Shinobu Miki, chamber musician, recitalist and instrumental instructor in clarinet and saxophone, was born in Japan and finished her formal education at New England Conservatory in Boston. Now resident in Scotland, she has had a distinguished and varied career as performer, teacher and music administrator, including the production of commercially released CDs.

During her time in Boston, Shinobu was closely involved in recitals and recordings of the works of John Cage and John Zone and performed with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Since relocating to Scotland, she has taken a particular pleasure in fostering musical and cultural exchange between Scotland and Japan, including accompanying regular visits to Japan with a Scottish school Pipe Band as interpreter, presenter and cultural ambassador. On these visits, she organises visits to Japanese schools and appearances at festivals and public events. As part of her present employment she also gives administrative support to that Pipe Band in the domestic competitive field.

In addition to her activity as an instrumental instructor both privately and at schools in Edinburgh, Shinobu has also led early-years musical play classes for mothers and toddlers through Jack and Jill – Music Fun for Tots.

With a distinguished academic background at Toho Music College in Japan and New England Conservatory in Boston from which she graduated with Bachelor of Music degree, fluent in both English and Japanese and deeply familiar with the customs and musical traditions of each nation, Shinobu brings a unique ability to bridge cultures through music, communication and shared artistic experience.

Calum Robertson is a Scottish clarinettist, organist, and choral conductor. A former Live Music Now Scotland artist and graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he has established a diverse career as a performer and educator.

Calum freelances with orchestras including The Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is Assistant Director of Music at Old Saint Paul’s Church in Edinburgh and has been the director of the Edinburgh University Singers since 2018. He is a past president of The Edinburgh Society of Organists and is conductor of The Sacred Arts Festival Singers setup to perform specialist programmes in the Edinburgh Festival of Sacred Arts.

He has been involved in commissioning works including Reed Talk by Rory Boyle and Kneeling by Claire McCue. Calum is a member of the wind quintet Sirocco Winds, who have performed throughout Scotland and northern England. He is also part of The White Rose Ensemble with soprano Sally Carr whose aim is to explore the repertoire for soprano and clarinet in particular Scottish classical music.

Sharron started playing the harp at the age of ten in her native Wales, she has pursued a diverse and varied career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in recitals both on the concert platform, recording and for radio broadcasts. Sharron works regularly with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Sharron is a keen soloist and chamber musician, having appeared as soloist with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the National Girls Choir of Scotland.

She is a member of the innovative Bardic Trio (with Tenor Jamie MacDougall & Guitarist, Matthew McAllister) and the Clyde Duo with Flautist Yvonne Robertson, performing in recitals across the country, including at the St Magnus Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Lammermuir Festival, Sound festival, and Celtic Connections. Sharron is a Lecturer of Pedal Harp at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland senior and junior departments, harp teacher at St Andrews University, St Mary’s Music School and Douglas Academy and a regular harp tutor for the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland.

www.sharrongriffiths.co.uk

Originally hailing from the Shetland Islands, Sophie draws influence from her traditional roots while harbouring a passion for contemporary music: everything from Berio to Bowie. In castles or concert halls, garden ceremonies or yoga studios, Sophie’s mission remains the same: to showcase the harp in every genre and make music accessible to all.

Since 2020, as a Live Music Now Scotland artist, Sophie has developed a specialism in working with children with additional support needs and the elderly living with dementia.

She is founder of the concert series Music At The Green in Glasgow’s West End, which over the past five years has hosted almost 60 performances, showcasing local talent and providing music in the heart of the community.

A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Sophie’s career highlights include solo features on BBC Radio 3, being named a UK Harp Association Emerging Artist, and performing at venues including The Usher Hall and the National Galleries of Scotland. Her show, Notes from Shetland to Shanghai, has toured globally from the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in Canada to the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival as part of the Made In Scotland showcase.

Last year, Sophie released her debut solo EP, This Illusionment on the Eleven Kinds label: a celebration of new music showcasing everything Sophie loves about the harp.

Outside of music, you can find Sophie hiding in the Glasgow Film Theatre or training for her next running race ─ next up this year is the San Sebastian Marathon!

Estonian pianist Liivi Arder studied at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre under Toivo Nahkur and Nata-Ly Sakkos. In 2010 she completed the Advanced Accompaniment Course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under Fali Pavri and later received the Sam Hutchings Fellowship award. She has taken part in several competitions winning first prize in the Valentino Bucchi Competition in Rome, third prize in the chamber music category of the 11th Pietro Argento Music Competition in Gioia del Colle, the Estonian National Television prize in their Con Brio competition, and has also been awarded the Hester Dickson accompanist prize.

As an accompanist Liivi has been working for music summer courses and masterclasses at the RCS as well as with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She has given chamber music concerts with Peter Wesley and Kai Kim, and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Glasgow West End Festival with the ensemble Daniel’s Beard.

Liivi is currently an accompanist and coach at the RCS String Department and Junior Conservatoire of Scotland and a member of the Da Vinci Piano Trio.

Liivi comes from a musical family. Her mother, a medical doctor, played the piano. Her musical journey began at a young age; her kindergarden music teacher was among her earliest influences. There was a piano in the family home, and she just wanted to be able to play the instrument.

Toni James was one of few state-educated teenagers to have reached the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, and (the youngest ever competitor) the semi-final at the International Emmanuel Durlet Piano Competition in Antwerp, Belgium.

Collaborators have included violinist Rachel Barton Pine, pianist Jeremy Denk, the Maxwell String Quartet, and composers Augusta Read Thomas, Billy Childs and Scotland-based Graham Hair.

She has performed throughout the US, Canada, UK and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater, Jordan Hall, Rolston Recital Hall, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Bing Concert Hall and Copley Symphony Hall, and as soloist and chamber musician at international festivals including Banff, Heifetz, Mainly Mozart and La Jolla.

She was formerly pianist for the Grammy-nominated Neave Trio, the first-ever Fisch/Axelrod Trio-in-Residence at San Diego State University, whose 2014 Rockport Festival debut earned comparisons with the Beaux Arts Trio. Described as “a chamber music pianist of the highest calibre” by MusicWeb International, she earned the reviewer’s “recording of the month” award and a place on Fanfare Magazine’s 2014 “Want List.”

Appointed Professor at the School of Music and Dance, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at San Diego State University at 29, she received the University’s Exceptional Service Award in 2018.

Also recognised for senior roles in arts charities (including Music in Action, CREATE Paisley and Jersey Opera House), in 2026 she became the first Executive Director of Sound Waves and its programmes Mendelssohn on Mull Festival and Mull Music Makers.

Lauryna Sableviciute is a Lithuanian-born pianist dedicated to expressive playing, stylistic versatility and unwavering dedication to both classical and contemporary music.

She began performing publicly at a young age, winning numerous national and international prizes, including awards from Lithuania and the Czech Republic and performing Vainiunasʼs Piano Concerto no.2 and later Tchaikovskyʼs Piano Concerto no.1 with the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra at Philharmonic Hall in Vilnius.

After graduating from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 1998, Lauryna moved to Scotland where she continued to shape her artistic voice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, completing her Master of Music in Performance in 2003 under Professor Fali Pavri.

Since then, she has followed an international career as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist. While her musical foundation lies in Baroque, Classical and Romantic repertoire, Lauryna has a particular passion for contemporary music. She is deeply committed to bringing new works to life and given numerous premieres by composers such as Ennio Morricone, Eduardo Miranda, Feliksas Bajoras, Raminta Serksnyte, Stephen Davismoon, Sadie Harrison, Camden Reeves , Graham Lynch, Alan Williams, and Marc Yeats among many others.

Beyond performing, Lauryna believes in transformative power of music and engages in outreach projects with organisations such as the BBC and Buxton Festival. She regularly works with leading orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, Hallé and Opera North.

Lauryna holds positions as a piano tutor and Staff Pianist at the Royal Northern College of Music, Chethamʼs School of Music and the University of Manchester.

Pianist Kerry Yong recorded works by Cornelius Cardew and other pieces with Scottish Voices in 2015. Kerry is a musician who lives in east London. He trained as a pianist and now also performs on keyboards and live electronics.

Kerry has performed at Audiograft, Chisenhale Arts Club, Kämmer Klang, Rational Rec, Borealis Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, ISCM World Music Days, Kings Place, City of London Festival, Music We’d Like To Hear, Nonclassical and in groups Apartment House, ELISION, Plus-Minus Ensemble and Ensemble Offspring.

Kerry studied piano with Stephanie McCallum at the University of Sydney (where he also studied composition) and at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He completed a doctorate at the Royal College of Music where he studied piano with Andrew Ball and researched Performance practices of music for piano with electroacoustics. He has also dabbled with the other side, playing with bands Apopalyptics, Casiokids and Half-handed Cloud and the Welcome Wagon.