Alfie Pugh

Alfie is an award-winning composer and arranger, holding a first class degree in Music from Bath Spa University. In 2011 he won the Charities Philharmonia Young Composers competition, with his piece for symphony Orchestra Vasilisa - The Beautiful, which was subsequently performed and recorded at St. John's, Smith Square. His piece for Wind Orchestra Trans-Siberian Railway won the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London's Composition Competition in 2014.

Alfie has also enjoyed success working on the preservation of the music of Barry Gray, notably for a new soundtrack CD of the music from Thunderbirds, which reached number 1 in the Japanese classical charts. He has some solo piano arrangements of this music published, on sale through Barry Gray.

His symphonic composition 'Exeter Cityscapes', written to mark Exeter Music Group Symphony Orchestra's 50th anniversary in 2017 was received with critical acclaim at its premiere in Exeter Cathedral.

Alfie works as a freelance musician in Exeter, dividing his time between writing, teaching piano, drums and bassoon, performing and musical direction. He particularly enjoys creating works for woodwind, and many of his compositions and arrangements are published by Wonderful Winds. 

Alyse Faith

Australian flautist, Alyse Faith is an exciting and versatile performer. She is a prizewinner of several competitions in Australia and abroad. Alyse was the winner of the Leslie Barklamb Flute Competition in 2018 and the winner of The Flutes in Tuscany Young Artist Award in 2019. She was Commended in the Royal Academy of Music J & J Brough Flute Prize 2019-20.

Alyse is in her final year of a Master of Arts in Performance degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, under renowned teachers William Bennett, Michael Cox and Patricia Morris. Her studies at the Academy are generously supported by the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and the PPCA Performers’ Trust Foundation.

Alyse has performed with the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Academy Opera Orchestra, University of London Symphony Orchestra and the Academy Manson Ensemble. She also performed as principal flute on tour in China with the orchestra of the Australian International Opera Company.

Anna Cooper

Anna studied at Chetham's School of Music, and continued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with James Brown and Jane Marshall. Shortly after leaving Guildhall, Anna was appointed Principal Cor Anglais with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1998 Anna left the RLPO to pursue a freelance career, and has since played with many of the UK's orchestras, including a season with Opera North, and regular playing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northern Chamber Orchestra, and the RLPO.

Anna's other passion is arranging wind ensemble music, particularly for double reed groups of all abilities. In 2010 she co-founded Wonderful Winds, and her double reed arrangements have been used by the British Double Reed Society, the LSO Education Department, the Big Double Reed Day, the National Youth Orchestra oboe section and Birmingham Music Service, among others. Anna also teaches Cor Anglais reed making and coaches chamber music.

Catriona McDermid

Catriona leads a varied career as a modern and period instrument bassoonist, educator and arranger. She received first-class degrees for both her undergraduate degree at University of Oxford and Masters degree at Royal College of Music and has since built up a busy freelance career. Orchestrally she has performed as guest principal with ensembles such as London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and with period ensembles including Florilegium and Armonico Consort. As a soloist Catriona has given several concerto performances, performed solo recitals across the UK and is a previous recital artist for Countess of Munster Musical Trust and Handel House. In 2018 she premiered a new commission for bassoon and string quartet, Toby Young’s Creation of Electricity performing with Navarra string quartet.

Cameron Cullen

Born in Chester and raised in the Lake District, Cameron showed an aptitude for the flute, aged 10. He subsequently obtained his Bachelor of Music degree with honours at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama having been inspired during those four years by his mentor Roger Armstrong. He went on to work in the Music department of Wells Cathedral School in Somerset, where he first heard about Wonderful Winds, and played many arrangements with pupils and adults alike. He is now pursuing his Master’s degree in flute performance at the Yale School of Music, under the guidance of Professor Ransom Wilson.ctricity performing with Navarra string quartet.

Catriona is a passionate chamber musician; she is a member of baroque ensemble Convivio, and also of wind quintet Magnard Ensemble for whom she regularly arranges. Magnard Ensemble have performed in venues including Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Culture & Convention Centre Lucerne, Switzerland and have been artists for Tillett Trust, Tunnell Trust and Making Music UK. They have released three discs, two discs of Stephen Dodgson’s woodwind chamber music on Toccata Classics and their debut disc with Orchid Classics entitled Revolting Rhymes and Marvellous Music, receiving a four star BBC Music Magazine review. Her arrangements for this ensemble have been published by Alry Publications and Wonderful Winds. Catriona also strongly believes in the importance of education and community work; she tutors for National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain and regularly works on and leads a whole variety of projects, with organisations such as Worshipful Company of Musicians, Sinfonia Cymru, Wigmore Hall and Magnard Ensemble.

Elizabeth Walker

Elizabeth studied a complete range of flutes whilst a junior at the Royal College of Music, (where she was awarded the Sally Wainwright woodwind prize in 1985), at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague. She studied renaissance flute with Nancy Hadden, baroque and eight- keyed classical flute with Stephen Preston and Wilbert Hazelzet, modern flute with Kathryn Lukas and Margaret Ogonovsky and recorder with Philip Pickett and Ricardo Kanji.

Elizabeth has recorded and performed with a number of period orchestras including the English Baroque Soloists, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and the Classical Opera Company. She is principal flute for Armonico, with whom she has performed The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville and most recently, Verdi's Requiem.

Elizabeth was a guest performer in the 2010 and 2012 British Flute Conventions, performing a baroque programme on modern flute and on her original Louis Lot flute from 1859.

She currently teaches flute and recorder at Wells Cathedral School and is a regular examiner of graduate and postgraduate baroque flute and recorder students at the Guildhall, RCM and Birmingham Conservatoire.

Elizabeth also plays in the group "Continuum", with whom she has recorded the Bach Flute Sonatas to critical acclaim, and the flute quartet Festive Flutes.

Her two books, published by Wonderful Winds, Baroque Flute Studies and Baroque Studies for Modern Flute both won "Best Flute Method" in the NFA Newly Published Music Competition in successive years.www.lizwalker.co.uk

Katherine Bryan

Katherine Bryan made her concerto debut at the age of 15 with the orchestra of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. She has since performed as soloist with orchestras around the world. Katherine's debut solo recording of concertos was released to great acclaim in 2010. She was nominated for an International Classical Music Award in 2011. Further to this success, Katherine recorded another disc of concertos, which includes the first British recording of the concerto by Christopher Rouse. Her third album, 'Silver Bow', a collection of violin transcriptions for flute and orchestra, was released in September 2015. Her latest recording of Opera transcriptions ‘Silver Voice’, recorded for Chandos Records, was released in 2017.

Katherine won a full scholarship to study flute at the Juilliard School, New York. She was also a prize winner at the Royal Overseas League Competition in London, the Young Concert Artists Competition in New York and was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year for three consecutive competitions. She was awarded the Julius Isserlis Scholarship by the Royal Philharmonic Society. Katherine is Principal Flautist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, a position she has held since she was just 21. She has played as Guest Principal flute with orchestras throughout the UK and across the world.

She is in great demand as a teacher, and tutors for both the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and Great Britain, as well as running her own International Flute Course. Katherine has performed live on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and BBC television. In 2019, she was named by the BBC Music Magazine as one of the top 6 international flute players of all time.

Nick White

Nick studied at Chetham's School of Music, Worcester College Oxford, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he had clarinet lessons with Thea King, Roy Jowitt and Colin Lawson.

He has had a varied career having played with a diverse range of groups including Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra, The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Zippo's Circus Band and the Fabulous Good Time Party Boys.

His recent work has included playing Lead Alto Sax with the Charleston Chasers and Principal Clarinet with the Ten Tors Orchestra. He has also worked extensively as an arranger and teacher and currently holds the post of clarinet and saxophone teacher at Exeter University.

Since 2015 Nick has played clarinet and saxes with the Big Chris Barber Band.

Sandi Skipper

Sandi studied flute at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama alongside Mel Orriss (publisher) and Jason Carr (composer).

She has played with most of the major orchestras in Britain, including the orchestra of the Royal Opera house, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Concert orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony orchestra, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Sandi has also played regularly in the West End for shows such as Les Misérables, Oliver, The King and I and Mary Poppins, (the latter has one of her favourite flute parts of all time!).

Some of the more unusual performances she has been involved in include Drumming Music by Steve Reich with the acclaimed percussionist Colin Currie and concerts with Festive Flutes performing many of Mel Orriss’ inventive arrangements.

Sandi is principal piccolo and second flute of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, orchestra for Birmingham Royal Ballet. She recently received a medal for 25 years’ service with BRB and hopes to continue there for many more years to come!

Stephen Clark

Recipient of the Sir James Galway Rising Star Award, Stephen Clark enjoys a busy international career having given recital and concerto performances in 127 countries. A winner of several international competitions, he studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Northern College of Music and in Switzerland and America with Sir James Galway.

Stephen made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2018. As an orchestral player, he has worked as Guest Principal flute with orchestras in the United Kingdom, USA, Portugal, Spain and Vietnam. In great demand as a teacher, Stephen has given masterclasses and workshops for flute players around the world. Stephen has released 2 solo albums and in 2015, was endorsed into the Recording Academy of America.

His flute playing can be heard on several movie soundtracks including Kung Fu Panda 3 and Disney’s Mulan (2020). He is author of “The Flute Gym”. Stephen is a Yamaha Artist.

Susan Torke

Susan Bmus (hons) DipRAM ARAM grew up in East Aurora, New York and started playing the flute at the age of 10. Susan attended Interlochen - National Music Camp and was also a scholarship winner to the prestigious Chautauqua Institute. She has studied with Julius Baker, John Wion, Sam Baron, and Judith Mendenhall. She then studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with William Bennett, where she was a Leverhulme Scholar. While at the Royal Academy she won the All Flutes Plus Flute Prize and all the prizes for chamber music with her wind quintet. For the past 25 years, London has been her home.

She lives with her husband, a professional bass player, and their two girls. Susan has created a musical life for herself that includes performing in orchestras, West End Shows, chamber music and teaching. As an orchestral musician, Susan has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera Orchestra, Royal Birmingham Ballet Orchestra, Camber Orchestra of Europe, London Bach Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Ballet Rampart, English Classical Players, Northern Ballet, National Symphony Orchestra and Cantiere International d'Arte- Montepulciano, Italy. Susan has performed in over 15 West End Shows, including Miss Saigon, Oliver!, Les Miserables, Into the Woods and Sunset Boulevard.

Susan is often in demand to "deputise" in shows when the regular flautist is performing elsewhere. There is a possibility of playing 8 shows a week and many times she has played 8 different shows a week, making for a very interesting work schedule! Susan has recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, BBC, both radio and TV and other session work. Susan is also in demand as a chamber musician travelling all over Europe and the Far East. She has performed all the Brandenburg Concerti in Japan, performed with various chamber groups all over Europe, performed with the Emerson String Quartet, performed with Yehudi Menuhin's Live Music Now scheme for 15 years. She has recently been working on a project with the Australian composer, John Carmichael.

As a teacher, Susan has taught students from the age of 7-70. She loves the enthusiasm of working with the youngsters and the challenge of figuring out problems with her older students. Susan teaches privately at home, in a local state school, at a private school and at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. Susan has been awarded the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for her services to music and she is also on the council for the British Flute Society. Not only is Susan passionate about the flute and music, she also loves her garden, drinking coffee with friends and running 5K’s.