Welcoming new appointments to the Music faculty

Guildhall School is delighted to announce a number of exciting new appointments to our Music faculty for the start of the 2026/27 academic year, continuing to strengthen our world-class teaching staff and ensuring our students learn from the finest performers and educators. 

Our Wind, Brass & Percussion department has announced three new appointments, with Amy Yule (Flute), Ben Hulme (Horn) and Matthew Lewis (Trombone) joining as instrumental tutors. Amy Yule joined the London Symphony Orchestra this year as Principal Flute, following Principal roles with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Hallé orchestra. Ben Hulme has been joint Principal Horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2023, and before this he was Section Principal Horn at the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Matthew Lewis was appointed Principal Trombone of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2020, prior to which he had spent a decade performing with some of the UK’s finest orchestras. 

The Vocal and Opera Studies departments have also welcomed three new vocal professors, with the arrival of Jihoon Kim, Rebecca Nash, Jeremy Ovenden.  

Bass Jihoon Kim has appeared in more than 200 main-stage performances in over 25 roles at the Royal Opera House, alongside opera, concert and recital engagements across the UK,Europe and his native South Korea. He has also established a significant teaching studio, his former students now performing professionally in the UK and across Europe.  

Rebecca Nash is widely recognised for her commanding performances in dramatic soprano repertoire. In the 2025/26 season, she sang the title role of Turandot with the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Australia, and the Royal Swedish Opera; and joined Yannick Nézet-Séguin as Brünnhilde in Siegfried.  

Tenor Jeremy Ovenden is regarded as one of the leading Mozart interpreters of his generation and has been a regular guest on Europe's most prestigious stages in repertoire from Baroque opera through the major concert works of the Classical and Romantic periods during a career spanning more than 25 years.  

Finally, our Composition department has announced that Amy Crankshaw and Laurence Crane will take on new roles as composition professors. Amy Crankshaw is an alumna of the School’s MA in Opera Making & Writing and our doctoral programme, from which she will graduate with a DMus this November. She has received commissions from Radio France and Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and is currently writing a new work for the London Symphony Orchestra. Amy’s new role sees her supporting our taught postgraduate programmes. Laurence Crane has taught one-to-one composition at the School since 2010 andnow expands his role to include a new staff position supporting student composers on our BMus programme. As a composer, he has worked with many ensembles in the UK and abroad, and has won awards including a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists in 2017 and an Ivor Novello in 2022 for his work Natural World.  

A warm welcome to all our new appointments in the Music faculty.