Young Conductor Mentoring Scheme Alumni

2019-2020

Mariana Rosas

Mariana Rosas is an Argentinian conductor based in the UK. Mariana was educated in Italy and Argentina. She was an Assistant Professor of Choral Practice at the National University of Arts in Buenos Aires and worked as a guest conductor in Denmark, Canada, Italy, and Switzerland. in 2018 she moved to the UK to study at the University of Birmingham with Simon Halsey.

Since participating in the YCMS, she has been appointed Chorus Director for London Symphony Chorus. She is also Music Director of Birmingham City Council Choir, Conductor of the London Youth Choirs Girls’ Choir, and Choral Entrepreneur at the Warwick - a Singing Town project. She works regularly with Crouch End Festival Chorus, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Birmingham Opera Company, West Midlands Inclusive Choir, and the Royal Opera House in London. In September 2021 Mariana obtained the 2nd Prize at the Dima International Conducting Competition, in Romania. Recently, she has collaborated with Rundkunchor, Berlin.

Mariana works on a diverse range of projects across many musical disciplines and is regularly engaged as a guest conductor – with musicians of all ages and abilities – on projects across the UK.

Matthew Quinn

Matthew Quinn is from Belfast and studied choral and orchestral conducting at the University of Manchester and the Royal College of Music with Robert Guy and Mark Heron respectively.

After his year in the YCMS, Matthew has conducted ensembles including the Ulster Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, NI Opera, Cappella Caeciliana, and Manchester Philharmonic Choir. He won a place as a Conducting Scholar with Genesis Sixteen, studying under Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan, and as a Young Artist with Northern Ireland Opera, most recently working as assistant conductor on their production of Puccini’s La Bohème. He was the winner of the 2019 RTÉ/Feis Ceoil Orchestral Conducting Award with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra - recording Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony with the orchestra for RTÉ Lyric FM.

He is a sought-after freelance musical director and vocal coach, most recently working at the National Stage School of Ireland and Voiceworks NI, as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was recently appointed Conductor of the London Youth Chamber Choir. Matthew has just been appointed Chorus Director at English National Opera.

2020-2021

Charlie Perry

Charlie is a Choral Leader and singer from London. Since graduating from the University of Manchester with First Class honours he has been working in the Northwest across a wide variety of musical projects. Most notably as Director of Music at the Manchester Oratory, Musical Director of Stafford Choral Society, Assistant Conductor of Stockport Youth Orchestra and of course, as Musical Director of The Lindow Singers.

He delivers workshops for adults and children on behalf of groups including The Hallé and Manchester Collective, most recently preparing the children’s chorus for the latter’s production of Noah’s Flood at the Manchester International Festival.

As a singer, Charlie is a member of Kantos which has involved studio recordings and radio broadcasts. From 2023-24, he is the Conducting Scholar on the prestigious Genesis Sixteen Young Artist Scheme.

Elliot Mercer

Elliot Mercer studied at the University of Birmingham where he majored in choral conducting and sung in as many choirs as he could get his hands on.

Since participating in the YCMS, he is now a conductor, teacher and singer based in London and enjoys working with a variety of adult and youth choirs with a wide range of abilities. Elliot loves education work and is the Assistant Conductor of the National Children's Choir of Great Britain, and Assistant Leader at the London Youth Choirs.

Elliot is a full time Music Teacher at a leading independent school in the heart of London and leads numerous groups in a bustling music department. He is the Executive Assistant for Sing for Pleasure, a national choral charity, where he first got a taste of conducting and choral leadership. He is also the Music Director of The People’s Show Choir.

2022-2023

Klaudia Zajac

Klaudia was born in Poland where she obtained a BA in Music (Krakow Academy) before obtaining a Masters in Choral Conducting (Royal Conservatory of Brussels).

Since then, she has worked as a conductor with several choirs and orchestras such as Nova Era Vocal Ensemble (Portugal), Hochschule Hannover Concert Choir and orchestra (Germany), and North Czech Philharmonic (Czech Republic).

Klaudia is the Music Director of Sammartini in Brussels and Vocaal Ensemble Similare.

Daniel Rodriguez Tijaro

Daniel was born in Colombia, where he obtained the Order of Merit when graduating with a B.A in Music and Choral Conducting (Javeriana University of Bogotá, 2019).

He was Assistant Conductor with the Javeriana Chamber Choir and Cantoría Infantil of Colombia, before being appointed Musical Director of the Gaitana Representative Choir in Fundación Nacional Batuta (2016-2021).

In 2023 he was awarded a MA in Choral Conducting at the University of Birmingham and is currently Choral Director with the Diocese of Leeds Music, and Music Director of Knaresborough Choral Society.