Adjudicators
Adjudicators for 2025 TBC
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Heat Adjudicators 2024
Laura Collins
Laura Collins is a singer, choral conductor and singing teacher. As a jazz singer she has played around the UK with key musicians including Jean Toussaint and the Jim Wynn Swing Orchestra. Laura is a keen music educator, especially in encouraging children to sing. With twenty years' experience of teaching and conducting choirs, Laura works as an Animateur for TES award-winning MusicShare, Warwickshire Sings! and for the Singing Community of Choirs, conducting groups of hundreds of child and teenage singers. She leads mentoring programmes for music teachers and also composes choral works. She won a choral exhibition at Cambridge University and specialised in jazz voice at the Guildhall School of Music. Also a pianist and cellist, Laura is delighted to adjudicate for the competition.
Jack Hopkins
Jack works across the UK and internationally as a Music Director, Pianist, Orchestrator and Music Technology Specialist. Some recent credits include: Crazy for You (cover conductor, keyboards), Elf the Musical (additional orchestrations, keyboards), Just for One Day: The Live Aid Musical (Music Technology), My Neighbour, Totoro (Music Technology) all in Londons West End. Jack has also worked regularly with the RSC in multiple roles on over 25 productions. With the RSC Jack also worked on their 'Matilda' workshops in schools across the country. Later this year Jack will provide orchestrations for the UK Tour of ‘101 Dalmations: The Musical’. Jack grew up in Walsall and is looking forward to being involved with WYMS this year.
Our final adjudicators last year were Cathy Lamb and Adrian Taylor, click here to read their biographies.
We were also joined by a special guest adjudicator, Councillor Edward Lee
Previous adjudicators include:
Sally Hobbs (Strings), Merle Walters (Woodwinds), Paul Garner (Brass), Steve Sheldon (Guitars), Bev Cullen (Percussion), Sonia Eyre (Vocal), Judith Zarzycka (Woodwinds), Steve Lee (Brass), Tim Farmer (Drums and Perc), George Stuart (Vocal), Mike Holt (Guitars), Paul Carr (Keyboards)
Finalist judges: Rob Howes, Laura Collins, Sarah Browne, Daniel Buckroyd, Toby Smith