Recent alumni successes at Guildhall School

From the Acting Department:

• Congratulations to the Guildhall alumni nominated for The Stage Debut Awards; Imogen Elliott (Acting 2024) for Best Performer in a Play, and Toheeb Jimoh (Acting 2018) for Best West End Debut Performer. Make sure to vote for Toheeb in the only category open to a public vote here!  
• Séamus McLean Ross (Acting 2022) and Mirren Mack (Acting 2019) have been recognised as Rising Stars Scotland 2024 by Screen Scotland and Screen International. 
• Zubin Varla (Acting 1992) and Natalie Dew (Acting 2008) star in the National Theatre's production of A Tupperware of Ashes, running from 25 September to 16 November. Find out more. 
• This autumn, catch Poppy Gilbert (Acting 2019), Charlotte Bate (Acting 2015), and Oli Higginson (Acting 2019) in cinemas in the latest production of Othello. Learn more. 
• Gigi Buffington (MA in Training Actors 2008) was the vocal, text, and dialect coach for both The Outsiders and Stereophonic, which picked up the top prizes at the 2024 Tony Awards, Best Musical and Best Play, respectively. 
• Miriam Petche (Acting 2023) will appear alongside Kit Harington in the new series of HBO’s Industry. Watch the trailer. 
• Michaela Coel (Acting 2012) was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series for her role as Bev in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
• See Jordan Rhys (Acting 2024), Conor Mcleod (Acting 2021) and Jordan Metcalfe (Acting 2013) in Coriolanus at The National Theatre until 9 November. 
• Paapa Essiedu FGS (Acting 2012) stars in Death of England @sohoplace until 28 September.  
• Watch Tyreke Leslie (Acting 2022) in Princess Essex at the Globe. Also at The Globe is Daniel Adeosun (Acting 2020) in The Comedy of Errors.   
• Jonathan Cullen (Acting 1985) recently took on the role of King Lear at the Whidbey Island Shakespeare Festival. He spoke about the role in an interview here. 
• Catch Freddie Fox (Acting 2010), Rhys Ifans (Acting 1989), Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE FGS (Acting 1983), and Tom Glynn-Carney (Acting 2016) in the latest series of House of the Dragon.  
• Congratulations to Tara Tijani (Acting 2021) on her debut season with the RSC. Read about her journey. 
• Ben Miles (Acting 1988) features in Douglas is Cancelled on ITVX. 

From the Music Department:

• Congratulations to Thomas Adès (Piano, Opera and Percussion 1989) on being presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal live at the Proms following the UK premiere of his composition Aquifer. 
• We were thrilled to see three wins at the Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition: Jong Sun Woo (Piano 2022) won the Pianist's Prize; Jonathan Eyers (Baritone 2023) took third prize; and Joël Terrin (Baritone 2022) received the Vaughan Williams Song Prize for the Best Interpretation of Songs in English by a British Composer.
• Cerrita Smith (Music Therapy 2012), founder of Cync, organised the event 'Mission x Omission - Re-centering the Black Perspective in Therapy', which took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 5 September. The event was preceded by a performance from acclaimed soprano Rachel Duckett, of a work composed by alum Ella Jarman-Pinto (Composition 2011) . Learn more here. 
• Katya Poplyansky (Violin 2016) joined Les Violons du Roy as co-concertmaster in July 2024. 
• Byron Fulcher (Trombone 1991), currently Principal Trombone of the Philharmonia Orchestra, has been appointed Section Principal Trombone in the Orchestra of the Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden. Alongside him will be Michael Levis (Tuba 2004) who has recently been appointed Principal Tuba. They both join existing alumni member Robert Holliday (Trombone 1993). 
• Symphonic Brass of London performed at Worcester Cathedral as part of the Three Choirs Festival, featuring Guildhall Professors and alumni Simon Wills FGS (Trombone 1981), Chris Houlding (Trombone 1980) and Chris Deacon, alongside two further alumni David Hilton (Trumpet 2001) and Gideon Brooks (Trumpet 2018). David holds the post of Principal Trumpet of Glyndebourne Touring Opera and Gideon has worked as Guest Principal or Sub-Principal with most orchestras in the UK.  
• Kris Garfitt (Trombone 2015) recently performed as Principal Trombone with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Brass and Percussion and has accepted a professorship at Trossingen University. Watch the performance here.  
• Shimona Thevathasan (Music Therapy 2022) won the prestigious Pendine International Voice of the Future and is currently working as a music therapist at Chelsea and Westminster Child Development Service. Soprano Manon Ogwen Parry, who will begin her Advanced Certificate study at Guildhall School in September, was the runner up. 
• Wynne Evans BEM (Opera 1995) will be donning the sequins as he competes on this year’s series of Strictly! 
• Lewis Bell (Piano 2021) is the Musical Director for the upcoming 2024/25 International Tour of Cats the Musical!
• David Coucheron (Violin 2009) has been appointed co-principal guest concertmaster at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. 
• Apollo’s Cabinet won the prestigious Van Wassanaer competition in Utrecht, you can enjoy their performance here. The group features Guildhall School alumni Teresa Wrann (Recorders 2021), Thomas Pickering (Recorders 2022), Daniel Watt (Drums 2024), Sophia Prodanova (Violin 2021) and Collin Shay (Counter Tenor 2021). They also won the Royal Overseas League ensemble competition and released their debut album Musical Wanderlust this year. 
• Oliver Leith’s (Composition 2019) opera Last Days is now available on Spotify. Listen here. 
• Laura Sergeant (Cello 2012) was featured in the 'Classic Music Live! Falkirk' concert series this month. 
• Erika Baikoff (Soprano 2018) received critical acclaim for her performance at Music@Menlo. 
• Pablo Hernán Benedí (Violin 2019) recently performed at the Cervo International Chamber Music Festival. 
• The City String Ensemble, formed at Guildhall, performed a very popular open air concert at Wembley Park celebrating Taylor Swift’s most iconic songs! 
• Jules Buckley (Trumpet 2006) conducted his orchestra at the Proms for a special celebration of Florence + the Machine’s debut album Lungs on its 15th anniversary. Learn more. 
• Congratulations to Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir (Soprano 2003) on her appointment as the new principal of the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts. 
• Kezia Bienek (Soprano 2011) participated in a Q&A at Glyndebourne, where she took on the role of Mercédès and was the cover artist for Carmen. Read the Q&A. 
• Lawrence Power (Viola 1996), Resident Artist at the Southbank Centre, will perform alongside Thomas Adès (Piano, Opera, and Composition 1989) in a unique concert on 27 September. More information here. 
• Alexandra Dariescu (Piano 2011) has released a new album featuring Clara Schumann and Edvard Grieg Piano Concertos, which was named Classic FM’s Album of the Week. Listen here. 
• Alice Coote OBE (Vocal 1989) performed at Prom 9 this summer, conducted by alumnus Ryan Wigglesworth (Repetiteur 2002).
• Honorary Fellow Sir Antonio Pappano conducted Natalya Romaniw (Soprano 2012) in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem at Prom 37.  
• Marta Fontanals-Simmons (Mezzo-Soprano 2016) featured in Prom 42: Beethoven’s Ninth by Heart.  
• Dingle Yandell (Baritone/Bass 2006), Thomas Mole (Baritone/Bass 2021), and Kezia Bienek (Soprano 2011) all performed when Glyndebourne Festival Opera visited the Proms. Find out more. 
• Benjamin Hulett (Tenor 2003), Ashley Riches (Baritone/Bass), and Nardus Williams (Soprano 2017) all featured in Prom 65: Choral Day – Handel's Messiah. 
• Cara Doyle (Clarinet 2023) has been appointed Sub-Principal Clarinet/Bass Clarinet with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, joining fellow alumni Isabella Fleming (Violin 2020) and Ben Du Toit (Double Bass 2022).

From the Production Arts Department:

We are always keen to hear and celebrate news of our alumni so please get in touch at alumni@gsmd.ac.uk or call 0203 834 1592. 

Image: Toheeb Jimoh performing in Four plays by Martin Crimp, 2017 (c) Clive Barda