James Quinn (BA Music, MMus Performance) was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1983. At the age of 3, James and his family moved to Gloucester and he has lived there since. From around the age of 8, James began to teach himself and was a relatively late starter with formal musical tuition. It was when he went to St. Peter's High School in Gloucester that he began weekly piano lessons.  He then began to study classical piano more seriously and had lessons with Linda Parsons for 4 years while finishing his sixth form studies. 

After leaving school where he was awarded the Governor's Award for Services to Music in 2002, he then continued his studies with Mary Cope. James went on to further develop his skills at summer courses, specifically Birmingham International Piano Academy and Chethams in Manchester from both single lessons and masterclasses with established pianists including Peter Lawson, Florian Uhlig and Steven Osborne as well as workshops with Malcolm Wilson and Phillip Martin. James has also been involved with the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts Competitions for 4 years, where he won the Dr. Janet Salisbury Cup in 2008 and a certificate of honours in the 2009 competition.
 
James graduated with honours from Bath Spa University in 2010 having studied piano under Connie Garforth. He returned in October 2010 to take the inaugural Masters of Music in Performance at Bath Spa University where he studied with Maria Garcia and Charles Wiffen. 

James has performed in a range of venues including Wells Cathedral, Bath Pump Rooms, Bath Abbey, Mission Theatre, Rondo Theatre, Assembly Rooms, St Michaels Without, the Bath Guildhall and the Michael Tippett Centre at the Newton Park Campus at Bath Spa University. He made his debut in the Bath 2008 International Music Festival, alongside other student pianists with Artistic Director Joanna MacGregor, performing the piano music of Sir Harrison Birtwistle in the presence of the composer. 

James has worked with a range of eminent conductors, including Gavin Carr with the Bath Spa University Choir, Nigel Perrin at Wells Cathedral in the Mozart Requiem, and Jason Thornton in Bath Abbey for the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony.

As an accompanist, James has worked as the répétiteur of the university's opera productions for 3 successive years for production of The Magic Flute in 2008, Don Giovanni in 2010 and for the musical production of A Little Night Music in 2010. He also performed in the band for Seussical The Musical in 2009. More recently, James worked with the cast of Suor Angelica, which was performed as part of an opera double bill including Gianni Schicchi in late January 2011. 

James has been the longest serving accompanist for both the university choir and the chamber choir for the last 3 years and has performed as a Harpsichord player in the University's period Georgian Band in several concerts both as a soloist and continuo player. 

After receiving choral conducting tuition from Nigel Perrin and Roger Heaton, James made his conducting debut in June 2009 directing Gorecki's anthem Totus Tuus. In 2010 he went on to conduct Handel's 'Zadok the Priest' with the university orchestra and choir, as part of the opening ceremony Party in The City for the annual Bath International Music Festival. 

James' repertoire ranges from mainstream Austro-German tradition of Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as well as Chopin, Rachmaninov and Debussy, but particularly has a strong affinity for romantic music such as Liszt, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Tchaicovsky, Scriabin, MacDowell, Faure and Grieg. James has also given first performances of works written for him by Joseph Buckler, Katherine Addison and Adam Myatt.

Recent highlights of the 2010/11 season, have included the premiere of his own compositions ‘Christmas Medley’ for Flute and Piano with Flautist Megan Lea and ‘To Dream’ performed for him with the Bath Spa University Chamber Choir and String Orchestra. 

Other highlights also include a joint collaboration conducting Michael Tippetts 5 Negro Spirituals with Elizabeth Hales and the Bath Spa University Choir at Bath Abbey for the opening ceremony Party in The City in the 2011 Bath International Music Festival. James also recently gave a second performance of the two piano arrangement of Holsts ‘The Planets Suite’ with pianist Alfie Pugh and a final appearance accompanying the Chamber Choir in the 2011 Gala Concert in the Guildhall with Matthew Spring.

In recent news, James received his MMus Performance degree from Bath Spa University in July, and has been appointed Deputy Accompanist with the Churchdown Male Voice Choir in January of 2012, and has now taken the post of Principal Accompanist in July. The range of soloists James has accompanied include members from the choir as well as Kathryn Skipp, Bill Armiger, Sue Black, Kate Bennett and more recently, Ralph Barnes. 

James also gives occasional recitals for patients and staff at the Leckhampton Court Day Hospice for the Sue Ryder Charity, and continues this activity for the Music In Hospitals charity. More recently, James has also devoted time to assist as a freelance accompanist for Beaufort Community School and the St. Peter’s High School & Sixth Form School Choir, as well as singing in the Philomusica of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Choir. 

As a singer with Philomusica, James has performed across many venues in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire including St. Peter’s Church, Pershore Abbey and St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s in Upton-upon-Severn performing a range of well established and contemporary music such as Mozart’s “Requiem”, Michael Tippett’s “5 Negro Spirituals”, Karl Jenkin’s “The Armed Man” and Bob Chillcott’s “Missa Cantate”. 

James has performed with Churchdown Male Voice Choir at other venues including Gloucester Cathedral, Cheltenham Town Hall, St. Paul’s & St. Stepehen’s Church, Churchdown Community Centre, Christchurch (Cheltenham) and more recently St. Barnabas, Gloucester. James recently appeared with the Churchdown Choral Society in their summer concert in early July.



Releasing my own music!

Emma Webb is a singer songwriter from the UK who has been writing for over 15 years now. 

She is a self employed music teacher and choir leader and has finally found the courage to release her own music. 

Since working with Blinding Talent and Mark Adams on her Artist Development this year, Emma has released several singles and an EP and has gained over a quarter of a million streams on Spotify. 

Emma is now planning on taking the Festival scene by storm in 2022, and is focusing on Sync licensing with her music and songwriting for other Artists. 

Find Emma on all Socials via ThisIsEmmaWebb

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