MAESTRO ARTS - Key Persons
Alex graduated with first-class honours from King's College London, with a BMus and MMus in Musicology (focusing on opera and Spanish neoclassical music), and studied piano performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Before joining Maestro Arts, he was part of the BBC Proms Events team, while also working as a freelance teacher and accompanist. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, bookbinding and repairing scores, as well as performing and collaborating with other creatives.
Angela has a degree in Music and Psychology and started working as a concerts manager in London before co-founding Tennant Artists in 1985 and Sulivan Sweetland Ltd in 2000. She has a particular interest in conductors and artists interested in broader collaborations, leading to projects with the British Film Institute, a Reflektor Festival at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and live music events at the Womad and Glastonbury Festivals. She was presented with the ABO/Rheingold Artist Manager of the Year Award in 2019. She has been a Trustee of Britten Pears Foundation (now Britten Pears Arts) since 2016 and was made a Director of Maestro Arts following its merger with Sulivan Sweetland in 2023.
After taking a Philosophy degree at Edinburgh University, Ariane studied violin at Royal Academy of Music. Following a variety of jobs in classical music administration, she became Editorial Assistant at Choir & Organ magazine and subsequently served as Editor of The Strad magazine for eight years. In recent years she has combined marketing work for classical music organisations with journalism, and alongside her work with Maestro Arts, writes for outlets including BBC Music Magazine, The Strad and her own Substack, Elbow Music.
Callum graduated with First Class Honours in 2022, earning a Bachelor's degree in Music Business and Entrepreneurship, with a focus on the evolving music landscape, copyright law, and strategic management. Following his studies, he worked for a record label before taking up a role at Maestro Arts. Alongside this, he works as a piano teacher and serves as a representative on the Youth Board at the World Heart Beat Music Academy.
Christian studied Musicology and Arts Management, graduating with Master's degrees from the University of Manchester and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was mentored by Sir Peter Jonas and Alexander Pereira for the Executive Master of Arts Administration at the Universität Zürich. He began his career as a pianist and repetiteur at institutions such as Wiener Staatsoper and Teatro alla Scala, where he specialised in German and contemporary opera, working with the great singers, directors and conductors of our time. As an advocate of new opera and art forms, he has served as a trustee on the board of Music Theatre Wales. He began his career in artist management at Maestro Arts in 2014, where he works predominantly with artists who make work for the stage.
Ciara graduated from Bristol University in 2020 with Bachelor's degree in Music. During her time at Bristol, she managed the Bristol University String Orchestra and was Assistant Director of the Bristol University Baroque Ensemble. As a violinist, she led the chamber orchestra during her final year. Her interest in the life and works of the late David Fanshawe became the focus for her dissertation which was completed in her final year of study. As well as her interest in music, Ciara spends her spare time enjoying all things creative.
A passion for chamber music has informed her career trajectory, and she spent twelve years with Sulivan Sweetland growing and nurturing the chamber music roster there before the company's merger with Maestro Arts in 2023. Outside of work, Claire enjoys playing tennis, horse riding and spending time with her young family.
Clara studied Music at Cardiff University, before doing a Master's at Goldsmiths University in Music - Audiovisual Cultures. Her studies focused on the use of classical music, electronic music and natural soundscapes in film, and ethnographic filmmaking. She has worked as a videographer for music festivals, and in her spare time enjoys going to gigs and playing the violin with friends.
After completing her Music degree at Exeter University, Emma worked in artist management in London and Sydney before co-founding Sulivan Sweetland in 2000. In 2023 Sulivan Sweetland merged with Maestro Arts, where she is now a Director. She served on the board of IAMA (International Artist Management Association) and has given talks on artist management at the Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and for YCAT. With a belief in the power of communication through music, she is an ambassador for the charity Music As Therapy International, which devises and implements innovative, bespoke music therapy projects to disadvantaged communities. Away from music she is a keen and sometimes competitive swimmer.
Job Titles:
- Head of Artist Administration
Iain has been in the agency business for more years than he cares to remember. He has worked for both large and small agencies, and has been with Maestro Arts since 2016. He is passionate about classical music and the people who dedicate their lives to creating it.
In 1975, aged 25, Joeske was disillusioned with orchestral life as a flute player and formed Van Walsum Management. He launched the careers of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mariss Jansons, Mitsuko Uchida and many others. As Chairman of the British Association of Concert Agents he turned it into the International Artists Managers Association, and started the International Conferences. In 1988, chairing a team of top agents, he conceived and organised a televised live worldwide fundraising concert, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, raising £600,000 in 10 days for the 1988 Armenian Earthquake victims, equivalent of £1.6m today. In 2011 he co-founded multi-disciplinary Maestro Arts with his wife Rachel.
Jordi began his career in artist management at Van Walsum Management in 2005, later moving to Maestro Arts on its inception in 2011 and taking an active role in shaping it into the proposition it is today. A graduate of Barcelona Conservatoire, he pursued further studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and is a qualified teacher of Alexander Technique.
Lizzy started out in the classical music industry as PA and Tour Manager to Ravi Shankar. Working closely with the Shankar family fostered a love of world music and cross-cultural collaborations in music, which remain her passions today. Prior to joining Maestro Arts, she built her career in artist management at Sulivan Sweetland. Graduating with a degree in Music from Durham University, she was a recipient of the Sir Thomas Beecham Scholarship - a competitive award given to a student with promise to become a performing musician, but realised her talents on the clarinet were best left in the amateur arena. In her spare time, she enjoys hosting dinner parties, wild swimming and spending time with her wife, child and noisy Norfolk Terrier, Effy.
Lucia trained in Fine Art at Aberystwyth University, specialising in drawing and painting. Her passion for art and all things creative drew her towards a teaching career, followed by roles in a variety of creative environments, such as the Barbican Centre, Serpentine Galleries and Art Academy London. Since working at Maestro Arts, Lucia has gained a new insight into classical music and its partnership with other art forms. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, bouldering and playing guitar.
After a variety of appointments within classical music, Rachel joined Van Walsum Management in 1995 as an Artist Manager. Between 2003 to 2005 she was Deputy Chair of the International Artists Manager Association and in 2005 became Managing Director. VWM was sold in 2008 and, following a short sabbatical, Rachel and her husband Joeske founded Maestro Arts. Over the years Rachel has enjoyed nurturing and developing young artist's careers and relaunching mid-career artists. Believing in the power of music to transform lives, she has been a Trustee of World Heart Beat Music Academy since 2015, and is currently Chair, and was delighted to join the Board of YCAT in 2022
Sally has enjoyed a career in artist management spanning nearly 30 years. She studied French and Spanish, and following forays into publishing and the wine trade, joined Van Walsum Management in 1995, prior to joining Maestro Arts in 2014. She currently specialises in the management of creatives - directors, set and costume designers and librettists/dramaturgs - having managed a wide variety of artists across the years. She was a member of the IAMA Opera Committee from 2016-2019. A passionate and active musician, she has sung with many of the UK's leading choirs, and enjoys playing clarinet and saxophone in community orchestras, and concert and big bands in the Sussex area, where she is based. She was a Trustee and Artistic Planning Manager of the St Endellion Summer Festival from 2008-2022, and has also served as a Trustee of the Joyful Company of Singers.
Thomas studied clarinet with Pamela Weston, making his debut recital at the Wigmore Hall in 1982 before going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Jack Brymer. In 1987 he founded the City of London Chamber Orchestra, performing as both conductor and solo clarinettist. This led to a greater involvement in the administration, promotion and management of musicians, and he was a Director of Ingpen & Williams for 26 years before taking up a Directorship at Maestro Arts in 2016. Since 2003 he has enjoyed a close association with Chipping Campden International Music Festival, setting up and conducting a Festival Academy Orchestra in 2008, pairing musicians from the UK's leading orchestras with students and recent graduates. He was appointed Artistic Director of the Music Festival in January 2024.
Job Titles:
- Director Interdisciplinary Projects / Touring
- Director of Interdisciplinary Projects
Tuck May joined Maestro Arts as Director of Interdisciplinary Projects and Touring in 2023, having built up a track record of delivering significant touring projects worldwide for numerous high-profile artists and institutions, while working for Van Walsum Management, Kajimoto and Intermusica, and having formed her own company when based in Paris. She studied piano and flute at the Royal College of Music before obtaining a Master's degree in Marketing at the University of Westminster. She was orchestra administrator in the formative years of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and continues a strong interest in building collaborations across different artistic concepts and disciplines.