2025 Festival Adjudicators
Anita Downey – Speech & Drama
Anita is head of Speech and Drama at a large, flourishing Secondary School. This involves work to Diploma level in Speech, Acting and Public Speaking. School productions and workshops are also engaged in. Anita is a busy examiner and a British and International Federation of Festivals adjudicator both at home and abroad. Training first as a teacher, she enjoyed working with students of all ages. Continuing her training at the Guildhall School and the Central School, taking the Advanced Diploma in Voice, Anita often runs workshops in this specialism. Winning the International Professor Van Lawrence Award for research into voice sounds led her to research further into the cultural rhythms of the world through literature. Anita is happy to adjudicate online or virtual session.
Ann Bauer – Speech & Drama
Ann has spent her working life in education teaching in secondary and primary schools, theatres, university and therapy teams, as well as examining drama and theatre studies. Ann ran her own drama school for many years. Ann is also an adjudicator for The British and International Federation of Festivals. Ann trained to teach under John Hodgson at Bretton Hall, his major influence was the importance of improvisation. Ann continues to be an enthusiastic teacher of improvisation for developing all performance skills. She believes strongly in the inclusive power of drama, that it offers confidence building, team work, and the discipline of controlling body, voice – and nerves. Combining that with her love of the written word, her first degree was English; she counts herself lucky to spend her life talking about what she loves. Currently Ann combines her teaching with specialist teaching, research and writing in SEN. Ann is continuing to teach online and is able to offer online/virtual adjudication sessions In her spare time Ann still attends ballet and tap classes, a lifelong passion, enjoys theatre going, advocacy in SEN, precious time with her family and long distance back-packing treks
Katrina Mulvhill – Speech & Drama
Katrina studied at The Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama and feels privileged to have been part of the unique three year Actor/Teacher Course. Having Graduated with Honours, she won a Scholarship to The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to study Opera, Musical Theatre, Acting and Piano for a further two years. Katrina, as professional Soloist and Principle, has appeared at many prestigious venues over the years performing in Plays, Operas, Recitals and Concerts at The Drury Lane Theatre, The Shaw Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, The Purcell Room and the QEH. Katrina is an experienced Director, as well as performer, and has enjoyed producing plays, concerts and shows with adults through to young children in a variety of styles ranging from Pantomime and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Light Operettas through to Shakespeare and Grand Opera. A longstanding member of LAMDA’s Examining Board, for over 30 years, she has also regularly lectured and given Master classes for LAMDA and other multiple agencies in Mime, Improvisation, Acting, Voice Production and Musical Theatre to name but a few. Katrina , until recently, served as a Headteacher for over 30 years across the State, Private and Independent sectors. She recently took early retirement to focus on and develop her private Communications, Speech and Drama School, Studio 'K', which she co-runs with her (fellow thespian) husband, Stefan. She has also increased her work and commitment as both a LAMDA Examiner and BIFF adjudicator.
Anne Marshall - Choirs and Singing
Anne grew up in a musical family on the Isle of Wight, conducting her first choir at 14 and taking part annually in the Isle of Wight Music Festival. She graduated from Liverpool University, where she studied piano, singing and viola, as well as developing a interest in composing. Anne has combined a busy career as a Director of Music in comprehensive schools with singing, writing and arranging choral music. She has taught in Cheshire, London, Corby, Leicestershire, Rutland and Cheltenham, and is an experienced examiner at GCSE and A level music for the OCR board. Her compositions and arrangements are performed regularly by the Cecilian Singers (directed by Jeremy Jackman) and many other UK choirs. Now based in Cardiff, Anne has performed with the BBC National Chorus of Wales and Llandaff Cathedral Choir. As a grades, diploma and jazz examiner for ABRSM, Anne frequently works internationally as well as training new examiners and fulfilling a moderator role for ABRSM in the U.K. Anne has been an Adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals since 2013 and is enjoying encouraging musicians of all ages at many festivals including those in Leicester, Kettering, Lincoln, Bristol, Nailsea, Thornbury, Burton on Trent and the Isle of Man.
Anthony Williams - Piano
Concert pianist, writer, lecturer, examiner and adjudicator, Anthony Williams studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London and then at Reading University. Following international competition success, he embarked on a career as a concert pianist and alongside this quickly established an international reputation as a piano teacher and a passionate educator of pianistic musicianship at all ages and levels, giving piano masterclasses, public lecture-recitals and seminars on performance and the art of teaching both in the UK and abroad, including China and Hong Kong. He also coaches on International Summer Schools and Residential Courses. Anthony has given talks on piano performance for Radio 3 and is author and editor of various publications including The Best of Grade and Fingerprints (Faber), Teaching Notes (ABRSM), EPTA Piano Journal, and the highly acclaimed Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide (Faber). He is an ABRSM examiner (diploma, jazz and classical), educational consultant, and a member of the examiner training and review team. He is also a member of BIFF, Chair of EPTA Europe and President of Chipping Norton Music Festival. He was Head of Keyboard and Instrumental at Radley College, Oxfordshire for 34 years until retiring last summer to focus on his freelance and consultancy work.
Gill Johnson - Strings
Gillian studied the bassoon with Archie Camden at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, after a period of freelance playing, concentrated on a teaching career, before moving to Harpenden where she established her own Music School, ‘Harpenden Musicale’. As well as running the Music School, Gill arranges Musicale Holidays, Competitions and a Summer Music Festival. She is the founder and Musical Director of the National Children’s Wind Orchestra and associated groups. Gill is an adjudicator for The British and International Federation of Festivals and very much enjoys contact with young musicians, inspiring and enthusing their interest in music.
Timothy Barratt – Woodwind and Groups
Timothy studied on a Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, winning many major awards, and completed his studies with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris and Geoffrey Parsons. A performing career throughout the UK and abroad career as soloist, accompanist and chamber music player has spanned more than 30 years, with a particular focus on voice and piano partnership. Teaching forms a major part of his musical life and he enjoys working with pupils of all ages and levels from beginner to post-graduate. He was Head of Keyboard at Dulwich College for many years whilst also teaching at the RAM and TCM and now pursues a busy freelance practice. Formerly a member of the examining, training and review panel for the ABRSM, he now acts as a Piano Syllabus Consultant. He regularly directs Masterclasses and Residential Courses for performers and teachers and is in demand as a Competition and Festival adjudicator.
Gail Mortley - Singing
Gail is a professional singer, actress and teacher. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded numerous prizes and scholarships, one of which took her to the Mozarteum in Salzburg, to study with the international singing coach, Rita Streich. Early in her professional career Gail performed with numerous opera companies, including Sadler’s Wells and Kent Opera. Throughout her career she has combined classical and commercial theatre, with roles ranging from Violetta in La Traviata, Despina in Cosi fan Tutte, Poppea in The Coronation of Poppea, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance. In London’s West End she played Cosette in Les Miserables, and in the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds she played Julie Jordan in Carousel and Joanna in Sweeny Todd. She was also in the original cast of Chess in London, and for several years Gail was principal girl in Roy Hudd’s Christmas pantomimes. Gail’s concert work includes principal soprano in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, both in London and Seville, Spain. Throughout her professional career Gail has been the singing tutor for professional institutions. She now has a thriving private practice, teaching many young aspiring professionals and is also an adjudicator with The British and International Federation of Festivals.