MEET THE TEAM
Artistic Director: Professor Vanessa Latarche
After studying at the Royal College of Music and completing her training in the USA and Paris, Vanessa was awarded many scholarships and prizes from international competitions.
Vanessa Latarche’s concert career has taken her to Europe, the USA and the Far East, as well as many festivals within the UK, including Cheltenham, Harrogate and Huddersfield. Her interest in Bach led to a performance of the complete 48 Preludes and Fugues at the Lichfield International Festival in 1992, the performances being given over four consecutive evenings. She has performed as a soloist with international orchestras and those in the UK including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, working with many leading conductors. She is a Steinway Artist.
She has broadcast for over 30 years for BBC Radio 3 and has also broadcast extensively on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4. She has been a juror for international competitions in China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Italy, New Zealand, and Hong Kong and has adjudicated the national keyboard final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, which was broadcast on BBC television. In 2007 she was an advisor to the BBC TV programme ‘Classical Star’.
Vanessa frequently travels to give masterclasses, to such institutions as Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Beijing Central Conservatory, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, Tokyo College of Music, Seoul National University as well as to other UK conservatoires and specialist music schools She is an advisor to Lang Lang’s music school, Lang Lang Music World, in Shenzhen, China, where she formerly held the position of Vice-Chairman.
Since September 2005, Vanessa has been Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, having been previously a professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music for 14 years, where she was made an Honorary Associate in 1997.
A renowned pedagogue, with many international piano competition prize-winners amongst her students, Vanessa was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, for outstanding services to music, an honour conferred on her by HRH Prince of Wales in May 2010. In September 2011, she was granted a Personal Chair at the RCM, which gave her the title of Chair of International Keyboard Studies. In 2017, as an extension to her keyboard faculty work, Vanessa was made the Associate Director for Partnerships in China, which involves managing the RCM’s collaborative work in China, particularly the RCM/SHCM Joint Institute in Shanghai.
Phil Gietzen, General Manager
Whilst studying music at Bangor University Phil was heavily involved in the organisation of various different ensembles and events. It was during this time that he decided to pursue a career in Arts Administration and so in 2013 he started working in the Box Office at Garsington Opera in Buckinghamshire. Over the next 8 years he went on to be the Box Office Manager and, more recently, Operations Manager.
Whilst at Garsington Phil worked closely with the Board of Directors and the Senior Management Team in the planning and application of 8 opera seasons.
As an opera fan Phil loved being involved in world-class productions using some of the best conductors, singers and orchestras in the world, a particular highlight being the 2019 production of The Turn of The Screw.
He relished the opportunity to work with the Learning and Participation department to help deliver various transformational projects most notably the world-premiere of Silver Birch by Roxanna Panufnik involving 180 singers from the local community.
Sarah Coop – Development Director
Dominika Hicks – Marketing Manager
Sarah and her family moved to St Leonard’s on Sea 6 years ago from Belsize Park in North London. Sarah is a professional fundraiser and previously spent 15 years as the Development Director of Artichoke whose huge outdoor art projects were dependent on fundraising, the average project cost was £4m. Previously Sarah worked at Hampstead Theatre, The Roundhouse, The Philharmonia, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Sarah possesses a wide spectrum of fundraising experience across major gift, corporate, statuary, charitable trust and direct mail fundraising.
Dominika has over 16 years experience within the Live Events Industry.
She began her career in marketing working for Live Nation, dealing with artists, agents and tour mangers. She also worked at various music festival as an artist liaison, including 02 Wireless and Download Festival.
She worked locally at the White Rock Theatre and for over six years she marketed live shows at the De La Warr Pavilion. During her time at the Pavilion she organised two very successful classic and custom VW Festivals, Dubs at DLWP, which attracted over 5000 visitors both times.
In London Sarah was a Trustee of Theatre de Complicite, Hofesh Shechter Company, Artichoke Trust and Burgh House. In Hastings she is a Trustee of the Friends of the Conquest Hospital and the Foreshore Trust. Sarah was a a judge for Miss Gilbralta 2013 and was awarded Freedom of the City of London in 2016.
Dominika was also involved in many local events and projects providing online and social media support and has been managing Hastings International Piano Concerto social media for over 6 years.
Angie Watson – Development Manager
Mimi Scott – Friends and Patrons Coordinator
Angie has spent much of her career to date in the travel industry, latterly running her own small specialist tour operator. Her time in the industry cultivated for her organizational skills and also led her to travel the world quite extensively, but with the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic, she sought a change of direction.
After a 25 year career in nursing at the Conquest Hospital, specialising in Child Development, Mimi retired 6 years ago. She sang for many years with the Hastings Philharmonic Choir and the Occassional Consort.
Mimi became involved with HIP when introduced by Richard Wray to the idea of hosting competition contestants, which she thoroughly enjoyed and, since retirement, she has co-ordinated the Friends and Patrons Scheme which gives such valuable support to HIP.
She spent a year working as an administrative supervisor at the Conquest Hospital before starting a new career in charity work. She is now the Deputy General Manager for The Friends of Conquest Hospital charity, and has recently been appointed the additional role of Development Manager for Hastings International Piano. Being a local girl, she is delighted to be involved with the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Sarah Kowitz DL – Chair
Born and educated in London, Sarah worked in journalism as
a reporter and editor before raising a family In New York and then East Sussex. She lived and worked in Asia and America for a number
of years and since returning to the UK has been an active supporter
of not for profit arts, education
and horticulture organisations.
She is a trustee of Hastings Contemporary, Hastings International Piano and the Fairlight Arts Trust, a Patron Governor of Ark Schools and a Founder director of Bridgepoint, Rye. She is a Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex, an Honorary Doctor of the University of East Anglia, and a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Jonathan Marten
Jonathan Marten studied organ, piano and orchestral conducting
at the Royal College of Music.
Prior to spending the past 30 years as a freelance Performer, Examiner and Adjudicator he was Director
of Music of a school in Hastings
and of Choral Societies as well
as Bexhill Parish Church where
he re-established an ‘all male’ choral tradition, formed the St. Peter’s Singers, the Bexhill Festival Choir and in 1969 began a separate girls’ choirs, parallel to the boys’ choir, possibly the first in what has become a trend in UK Parish Churches and Cathedrals.
In 1987 he was chosen by Chichester Cathedral to study the Lutheran Tradition of Church Music and training of organists in Berlin. Whilst there he attended the Berliner Kirkenmusikschule and played in various venues. He has examined throughout the world for the Royal Schools of Music and has also adjudicated piano and other classes in Festivals in the UK and abroad. He has sat on the Jury in Concerto competitions in Hong Kong and Hastings, of which he was the original inspiration for, and planner of, the first Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition in 2005.
Gill Graham
As Group Head of Promotion for the international family of Music Publishers the Wise Music Group, Gill works with today’s leading composers across all genres. Among them are Hans Abrahamsen, John Corigliano, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, John Paul Jones, Nico Muhly, Rachel Portman, Kaija Saariaho, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Joby Talbot and Rufus Wainwright. Her work as a creative producer, bringing composers together with artists in the neighbouring arts, has seeded collaborations with artists such as Martin Creed, Wayne McGregor, Michael Morpurgo, Patrick Ness, The Brothers Quay, Mark Ravenhill, Tal Rosner and Christopher Wheeldon.
Educated at London’s Trinity College of Music, Gill was Executive Director of the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM) from 1997 to 2002. The organisation has worked with the UK’s top orchestras and performing groups, placing new work by emerging British composers at
the heart of the performing agenda. From 1999-2004 she was Vice-President of the International Society for Contemporary Music. Before joining SPNM, she was Head of Performance at the Royal College of Music and, previously, on the staff at Mountview Theatre School. She is an adviser and mentor for the medallists of The Cliburn Piano Competition, a music nominator for the Rolex Arts Initiative, and consults for many not for profit organisations in the U.K. and US. She is on the board of International Contemporary Ensemble in the USA and Pacitti Company, one
of Europe’s leading experimental theatre companies.
Dr Richard Wray DL
Dr Richard Wray trained as a Consultant Cardiologist and General Physician and worked for many years mainly in Hastings and at Kings College Hospital in London. Whilst working he noted how much appropriate music helped those in hospital, and so established the live music programme at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings which became one of the largest in any UK NHS hospital. A particular feature is the Young Musician in Residence programme.
Richard is also a Patron of the Young Classical Artists Trust which prepares young gifted potential international musicians for their future careers. He states that ‘I was asked to join the committee of HIPCC to channel some of my energy and enthusiasm into helping others more expert than myself into building up the competition into a major international event in the musical calendar. My longstanding appointment as one of the Deputy Lieutenants of East Sussex has been very helpful in that regard.
I work with and support the East Sussex Schools Music Service, a remarkable high quality organisation noted particularly for the expertise and dedication of its teachers who go far beyond the call of duty to enthuse young people from an early age.’
Mark Lam
Diahann Brown
Mark is an experienced board director and digital technologist with global experience in both private and public sectors. He is Chair of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest hospital groups in Europe, and a non-executive director on the board of Social Work England, the national regulator. He currently also serves as a non-executive director on a number of business boards, including Games Workshop Group PLC, a FTSE 250 business, and JT Group Limited, one of the main telecoms providers of the Channel Islands.
Diahann has spent the last nine years running The Rhythm Studio Foundation, a west London youth music charity providing music tuition and performance opportunities for underprivileged young people. She passionately believes that music has the potential to transform lives and that it is something that should be accessible to all. With a huge beneficiary area of the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster, she has initiated partnerships with many local schools, community & youth groups as well as major hospitals’ arts charities.
He was previously Chief Technology and Information Officer of Openreach and held senior executive positions at BT Group, Siemens, and Carphone Warehouse. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has had a life-long passion for classical music.
As well as managing collaborations and music projects for young people, she also spearheads the foundation’s fundraising activities, scholarship scheme and events. Under her leadership the charity’s reach has expanded significantly with hundreds of primary school children participating in the Rhythm Studio Foundation’s award-winning Primary Schools Rock & Pop Workshop Programme each year. Working closely as one of the Triborough Music Hub’s delivery partners, the charity is also involved in major musical initiatives such as the recent year-long “Sounds like Hammersmith & Fulham”, a project funded by the Mayor of London’s Cultural Impact Award. Partnerships with major London hospital charities (CW Plus & Imperial Health Charity) also enable access to music for young patients on paediatric wards or specific programmes for outpatients suffering from long-term medical conditions.
One of Diahann’s favourite parts of the job is following the musical and personal journeys of recipients of The Rhythm Studio Foundation scholarship award, from audition to the end of the programme, several years on. These annual scholarships can have such a life-changing impact on a particular young individual and their family.
Diahann was brought up in London and Accra, graduated from The University of Cambridge in 1987 with a BA in Economics and also holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London. In her previous career, Diahann spent several years based in London and Hong Kong as an award-winning senior investment manager, responsible for the assets of charities and institutions. Her background in finance is particularly useful given the requirements of fundraising, the need for financial scrutiny running a charity as well as the development and diversification of its sources of funding. Diahann is passionate about music and the performing arts and is an early patron of The Hastings International Piano Concerto competition. She has a broad music taste, from opera to chamber music, attending festivals such as the Peasmarsh Chamber Music to rock concerts and contemporary music festivals such as Glastonbury and WOMAD.
Patrick Stevens
Jenny Yeo
Patrick originally qualified as an accountant in Norfolk. He spent the majority of his career in private practice in accounting firms in London, the last 17 years as a managing partner and tax specialist partner in one of the Big 4 firms. He then took a retirement job as Tax Policy Director at the Chartered Institute of Taxation (where he had previously been President and Member of the Council). He is also a trustee and treasurer of the think tank, the Resolution Foundation. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Born and educated in Cheshire and I studied in Manchester and London as a Speech Therapist specialising in young children, where music was an important part of their learning.
After moving to Sussex I worked for 25 years for a subsidiary of Pfizer as marketing manager in Europe. On retirement I have been involved in fundraising for local charities. I was very pleased to be asked to join the trustees of HIPCC and hope my local knowledge will help bring more public awareness of the good fortune Hastings and surrounding area has in having HIPCC in our town.
Alistair Keith
Charles Strickland
Alistair Keith was educated at Lancing College and Kings Londom University. He was called to the Bar in 1974 and joined chamber in the Temple. He practiced as a criminal Barrister on the South Eastern circuit. He is also a director and company secretary to Alex Graham Limited which creates the Fred Basset cartoon. Classical music has been a major part of his life and he has recently started to learn to play the piano. During the competition he is part of the volunteers team. He has lived locally, near Bodiam for almost 50 years.
Born in the Old Town of Hastings and since the age of two and a half lived in St.
Leonards. Charles completed a music degree at City University and went into employement
at Glyndebourne Opera as assistant in the General Officetyping daily rehearsal schedules,
sorting singers travel arrangements etc. At the age of 24 he moved on to become their music
librarian for the next three years before going to work for the London Philharmonic Orchestra to
do a similar job and subsequently became the Orchestra Manager.
His next move was to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as General Manager of the
Concert Orchestra. He also took on various other duties including running their tours
department. When their orchestral librarian retired, he filled that vacancy combined
with that of Orchestra Manager with responsibility for the day to day running of the
orchestra, conductors and soloists when on the road, either at home or abroad.
In 2000 he became one of the two Managers of Henry Wood Hall. This is the main
rehearsal venue for the London Orchestras before performing at either the Royal
Festival Hall or the Barbican Centre. It is also a recording venue as it is particularly
suited to solo recordings and is used by many world class soloists, especially pianists.
That said anything from a solo violin to full scale opera and chorus have been
recorded there over the years. He also acts as a freelance music/orchestra librarian to
Birmingham Royal Ballet, Brighton Philharmonic and the Bath Festival Orchestra and various
other orchestras as and when required.
Artistic Director: Professor Vanessa Latarche
General Manager: Phil Gietzen
Development Director: Sarah Coop sarah.coop@hastingsinternationalpiano.org
Board of Trustees: Sarah Kowitz DL (Chair), Jonathan Marten, Dr Richard Wray DL, Gill Graham, Mark Lam, Alistair Keith, Jenny Yeo MBE, Diahann Brown, Patrick Stevens, Charles Strickland
Marketing Manager: Dominika Hicks
Develpment Manager: Angie Watson
Friends and Patrons Coordinator: Mimi Scott
Volunteers Coordinator: Eunice Pugh
Accommodation Coordinators: Christina Gillett
Piano Coordinator: Martin Griffiths
Contact us: info@hastingsinternationalpiano.org.