Young Conductor Mentoring Scheme Alumni

2020-2021

Charlie Perry

Charlie Perry obtained a B.Mus in Music at the University of Manchester in 2018. He is Director of Music at the Manchester Oratory; Musical Director of Cantores Olicanae in Ilkley and Assistant Conductor of Stockport Youth Orchestra. In addition, he sings as a professional tenor, most recently with Kantos Chamber Choir.

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.

Elliot had such a wonderful time working with CEFC and is so grateful to the group and to David for the opportunities and education that he received over the programme. He loves coming back to see everyone and being astonished by the constant great work that CEFC produces.

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 Associate 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.