About the adjudicators
Jonathan Rea
studied music at Cambridge University where he studied piano with Peter Pettinger, sang in the University Chamber Choir, achieved choral and instrumental awards and won the Rima Alamuddin prize for piano performance.
Following 10 years as Director of Music in Bangor Grammar School, his career broadened, encompassing conducting, producing, writing, composing, arranging and accompanying for the BBC, Belfast City Council and various other bodies, including Songs of Praise and the Belfast Choir for Children in Need.
He is Chief Executive and Creative Director of New Irish Arts and is increasingly in demand as a writer and speaker, contributing to programmes such as Prayer for the Day and Morning Service, Radio 4.
In 2020, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Jonathan was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Music in Northern Ireland.
As an Adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals, he finds it immensely satisfying to play a part in helping performers young and old, to pursue their musical potential.
Andrew Sherwood
performs in many parts of the world both as conductor and violinist. He is a professor of violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, is a former Director of Brighton Youth Orchestra and is now Conductor Laureate for Brighton and East Sussex Youth Orchestra.
After growing up in Africa, Andrew studied at the Royal College of Music. He then played in various British orchestras and led the orchestra for Ballet Rambert. He is the founding Conductor of Musicians of All Saints and has worked with many international Orchestras including those in Hong Kong, Chile, Zimbabwe, Brighton Youth Orchestra, Somerset County Youth Orchestra, Trinity Laban Conservatoire Orchestra and is principal conductor for European Youth Summer Music.
He has composed music for arts films, has released a CD of popular violin solos and plans to record more works by neglected composers.
In 2019, Andrew was given the Outstanding Contribution to Arts award by Brighton and Hove Arts Council.
Andrew is an Adjudicator and Fellow of the British and International Federation of Festivals.
Timothy McCarthy
studied Speech and Drama at the Cork School of Music and the National University of Ireland. He holds the Post Graduate Certificate in Adjudicating.
He is a member of the examiners panel in Speech, Drama and Communication at Trinity College London and runs his own Speech and Drama studio, teaching all aspects of the subject. He has conducted Teacher training Courses in Speech and Drama in Cork, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo. He has led a number of workshops for English Teachers in Bangkok, Malacca and Sri Lanka, has given training courses for Church Ministers and for 10 years, directed an adult Drama Company specialising in One Act Play productions.
Timothy has a vast experience of adjudicating both nationally and internationally. He is an Adjudicator member, Adjudicators’ Vice President and former Vice Chair of the British and International Federation of Festivals and has been awarded a Federation of Festivals Fellowship.
Les Lambert
has been teaching Scottish country dancing for 30 years both in his own Glasgow branch and in local affiliated classes and groups. He has established a programme of teaching within Glasgow Primary Education, involving organising a rota of dance teachers working in local Primary schools.
He has been involved in Dance festivals for many years, initially as a performer and subsequently as a tutor. He is an RSCDS Adjudicator and an assessor for St. Andrew’s Summer School.
As a result of teaching for fifteen years in St. Andrew’s, he has been invited to teach throughout the UK, in Italy, France. Germany and the USA.
