MusicZone

Sarah is responsible for managing SoundWave operations, which involves running the organisation on a daily basis and line managing the SoundWave team. Sarah joins SoundWave from a varied career in further education, business management and business development in both private and public sectors.

In addition to managing Community Learning and Business Development Departments both in London and Carlisle, Sarah has also successfully developed and delivered training programmes for NVQ assessors and verifiers. Sarah’s business management experience is extensive and covered a variety of sectors including:

• Retail management
• Assessment Centre management (FE training)
• Enterprise Centre management (FE community learning)
• Business Development Unit management (FE & private sector)
• Clinic management (private healthcare)

Chris is a regional authority on Javanese Gamelan, having studied for 3 years in Indonesia and subsequently setting up the Czech Gamelan Association in Prague and working in the UK as a gamelan tutor for the Halle Orchestra. Passionate about all forms of tuned and untuned percussion, and with a particular interest in non‐Western and fusion styles of music, he has led the Egremont Community Gamelan to a ground‐breaking collaboration with the famous ‘Musical Stones of Skiddaw’, a lithophone (stone instrument) housed at Keswick Museum, touring the resulting piece ‘The Musical Stonemason’ to venues as diverse as the Sage Gateshead, London’s South Bank Centre and Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.


Sarah Wall – Co-head of Programming 

As a professional mezzo‐soprano, Sarah comes from a diverse performance background. Beginning her training with the St Cecilia Singers in Suffolk, Sarah appeared regularly as a soloist with the St Edmundbury Bach Choir before going on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music graduating with First Class honours from the University of Manchester. She went on to sing with the NBR New Zealand Opera chorus for 3 years and appeared regularly as a freelance artist for Opera Factory and arts organisations around the country. During this time, she built a solid reputation as a voice education professional, working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and abilities. Dedicated to developing a thorough understanding of vocal pedagogy, Sarah studied with Dr Te Oti Rakena of the University of Auckland and also benefitted from master classes with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Stade. Since returning to the UK, Sarah is continuing to build regular performance opportunities and is thrilled to work with SoundWave on a contract which supports her passion for developing singing with young people.

Dave Roberts – Programme Leader

Dave was the lead singer and guitarist of popular Cumbrian band J39 who toured extensively in the UK in the late 90s following a record deal in the US. David re‐trained with SoundWave and The Sage Gateshead over an 18‐month period of traineeship / apprenticeship to become a highly‐respected local community musician, and he leads much of the YMAZ programme in west Cumbria, especially percussion groups and working with young bands. Accomplished on many instruments, his most recent  professional work is in music production, 3‐D sound and new media.