistic vision at the heart of her pedagogical practice, she aims to treat her students like the artists that they are, give them the confidence to express themselves authentically, and provide them with the methods to work towards achieving whatever dreams they may have.

“In my lessons, we will approach music as a living thing, and a source from which we can learn more about ourselves and the world. I often bring up concepts from psychology and neuroscience, music theory, literature, philosophy, history, drama, and more, to help contextualise what we are trying to achieve as pianists and musicians.”

“I was lucky to have amazing teachers that made me leave my lessons bright-eyed, excited, and inspired. My objective is to replicate this with my students.”

Eleanor – piano teacher

Eleanor is a piano teacher in Oxford.  She is a classically trained Piano player and clarinetist who has been performing since the age of 7. She has been a member of various ensembles and organisations, including Orchestras, Choirs, and Jazz and Wind bands.  Eleanor graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Music, and was the Musical Director of Oxford Brookes Big Band. Still a member of the University Orchestra, Eleanor is currently a full-time music tutor. She enjoys learning pieces of various styles and is intent on making her passion and genuine interest clear to her pupils.

Piano lessons in Oxford.  Testimonials… http://www.cassam.co.uk/testimonials

George – piano teacher

George is a (BA Hons) student at Oxford Brookes University who plays Piano.  He has Grade 8 contemporary piano and is also currently completing his diploma in Classical Piano. George has been teaching since the age of 16 both privately and in schools and thoroughly enjoys teaching students of varying ages and abilities. George has experience in a range of musical genres playing in jazz bands, choirs and orchestras.  More to follow…

Lily – piano teacher

As an accomplished classical pianist, Lily has achieved her ABRSM Grade 8 and is currently studying towards her diploma in piano performance. Lily has taken part in many ensembles and performances during her youth musical career. Notably she has performed internationally in Germany upon invitation along with conducting Kent Orchestra One at 15.  A keen composer, praised with “outstanding skills in composition” by Ofsted in 2017 in turn with conducting her own compositions at the Hazlitt theatre.  Lily is a final year music student at Oxford Brookes University and has recently been accepted onto the acclaimed Teach First graduate scheme to teach secondary music after her studies.

Rosnan – piano teacher

Rosnan is an MA student, studying Creative Industries at Oxford Brookes University. He is classically trained, completing ABRSM Grades 1-8 Piano at a very young age. After his initial achievements in the completion of ABRSM grades, he decided to invest time into his passions to learn new ways in learning piano. Having played piano since the age of 6, he has delved into the field of improvisation and composition within the music of anime, starting from when he was 16. After the years of reflection of his new lessons and skills, he teaches:

”Do not let the music you play define who you are, but rather, define yourself through how you define the music with your playing”

Rosnan believes that Piano lessons do not have to only include the teaching of piano skills; that there are many skills that can be learnt in all fields of learning and education, applicable to all areas of study and work. As a result, he teaches transferable skills and different ways to think/understand music on top of piano techniques.

“As a growing pianist and teacher, I want to teach students that there are different approaches in learning piano, whether it is learning or performing as a pianist. Regardless of any expectations given or how fast one may learn music, I believe that anyone can perform and grow their potential as a musician with time and effort, given the support to do so.” Rosnan