Choirs

Maddie Johnston is a cellist and singer studying at the Royal Academy of Music with Josephine Knight. Her performing highlights include peforming at The WCTC (World Congress on Thyroid Cancer) Gala Evening at OXO Tower, (London) and ‘The Chartered Institution for Further Education’ Admissions Ceremony at Apothecaries’ Hall, (London). She has also worked with the Malta Philharmonic for the Versatile Festival and recorded with the British electronic group ‘Underworld’. She has a strong background in choral training and has sung in venues over the North of England, including Newcastle Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, Newcastle City Hall and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. Maddie strives to bring music to all ages and backgrounds and has worked with Age UK to provide a safe space for dementia patients to listen and respond to classical music, and also the CityLit percussion orchestra working with disabled adults to create music. She has a strong background working with children, having run creative workshops across the north of England, and strongly believes in the encouragement of musicality from a young age.

Recognised as one of Australia’s finest singers, Lily Dior has shared the stage with a remarkable list of outstanding musicians from Australia and around the world and has performed at many of Australia's best venues including The Opera House Concert Hall, The State Theatre and the Sydney Town Hall. She has been a featured artist with Dave Matthew's Manhattan Jazz Quartet (Victor Lewis, Charnett Moffat, Lew Soloff) as well as Oscar Castro Neves and his all star band for Sydney Festival (Airto Moriera, Alex Acuna, Abe Laboriel, Don Grusin, Gary Meeks) and was invited to sit in with her mentor, the late great Mark Murphy, while studying in New York many years ago. A finalist at The National Jazz Awards she is also an experienced radio personality and three time host of The Freedman Fellowship Jazz Awards held yearly at The Studio, Sydney Opera House. Before moving to London Lily hosted a weekly program on Sydney's Eastside Radio for 15 years and interviewed such luminaries as Ron Carter, Fred Wesley, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcos Valle, Kurt Elling, Lulo Reinhart and Norma Winstone. The daughter of professional musicians who met and married in London, Lily spent her first five years touring South East Asia with her parents who later settled in Australia. Returning to her roots Lily has very quickly established herself as an in demand performer appearing regularly at iconic jazz venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The 606 Club, The Bull’s Head, Pizza Express, Toulouse Lautrec and now closed ‘The Hideaway’. A featured artist at Spice Of Life the last two years, selling out both shows as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, she has recently toured Italy and Sicily and previously been invited to perform a couple of times at the Budapest Jazz Club with an all star Hungarian band. With a voice that dances effortlessly between jazz and soul Lily brings a fresh and exciting approach to her music, imbuing her songs with deep meaning and inviting the listener on a journey through her rich expressive voice and warm stage presence.

"Since Australian vocalist Lily Dior arrived on the London scene she's been going from strength to strength and amassing a reputation as an exciting live performer and versatile singer who works across genres including jazz, groove and soul" 606 Club

"She can belt out a song, dramatize a lyric, swing hard and earthy, flirt, sing a tender song - Lily can ‘tell a story’ “ ABC Australia

“Dior’s voice has the depth, control and clarity of Gregory Porter” Kind Of Jazz

www.lilydior.com

John K Miles is YMM's Musical Director and leads the INNOVATE creative ensembles based on techniques he pioneered with organisations such as the London Philharmonic, National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Guildhall.

John K Miles is a composer, instrumentalist and educator who passionately believes in the power of music to transform lives and communities, to bring people together, as well as the benefits for personal well-being. He has written numerous scores for film and television (BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4, Channel 5 and independent film production companies) and released two solo CDs ('The Enchanter' and 'Trane Ride'). He has myriad commissions from UK orchestras, most recently Share The Dream for CBSO and an open access choir of Birmingham school children for the Cultural Commonwealth Games celebrations in 2022.

As an instrumentalist, he’s worked with a range of artists including Reggae star Maxi Priest, Soulman Geno Washington and acclaimed jazz musicians Alan Skidmore, Tim Garland and Gerard Prescencer. He was an instrumental and ensemble coach for many years and is a passionate believer in the benefits of personal and community well-being through music making.

John has been a theory consultant at ABRSM, and visiting professor at Guildhall School Music of Drama and Trinity Laban. He’s led education projects for a stellar range of arts organisations including London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English National Opera, National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and Barbican in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Centre in New York. He’s worked with ages 4-99 with a strong emphasis on collaboration, aiming to create an educational context where participants can find a role in which they can be challenged but also succeed, empowering students to exceed their own expectations.