Photo credits: Evan Dawson
A highly versatile musician, Bristol-born Jonathan Rees has performed across the globe with the UK's leading chamber and historical performance ensembles and orchestras. As a chamber musician he has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh International Festival, Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam Musiekgebouw, Innsbrucker Festwochen and on BBC Radio 3. A member of the renowned viol consort Fretwork, he has also performed as continuo / principal cellist and gamba soloist with the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Arcangelo, Florilegium, Dunedin Consort, The Sixteen, ENO, Britten Sinfonia, RLPO, Manchester Camerata, La Nuova Musica and the Wigmore Hall resident ensemble Solomon's Knot. With acclaimed pianist Helen Reid, Jonathan is one half of a piano-cello duo focussing on 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, in particular the music and influence of Nadia Boulanger. An Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Jonathan has taught undergraduate and postgraduate historical cello students at the Royal College of Music, given historical performance classes at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music, Juilliard School, Birmingham Conservatoire, Cambridge University and the Royal Northern College of Music. He is Artistic Director of Bristol Pre-Conservatoire and teaches privately in the Bristol area. He has devised and led music workshops and children's concerts for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Brighton Early Music Festival and others. From 2013 to 2018 he directed and performed at Bristol's acclaimed annual festival, Really Classical Relay. Outside of the world of music, he spends a lot of his time making compost and growing vegetables for his family and other local wildlife.
Alex Goodyear is a Reading based Drummer, Bandleader and Composer. Since graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2019, he has become a regular of the UK and International Jazz scenes, working with artists including Joss Stone, Seamus Blake, John Law, Simon Spillett, Iain Ballamy, Joe Webb, Sam Crockatt, Alex Merritt, Steve Fishwick, Greg Abate, Jake McMurchie, Denny Ilett, Alan Barnes, Huw Warren, Rebecca Nash, Libor Smoldas, and Henrik Jensen. "Alex Goodyear is one of the finest young drummers to emerge for many years..." - The Bebop Club "Swinging, tasteful, and his contribution is sublime. He’s a musician's drummer. There are drummers with the chops flying everywhere but getting in the way of the music... here we have a player who could do all of this but chooses to play the music. Enhancing those around him. Adding colours and being a voice in the perfect conversation." - Jazz in South Wales Alex’s current projects include: • John Law’s “Re-Creations” Quartet • “Yetii”, a Classical-Jazz fusion project co-led by Alex Veitch and Ashley John Long • “Energizer” Trio, co-led by Alex Merritt on sax and Ashley John Long on bass. • “Bluprint”, a funk trio led by Daniel Newberry, featuring Guy Shotton on Organ. Other regular collaborators include Dave Jones, Jonny Bruce, Dave Cottle, Greg Sterland, Craig Crofton, Victoria Klewin, Adam Stokes, Jack Mac, Gareth Roberts, Nick Kacal, Guy Shotton and Sarah Meek.
Chris is an experienced Production Manager with a strong background in local and national event planning, particularly within the Education and Creative Sectors. Her work has focused on supporting and enabling children and young people to access high-quality musical experiences, and she is passionate about widening participation in music-making and ensemble playing for young musicians.
As Planning & Production Director for the National Children’s Orchestras, Chris led the Operations Team to facilitate exceptional performances in some of the UK’s most renowned venues, including the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Lighthouse in Poole, Portsmouth Guildhall, and The Anvil in Basingstoke, creating unforgettable musical experiences for young performers.
Previously, as Education Manager at Bristol Music Hub, Chris played a pivotal role in coordinating music education initiatives across the city. From organising individual music lessons in schools to producing large-scale concerts at Bristol Beacon, she was instrumental in creating opportunities for young people to engage with music and develop their talents.
A dedicated pianist, Chris finds joy in accompanying musicians of all ages. Whether supporting young performers in music exams, playing for Rangeworthy Community Choir, or celebrating the fun and passion of lifelong singers at The Filtones Choir, she values the power of music to bring people together and enrich lives.
Luke Gilbert began learning the trombone at an early age having been inspired by his late grandfather, the renowned musician Dennis Chalk BEM. It was this inspiration that led him to achieve a place to study at the Junior Royal College of Music with David Whitson and then subsequently at the Royal Northern College of Music with Chris Houlding, Les Storey and Adrian Morris. Following this he returned to the Royal College of Music as a postgraduate student to complete his studies with the eminent bass trombonist Bob Hughes. Since embarking on a successful and productive freelance career, Luke has performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC NOW, BBC Philharmonic and English National Ballet. He has made recordings for radio and film and has worked with well known artists such as Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson and has also played for Her Majesty the Queen. Luke is currently trombone tutor at Millfield, Dean Close, Clifton College and Wellington School.
John is a professional tenor and voice teacher, and is recognised as a singer of exceptional musicianship, warmth, style and character. Having performed throughout Europe and North America, he has also been praised for his dramatic intensity, vocal beauty, clarity and agility. John’s singing career has taken him as far as New Zealand, Japan, Mexico and Canada on both the operatic stage and concert platform. He has sung leading roles in works ranging from Monteverdi to Jonathan Dove and major oratorio and recital works from Bach to Britten. Throughout his career he has also been fortunate to work with such distinguished artists as Graham Johnson, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sian Edwards and Ronald Corp. Through the generous support of the Koerner Foundation Artist Award, and the COB Foundation of Canada, he completed a Master Degree on the postgraduate Opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Rudolf Piernay. While at the Guildhall, Mr. Bacon was a prize winner in the English Song Competition, represented the college in an LSO Discovery Lunchtime Concert, and worked with the likes of Philip Langridge, Martin Katz, and Malcolm Martineau. Prior to this, John sang with the Juno award-nominated vocal ensemble musica intima, was a winner of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Two Début Series for Young Performers, and completed a Bachelor of Music at the University British Columbia. Having grown up in Vancouver, Canada then spent seven years based in London, John moved to Bristol to take singing teaching positions at both Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School and Taunton School. John is currently a resident artist of Yehudi Menuhin’s Live Music Now performing regularly with pianist Helen Mills.
Nick Malcolm is an original and heartfelt improviser, known for his rich sound and sense of improvisational and compositional daring. He led the acclaimed Nick Malcolm Quartet, releasing three albums, touring nationally several times and performing at the London Jazz Festival and on BBC Radio 3’s Jazz On 3. Their final album 'Real Isn't Real', added a quartet of four female vocalists. He also co-led the trio 'Alphabets' (with Hannah Marshall and Lauren Kinsella), the electro-acoustic quartet jade and, in 2021, released 'Chat’ an album of improvised duets with Corey Mwamba. Currently, Nick leads the quintet Out Front, with Jason Yarde, Jake McMurchie, Olie Brice and Dave Smith. They play original music inspired by years of playing music by masters Andrew Hill and Booker Little. Their debut album,‘Buried Web’s, will be released in October 2025. He also heads Knotted Kernel, a multimedia collaboration blending music, spoken word and taste. A member of Dee Byrne's Outlines and Rebecca Nash's Redefining Element 78, he's also played with George Cooper’s Jazz Defenders and Eliza Carthy's 'Wayward Daughter'. Nick has collaborated with a wide range of musicians and is a sought-after session artist, chosen for Take Five Edition IX in 2014. He teaches jazz trumpet privately and at Wells Cathedral School.
Neve Humphreys is a third year music student at the University of Bristol.
At UOB, Neve is a passionate cellist leading multiple orchestras including the University of Bristol Symphony Orchestra. She has also taken a keen interested in student society committee’s, being the welfare officer for the Bristol University Music Society (BUMS) and she is also the president of Symphonia, a student orchestral society.
Previously, Neve was a member of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, conducted the BUMS string orchestra and was an intern at the Buxton International Festival over the summer.
Outside of music, Neve enjoys sewing, knitting as well as changing her hair every 6 months.