Guildhall School appoints Armin Zanner as Vice Principal & Director of Music and welcomes Dr Robert Bennett as new Chief Operating Officer
Guildhall School appoints Armin Zanner as Vice Principal & Director of Music and welcomes Dr Robert Bennett as new Chief Operating Officer
Two senior staff appointments have been announced at Guildhall School that will be critical in supporting the implementation of the School’s forthcoming strategic plan, and will play an important part in the effective operations and management of the institution.
Armin Zanner has been appointed to the permanent role of Vice Principal & Director of Music. Armin was Head of Vocal Studies for nine years, and from 2021–23, was also Interim Director of Music. In due course, Guildhall School will begin the search for a new Head of Vocal Studies.
On 9 May, Dr Robert Bennett joins the School from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, as Chief Operating Officer. This new position will play a key role in the School’s Executive team, reporting to and supporting the Principal in developing strategic and financial planning, and leading on all aspects of management and operational delivery of the School.
Principal of Guildhall School, Professor Jonathan Vaughan, said:
“Armin Zanner has already proven himself an inspiring, loyal and compassionate leader with an exciting vision for the future of the Music Department. I am delighted that he has been appointed as Vice Principal & Director of Music following a comprehensive search and recruitment process.”
“I’m also pleased to announce Dr. Robert Bennett as our new Chief Operating Officer. I look forward to what he will bring to the position and the School, drawing on a wealth of experience in the higher education sector as a welcome addition to our Executive team.”
Vice-Principal and Director of Music, Armin Zanner, said:
“It is a great honour to take on the position of Vice-Principal and Director of Music. I come to the role with deep commitment to Guildhall School, with passion for the creative, dynamic community it is today, and with ambition to realise Guildhall’s extraordinary potential for the future. That ambition is motivated by a wish to build on the positive experiences I have had here, to extend them to new, broader cohorts of Guildhall music-makers, and to expand the School’s national and international impact as we work to reinforce the importance and the power of the performing arts for all of us in the mid twenty-first century.”
Chief Operating Officer, Dr Robert Bennett, said:
“I am looking forward immensely to joining Guildhall School as its new Chief Operating Officer in May. I had the great privilege to visit Guildhall in February and was immediately struck by the energy of the students and staff and the great sense of community and creativity. Whilst my professional background is rather different, I have a shared passion for the benefits that outstanding higher education brings and the great power of the arts to contribute to our society. I hope to contribute to the great energy at the Guildhall and add my own personal commitment to the very special community at the heart of the School.”
About Armin Zanner:
Armin Zanner was Head of Guildhall School’s Vocal Studies Department for nine years. He was also appointed Deputy Director of Music in 2018, then Interim Director of Music in 2021. As Head of Vocal Studies, Armin strengthened the department's global network of visiting artists, integrated performer health into the training of singers, and diversified repertoire, collaboration and student performance opportunities. He commissioned new work for student presentation and led joint activity with partners like Barbican, Wigmore Hall and the Royal Opera. Armin has also been Artistic Director of the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Austria, has taught internationally in conservatoires and on summer programmes, and has been a regular competition jury member. Armin was born in Glasgow, began his performing life as a violinist, and completed degrees at Selwyn College, Cambridge, before shifting focus and specialising as a singer.
About Dr Robert Bennett:
Dr Rob Bennett was previously Chief Operating Officer at Queen Mary University of London's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (Barts and the London). He has worked in the university sector in senior management at QMUL and Imperial College for over 20 years and prior to that worked as an academic at Cancer Research UK, in Canada and the USA, within the pharmaceutical industry at Amersham, and for the Medical Research Council. He has led the development of new Institutes and transnational education, most recently the establishment of a new medical campus and course in Malta. Rob grew up in West Wales and completed his degrees at Cardiff University and Corpus Christi College Cambridge. He has a keen interest in arts and literature and has always been an enthusiastic participant in a number of sports - now limited to cricket, taekwondo and fencing.