Our Teachers

British-Iranian Soprano, holds a PGDip in Opera from Trinity College of Music as well as a BMus with Honours from City University and GSMD.

Honey enjoys a busy life as a freelance opera singer with different opera companies in London. Since 2009 she's been teaching singing, piano and music theory privately and at the Miele Canto studio in North london, as well as directing school choirs around London.

Honey specialises in vocal technique and voice coaching for ABRSM and Trinity grading exams. She is a strong believer in learning music theory as you cannot learn a language without learning its grammer! 

For Honey's full biography please visit our 'Meet our Team' page. 

Rose McLachlan comes from a family of musicians and began piano lessons with her father aged 7. Shortly after she joined Chetham’s School of Music where she studied with Helen Krizos. In 2020, she entered the Royal Northern College of Music, and now is at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Charles Owen, Martin Roscoe and Ronan O’Hora.

She appears frequently with orchestra, making her debut aged 13 in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth and was broadcasted twice on Radio 3. As a result of winning the PianoTexas Festival concerto competition, she performed with the Fort Worth Symphony. In 2023, she performed Saint Saens ‘Carnival of the Animals’ in the Bridgewater Hall with the Hallé orchestra. In September 2024, Rose performed alongside Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Andrea Nemecz in Mozart’s triple piano concerto, with the Manchester Camerata conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy. This was broadcast on BBCR3 and will be released on the Chandos Label.

Rose has already had considerable successes in national and international competitions; she was the overall winner of the 2016 Scottish International Youth Prize at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as a result of winning the Yamaha Prize in the 2017 EPTA UK competition, Rose performed at St Martins in the Fields. As an overall winner of the Chetham’s concerto competition in February 2018, Rose was selected to perform the Ravel G major concerto with the Chetham’s symphony orchestra during the 2018-19 season. In 2018 Rose also won the Chopin and Beethoven prizes at Chetham’s and in 2019 she was overall winner of the junior intercollegiate Beethoven Piano Society of Europe competition. Also, in 2019 Rose was the overall winner of the 11th "Dora Pejacevich“ competition organised by EPTA Croatia. In 2022, Rose was awarded the Chopin Prize at the RNCM and later that year awarded the Silver Medal by the Musicians’ Company.

2018 saw her first commercial recording being issued by Divine Art, performing ‘Five Hebridean Dances’ by John McLeod and in January 2020, Rose recorded piano duets by the distinguished British composer, Edward Gregson, with her father for a new commercial recording on the Naxos label.

In 2023, in collaboration with EVC Music Publications, a new anthology ‘22 nocturnes for Chopin’ which commissioned 22 female composers to write pieces inspired by Chopin was released. Since the launch at Steinway Hall, it has been played over the world, with its recent complete performance by Rose at King’s Place as part of the London Piano Festival 2024.

Rose is an avid chamber musician; playing in a piano trio, piano duo and with singers. She has performed major song cycles, including Schumann’s Liederkreis in the Manchester Song Festival. With her trio, they were awarded Nossek Prize at the RNCM for their performance of Arensky’s Trio no. 1. Rose has performed in Germany, Switzerland and the UK with violinist Esther Abrami.

Rose is extremely grateful to receive support from The Caird Trust, The Sir James Gibb award, Michael McLean and she is a Talent Unlimited artist.

London-based flautist Rebecca Rouch performs across the UK as an orchestral flautist and
chamber musician. Rebecca has performed at venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, the
Barbican Centre and St Paul’s Cathedral. As an active chamber musician, Rebecca has
been invited to give recitals at the Leeds International Concert Season and Jopes Mill
Concert Series in Cornwall, and recorded a new ballet of Peter Pan for Studio Bontemps
(Japan). As a freelance orchestral player, Rebecca plays with Sinfonia Cymru and won the
position of Foundation Flute Player with London-based Orpheus Sinfonia for the 2024/25
season, as well as freelancing with orchestras in the UK. Rebecca also loves musicals and
shows, performing as part of the Thursford Christmas Spectacular Show 2024, and taking
part in performances of ‘Rebecca’ at the Charing Cross Theatre.
As a teacher, Rebecca holds teaching positions across London, including at Reed’s School
Cobham and Music Education Islington where she is a lead tutor, as well as teaching
privately. She works with children of all ages, and from beginners through to post Grade 8
students. Alongside her work as both a flute and musicianship teacher, Rebecca often
combines chamber performances with visits to schools and community centres to create
interactive performances and opportunities to hear instruments and music that may not be
part of children’s everyday musical life.
Rebecca was a scholarship holder on the London Symphony Orchestra Orchestral Artistry
Masters course, run at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She studied flute with
Gareth Davies (LSO), Sarah Newbold (St Martin in the Fields), Philippa Davies (Nash
Ensemble) and Ian Clarke, and piccolo with Christopher Green (Royal Opera House). This
course allowed her to receive mentorship and tutoring from the LSO, including rehearsing
side-by-side with the orchestra and engaging with outreach and community performance
work alongside her Masters programme. Rebecca graduated her Masters with Distinction,
and previously she had received a First Class Bachelor of Music Degree from the Guildhall
School of Music as well as their Concert Recital Diploma award. Prior to this, Rebecca
studied with Fiona Fulton at the Chethams School of Music.

Francesca is a Maltese mezzo-soprano whose instrument boasts an expansive range with a rich timbre and an effortless reach into the high range. Her vocal agility makes her a natural fit for the coloratura mezzo-soprano repertoire. Alongside her agility, her rich timbre allows her to embrace the lyric mezzo-soprano and Zwischenfach repertoire with ease. The combination of tonal richness and extended range makes her a versatile performer.
Her operatic roles include Carmen (Carmen, Bizet) Mamushka (Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky), Die Knusperhexe (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck), Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky) La Mere (Les Contes D’Hoffmann, Offenbach), Zweite Dame & Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart), Patrizia (Strozzi!, Barbara Strozzi) And Marcellina (Le Nozze Di Figaro, Mozart). Francesca has performed in concert on stages worldwide, most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall, Wilton’s Music Hall and Blackheath Halls in London.
Francesca completed a Master of Music degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, studying with Sarah Pring and Peter Knapp. Her studies were generously supported by the Morag Noble Scholarship, the Kathleen Roberts Scholarship, and the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, Malta. She previously graduated with first-class honours in a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from Trinity Laban, with the support of the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, Malta Arts Scholarships, and Trinity Laban Bursaries. Prior to her undergraduate studies, she was awarded a Foundation Certificate Diploma in Music at Trinity Laban. In addition to her academic training, Francesca has pursued operatic training at the Berlin Opera Academy and the Manhattan Opera Studio. Her training has been enhanced by masterclasses with renowned artists including Nicky Spence, Sally Burgess, Yvonne Howard, Miriam Gauci, Jessica Cambio, Darrelle Babidge, Michael Recchiuti, Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, and Lauren Flanigan.

Born into a family of dancers and music lovers, Francesca was introduced to music at the age of three through classical ballet, which she studied for fifteen years under Mary Jane Bellia and Johanne Casabene. Her passion for singing and musical theatre was nurtured at school through her drama teacher, and at fifteen she was discovered by tenor Brian Cefai, who recognised the potential of her mezzo-soprano voice and guided her early vocal development. In 2016, she moved to London to pursue classical music, studying privately with Marcus Van Den Akker before being offered a place at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance.

Cassandra Mathews studied classical guitar at the Royal College of Music with Gary Ryan where she obtained a 1st Class Honours Bachelor of Music.

She also received coaching from Chris Stell and extra lessons with Craig Ogden and Jakob Lindberg on the lute.

She began her studies with John Draper from the age of twelve. During her time at the RCM, she took part in masterclasses with John Williams, Carlos Bonell, Jason Vieaux, and Julian Byzantine as well as performing at Queen Elisabeth Hall and the Purcell Room as part of “The Rest Is Noise” Festival 2013.

She has also given chamber music performances at the Wigmore Hall, V&A Museum the London Film Museum. An event in April 2016 took Cassandra to the Instituto Cervantes, where she performed a selection of pieces by celebrated guitar composer Joaquin Rodrigo to his daughter Cecilia Rodrigo.

She has also commissioned and premiered a number of works for guitar, violin and shakuhachi as a member of Illuminate Women’s Music in their 2018/2019 season. Cassandra is particularly interested in collaborations with other artistic disciplines and took part in unveiling “Desvalidas” as part of the RCM Great Exhibitionists 2014 working with award-winning poet Isabel White and visual artist Dylan J Fox.

​She was the winner of the Lennox Berkeley Guitar Prize 2012 and was the given a Highly Commended Award for the annual Royal College of Music Guitar Competition 2014 and 2012.

Cassandra represented the RCM at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart in an Erasmus exchange programme in 2012.

She has also played in ensembles as part of the London Guitar Festival 2011 at King's Place and as part of the RCM Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink. Most recently, Cassandra has been performing worldwide on luxury cruise liners, at 5 star resorts and at recitals throughout the UK.

Julie Piggott is currently studying with Krysia Osostowicz at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama in London as a scholar. Julie was accepted on the Orchestral Artistry Masters which allows
the opportunity to work closely with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2021 she won the
prestigious NI Young Musician competition which allowed her to give a solo recital at the Charles
Wood festival and perform in a Masterclass to renowned British violinist Tasmin Little. In 2022,
Julie gained a place on the Ulster Orchestra’s Professional Experience Scheme. As a freelance
player she has been invited back frequently to perform with the Ulster Orchestra including joining
them on their tour to France to perform in the Berlioz Festival. Last year Julie joined the Orchestra
in their performance of Dvorak’s 7th Symphony at the BBC Proms. Julie also plays professionally
with numerous orchestras and ensembles around the UK as a freelance player.
In 2019 Julie was awarded a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain where she was
selected to perform at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Since then, Julie has been invited
back as Assistant tutor and workshop leader to facilitate sessions with the musicians of the NYO
and the NYO Inspire programme. This year Julie will be joining the London Symphony Orchestra
to assist in facilitating sessions on the LSO Discovery programme which brings music to a wide
range of settings around the UK. Julie has also worked as an teacher and workshop leader in
collaborative projects with the Ulster Youth Orchestra and the Royal College of Music.

Ilin Iliev, a London-based multi-instrumentalist, has been immersed in music since birth. As the grandson of one of the founders of the Opera House in his hometown, his early years were spent surrounded by instruments and the vibrant world of music. With over 15 years of professional experience, Ilin has toured extensively as a singer and instrumentalist across the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Eastern Europe. A graduate with distinction in classical guitar and recently completing a master's in vocals, he blends genres like jazz, funk, pop, and rock, utilizing rich improvisational techniques to craft engaging and entertaining arrangements. Currently focused on production, performing and teaching, Ilin continues to explore his artistic potential, evolving both as a musician and individual.

A pianist and composer, Parvis Hejazi is known as a “rising star on the piano sky” (ARD), and “a poet and virtuoso at the piano” (Christopher Axworthy).

Parvis has performed in over 25 countries, in Europe, the Middle East and the US; notable venues include the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Gnessin Institute Moscow, Federal Chancellery Berlin, Die Glocke Bremen and the Wiener Saal at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

In 2021, Parvis won the Grand Prix of the International PianoArt Competition in Kiev. He also was awarded the first prize and special prize of the International Piano Competition Gagny in 2017 and won first prizes in various national and international competitions in Germany.

Parvis has received extensive media coverage by main German TV and radio stations such as ARD as well as in foreign and domestic print media. Born in 1999, Parvis studied piano and composition at the Junior Department of the University of the Arts Bremen. He received crucial influence from working with world leading pianists such as Norma Fisher, Jerome Lowenthal, Vanessa Latarche, Stephen Hough, Jerome Rose, Anatol Ugorski, Igor Levit and Lars Vogt.

He is currently pursuing a Master of Music, studying with Norma Fisher and Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music in London with a Music Talks Scholarship, as well as grants from the prestigious Evangelisches Studienwerk (Villigst), the Hollweg Foundation and the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. Parvis has been admitted to the highly competitive Artist Diploma programme at the College, again as Scholar. Parvis is a Member of the Keyboard Charitable Trust as well as of Talent Unlimited UK.