Welcoming our new Head of Centre for Guildhall Young Artists Norwich

As we say a huge thank you and goodbye to Jacqueline Silver after three years of successfully managing Guildhall Young Artists (GYA) Norwich, we welcome Thomas Shelbourn to the role. We took some time to find out more about our new Head of Centre.

As Head of GYA Norwich, I will be responsible for overseeing the centre, making sure everyone is safe and happy, and that we are providing the very best tuition possible. I'll also be managing our holiday courses, including Norfolk County Youth Orchestra (NCYO), and partnerships with local schools and organisations.

I started off at the Royal College of Music for my undergraduate degree and have a background in early music. I have also been educated in schools in London, Suffolk and Norfolk, and have completed two postgraduate degrees at the UCL Institute of Education. Most recently, I was Head of Music at Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich. You also may know me from the NCYO courses over the last couple of years.

I probably shouldn't say this, but I almost went to Guildhall School for my undergraduate and part of me wishes I did! I've been working here for the last two years as NCYO Orchestral Manager and now Deputy Head of GYA Norwich. We have such an incredible team who are super fun to work with, and offer something really unique and special that you just can't get elsewhere.

A career highlight for me has been building the music department at Ormiston Victory. I'm proud to have grown it from a couple of after-school try-out sessions to a large, vibrant musical community where they are reaching so many. 

We're about to expand our partnership and move the Saturday centre to Wymondham High School, which is exciting as it offers some really cool facilities that will enable us to expand what we do. I'm also going to be working further with other schools to build stronger links across the county, as well as expanding our holiday course provision.

Having somewhere young performers can receive high-level, all-round training is really important, especially if you are looking to take your music or drama beyond secondary school. It's so important to have somewhere to prepare students for the professional world and something you simply can't offer in a one-to-one lesson or even in a school music department. It's also really important from a social and personal development point of view to have somewhere young performers can meet and be with like-minded peers, and really be themselves. I know this was the case for me growing up!

Excited... and a little bit nervous?! This is really my dream job. I was part of the county music academy in Kent growing up and was so inspired by the people who ran it. I have always dreamed of running something similar myself and now I am! I'm really excited to grow the centre and take it through the next chapter, working alongside such brilliant young people and adults. As always with these things there's going to be a lot of new things to learn and no doubt challenges to overcome, but I'll be approaching these with enthusiasm!

Oh dear...well, I once did a lot of ice skating and was on the senior national team for the inter-club competitions, and may have an assortment of medals in the loft (mostly gold I might add)! I still love it but don't really get to go very often as (more importantly) I now have a family and two beautiful children who keep me busy!

Thank you! Jacqueline is an amazing person who effects real change in organisations and individuals. I have learnt so much from her and wish her the very best in her new endeavours.