People

Cathy Heller-Jones, Conductor

As a singer with London Voices, Cathy Heller-Jones has performed and recorded a vast repertoire of music working with the world’s leading conductors and composers including Steve Reich, Kaija Saariaho, John Adams, and Howard Shore and John Williams with whom she has recorded all the soundtracks for the Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings film soundtracks.

Born in New York City where she attended the renowned FAME school, she went on to Boston University where she gained her BMus. That was followed by postgraduate study on the Performers Course at the Guildhall School of Music.

A full time musician working as a singer, conductor and singing teacher, Cathy is also the Director of Music of the Hertfordshire County Youth Choir and The Liberal Jewish Synagogue. She teaches singing at St. Albans Girls High School and Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden.

Phillip Bell, Singing technician

Phillip studied music at the University of East Anglia. After a very successful career as a teacher of music both in East Anglia and then in International Education; working in Athens, Madrid, Frankfurt, and Vienna, he returned to his singing studies in Vienna. He came back to London in 1999 where he now works as a freelance singer and is on staff at Royal Russell School, Croydon, as a singing teacher and member of the Music Department.

He has worked as a soloist with many of the smaller opera companies, travelling to Singapore and Thailand with European Chamber Opera and performing on the QE2 over half the world. He regularly sings in the extra chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This season he will be singing in over 7 productions which includes over 60 performances. He made his solo debut in the recently BBC4 televised Acis and Galatea and Dido and Aeneas double bill, an acclaimed production with the Royal Ballet.

As a member of the professional group London Voices, his voice can be heard on many film music recordings – including Star Wars and Kung Fu Panda. As an ad hoc member of the BBC Singers he frequently works in the recording studio and concert hall both in UK and abroad. His work for The Maida Vale Singers most recently included a solo role for the Radio 3 broadcast of the Welsh opera ‘Menna’ by Arwel Hughes and the stunning MGM Musicals Prom.

Joseph Kohlmaier, Director

Joseph Kohlmaier founded the ASD Choir in November 2008 and is a member of the ensemble. He is a senior lecturer in the history and theory of architecture at the ASD. Read more about Joseph Kohlmaier here.

Je Ahn, Director

Je Ahn became a co-director of the ASD Choir in October 2009 and is a member of the ensemble. He is a director of design company Studio Weave. Read more about Je and Studio Weave here: www.studioweave.com

Esther McKinney

Esther McKinney is an architect who likes to sing. She has been a Project Architect at Matthew Lloyd Architects and Caruso St John Architects; she has also been involved in a variety of architecture related roles: she was a Design Review Advisor with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; she has taught in design studios at Bath University and London Metropolitan University; she has worked as a Curator for the London Region Gallery at the RIBA; and was the Gallery and Exhibition Co-ordinator at the Architecture Foundation and for the Living Bridges exhibition at the Royal Academy. She studied architecture at the University of North London and the Royal College of Art. She is involved in coordinating the development of the choir.