Meet the people behind the BIF team
Our Team
Michael Williams
Chief Executive Officer
Michael started his opera career working as an Assistant Director for New Sadler’s Wells Opera in London, touring productions throughout the UK. He returned to South Africa and worked for Cape Town Opera for the next twenty years as head of Outreach, opera director, General Manager and finally as Managing Director. He is the author of several novels, plays, musicals and opera libretti. He moved to Buxton in 2018 with his wife, Ettie, and loves walking in the High Peak.
Adrian Kelly
Artistic Director
Following his studies at the University of Cambridge, English conductor Adrian Kelly became a member of the Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and was then a coach at the Hamburg State Opera. From 2010 to 2017 he was first Kapellmeister at the Salzburg State Theatre, working regularly with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. In June 2018, he was appointed Artistic Director of Buxton International Festival. As part of his first season he conducted a new production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
Iwan Davies
Head of Music
Iwan Davies trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio in London. He was a staff conductor at the Salzburger Landestheater, where he conducted repertoire ranging from Rossini to Philip Glass. Other recent work includes conducting La bohème and The Golden Cockerel (Rimsky-Korsakov) for English Touring Opera, and a recording of Gareth Glyn's Un Nos Ola Leuad with the orchestra of Welsh National Opera. At Buxton he conducted Donizetti's Viva La Diva and was Music Director for Viardot's Cendrillon.
Vicky Dawson
Book Festival Director
Vicky Dawson has worked in bookshops from the south coast of England to Moray in the North-East of Scotland. She was a store manager for both the Waterstones and Ottakar’s book chains and was a partner in two independent bookshops until 2018 when she relocated to Derbyshire. Combined with her role as Book Festival Director at Buxton International Festival, Vicky also works as a bookseller at Scarthin Books in Cromford and is a Trustee of Cromford Mills and the Arkwright Society.
Neil Hughes
Jazz Director
Neil has programmed jazz for over twenty years, first with his own business The Cinnamon Club in Altrincham, and then for four years at Southport Jazz Festival. Neil is a writer with his first novel published in 2022 under his pen name Sam Emony, and he is currently working on a TV Drama. A wild swimmer, skier, snowboarder and walker, you will find Neil in the Lancashire hills most days. He is enjoying discovering the hills and rivers around the Peak District.
Jacky Wershbale
Development Director
Jacky began fundraising for the Festival in early 2023 following a 25 -year career as a fundraiser for various national and international charities based in Washington, DC. Her work has included raising funds for a Washington-area arts organization which fed her passion for music and literature. Jacky returned to the UK in 2022 to be closer to her family and is enjoying exploring the Peak District with local birdwatching groups as well as hiking with friends and family.
Harriet Grubb
Marketing and Communications Director
Harriet has been a friend and advocate of the Festival for many years. She comes from a journalistic background and moved to Buxton in 2011 when parts of the BBC relocated to Salford. Aside from journalism, she has experience in communications in the travel and tourism industry. Having been brought up in the countryside she feels very much at home in the Peak District. In her spare time she enjoys swimming and exploring the stunning scenery on her doorstep by foot and bike.
Jen Jones
Digital Marketing Manager
Jen joined the Festival in October 2022 and has been working in digital marketing for over 13 years. Following studying Tourism Management and graduating in 2012, Jen co-founded Explore Buxton in 2013. After living in Nottingham for 12 years, she enjoys taking in the fresh air of the Peak District and living back in her home town. In her spare time, Jen enjoys live music, travelling and volunteering at the local cat sanctuary.
Helen Goodman
Artistic Manager
Helen trained as a dramaturg at Bretton Hall, is a qualified Drama teacher and has an MA from Rose Bruford College in Ensemble Theatre. She brings significant experience as an independent producer in both theatre and dance, alongside work within sector and talent development. She also works as Talent Development Associate for Manchester Jazz Festival. She lives in Buxton with her family and is Co-Chair of Burbage Primary School Governing Board.
Lee Barnes
Administrator
Lee is the Administrator of Buxton International Festival. Lee has also served as a Trustee of the Friends of Buxton Festival Board and continues to work closely with our Friends group and knows many of our members personally. When time allows Lee enjoys travelling and seeing other opera productions in the UK and further afield.
Kate Gedge
Press Officer
Kate has over 30 year experience working in classical music PR having started out in-house with celebrated agents, Harrison Parrott. She’s worked for the very best in the music industry promoting festivals, choral and instrumental ensembles, symphony orchestras, leaders in music education and individual artists. Whilst her specialisation is classical music, she sometimes works off-piste too including with author and illustrator Quentin Blake, the world's only female Araash sculptor, Muirne Kate Dineen, and Antarctic explorer, Felicity Aston. In her spare time, Kate enjoys walking at home in the Brecon Beacons with her two lurchers.
Bella Hardy
Kaleidoscope Choir Leader
From Edale in the Peak District, Bella Hardy is a highly acclaimed singer and songwriter, with a deep connection to traditional folk music and a talent for storytelling. Known for her captivating voice and poignant lyrics, Hardy has released several award winning albums, and was named BBC Folk Singer of the Year 2014. She has a passion for group singing and harmonies, and leads numerous residentials and choirs, whilst continuing to enchant audiences with her soul-stirring performances.
Colin Holliday
Finance Manager
Colin Holliday has worked in finance since leaving school for varying SME’s. Beginning with an accounts apprenticeship as an Accounts Assistant, he has progressed to various roles including Finance Manager, Director and Business Partner. He still retains a love for preparing figures and interpreting data which allows stakeholders to make effective decisions about an organisation's future. He lives in Chester with his wife, 3 daughters and 3 cats. In his spare time he volunteers to help coach his youngest daughters football team, AFC Waverton Jaguars.
Nia Edwards
Front of House Manager
Having interned for BIF previously, I am delighted to be returning as Front of House Manager for the Festival's 2024 season! I made many friends amongst us interns, volunteers, BIF staff, performers, and audiences last year which I'm extremely fond of, and I'm thankful for this opportunity to continue fostering those relationships. I look forward to creating a welcoming, vibrant, environment for audiences, both returning and new alike, to have enriching experiences at this year's festival.
Joe Clarkson
Head of Learning and Participation
Joe is a musician, educator and administrator. He studied undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in French horn at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has led education workshops in Manchester, Bradford, Jersey and Cumbria and enjoys promoting brass instruments and lesser-known works. Joe has performed in Iceland, Jersey, Boston, Dublin, Italy, Spain and New York. In 2024, he performed as off-stage horn in the festival’s production of Verdi’s Ernani. In his spare time, Joe enjoys cars, coffee and very amateur DIY.
James Fairclough
Marketing & Data Officer
James began his career writing television formats for Simon Cowell at Syco Television. He left this industry when it became clear that the opportunities for storytelling in technology were too exciting to ignore. The emergence of the iPad made this dream possible, and James has spent the last ten years working in the interactive book field. After releasing the multi-award winning iPad app The Mozart Project, with Harry Farnham, he co-created the interactive book, The Night Manager: The Insider’s Guide, which accompanied the AMC/BBC TV series to the John le Carré book. He was the Keynote Speaker at the Digital Book World Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in 2015. In 2019 James moved to Buxton for the hills and he can be found walking most days.The BIF Board
Felicity Goodey CBE DL
Chair
Felicity Goodey led the team which created Mediacity:uk, the project which has relocated much of the BBC from London to the North of England ,to create a globally significant media hub. Her career began as a journalist with the BBC becoming a senior correspondent specialising in industry and politics. She went on to develop a business career before leading a major Lottery project which built and established ‘The Lowry’, the £127 million-pound international theatre and arts complex Salford Quays. She gave up broadcasting to help found the Northwest Regional Development Agency and was asked by Salford City Council to set up and lead the UKs largest Urban Regeneration Company, Central Salford, securing more than £2.5 billion of private sector investment in just 5 years. She was awarded the CBE for services to regeneration and the arts.
Emily Gottlieb
Emily has been Chief Executive of the National Opera Studio since 2015. Prior to this, she spent 15 years with the Royal Opera House. She was the first Consortium-supported Performing Arts Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme in 2012-13. She has worked in leading opera companies around the world, as stage designer, company manager or stage manager, including Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Victoria State Opera, European Union Opera and Grange Park Opera. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts and a relational dynamics coach.
Julian Glover OBE
Julian is Associate Editor of the London Evening Standard. He is a writer, journalist and author of the bestselling biography Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain. Julian has worked as leader writer and columnist at the Guardian and as a Special Adviser in Number 10 and the Department for Transport. He chaired the Landscapes Reviews for the Government into the future of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Beauty in England.
Michael J Harper
Michael Harper is an internationally renowned countertenor. He has sung opera and concerts throughout Europe, the USA and China. He teaches and gives master classes across Europe and the US and has recently accepted a position as Principal study tutor in the school of vocal studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is a Patron of the National Opera Studio’s Diverse voices programme, works with choirs across Britain and teaches at his studios in London, Oslo and Bristol.
Annie Lydford
Annie is the Chief Executive of at Academy of St Martin in the Fields. She joined the Academy from Nevill Holt Opera, where she was Managing Director for three years.. She is the former Director of Marketing and Communications for the Creative Industries Federation and Head of Communications at English National Opera having previously worked at Warner Bros. Records. She is a trustee of SWAP'ra, the organisation supporting women and parents in opera. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and at Cambridge University, and has since completed an MBA with the Open University. As an organist, Annie has performed internationally and on BBC Radio 3.
Diane Banks
Diane is Chief Executive of London-based talent agency Northbank Talent Management, managing the careers of authors, broadcasters, speakers and influencers. She founded the agency in 2018 following a 20-year career as a book publisher and then literary agent. Diane has extensive arts fundraising and policy experience, having held board or advisory positions with the Conservative Arts & Creative Industries Network, the Finborough Theatre, The Brixton House Theatre, the Eden Valley Museum and two Westminster think tanks, Bright Blue and The Entrepreneurs’ Network.
Richard Eastwood
Richard has a background as a Consulting Engineer, successfully running a firm of 120 people. He represented his profession both as a senior officer for some 25 years and visiting internationally in this role. Richard is a retired charity trustee of seven charities which kept him busy for more than 30 years. Richard has a passion for classical music, literature and jazz and attends many events at BIF every year. He also proudly holds a Level 3 qualification in Food Handling, Catering and Hospitality.
Mark Sutherland
Mark is a career civil servant based in Sheffield leading on major project management capability in the Cabinet Office. Prior to that he spent 19 years working in the Department for Work and Pensions on various projects and programmes. He is a Chartered Project Professional with the Association for Project Management. Mark is also a Trustee of Music in the Round. He was previously Vice-Chair of Classical Sheffield and a member of the BBC Trust’s Yorkshire Audience Council.
Careane Wallace LLB ACA
Chair of Audit & Risk Committee
Careane is an accountant with extensive audit experience. She runs two successful practises serving small to medium sized clients in London, both of which she started, and one of which has more than 187 clients from the arts world Services include consultancy, accountancy and tax planning. She has a number of years’ experience auditing various charities with turnovers well in excess of £1.5 million together with sizable listed companies. She is a chartered accountant and has a law degree.
Simon Haslam
Simon was born and bred in Derbyshire, and now lives outside Matlock. He first performed at the Pavilion Arts Centre in the 1970s as a member of the Derbyshire Youth Orchestra, and has been involved with music ever since. Simon was chair of the internationally acclaimed orchestra the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for five years, and is a trustee of three other charities. Professionally, Simon is an accountant – having been a partner with Deloitte, before a twenty five year career at Fidelity in a variety of senior roles. Now retired, he pursues a range of interests across classical music and opera, rugby and leading his young grandchildren astray.
Rebecca Anderson
Associate Board Member
Rebecca is a recent graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and has worked as a freelance singer and conductor for several years. Rebecca is also a Project Manager for the National Youth Choir and since 2018, she has been a proud ‘Boobette’ Ambassador for breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel!
Bradley Travis
Associate Board Member
Bradley is the Head of Learning & Participation at English Touring Opera, leading and curating their work with and for communities around the country. Including commissioning, directing and writing new operas for children; devising and leading workshops. Having studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM), he is also an opera singer and has performed major roles for several UK companies.