OUR MUSIC TEACHERS
Teaching is a vital part of Keys of Change’s activities, and we are very lucky to work with a group of dedicated and inspirational musicians, all of whom are enthusiastic supporters of the belief that music can change the world.
Based in different corners of the world, most have experience of playing in some of the best orchestras and musical groups world-wide, and all, critically, a passion to pass on their knowledge and experience by teaching young musicians in less fortunate circumstances. Our teachers think nothing of travelling across continents to participate in music camps in Ghana, Mexico or India, or of getting up early to give a virtual lesson in a different time zone. Their dedication, professionalism and enthusiasm transmit themselves to the young musicians we support and enable them to reach heights they had never dreamed of attaining.
Renzo Luis Carranza Perez
Renzo has a master’s degree in Classical Guitar Interpretation from the University of Alicante (2018) and a first degree in Direction and Musical Interpretation with a specialty in guitar from San Martin de Porres University, Peru (2014).
He currently works as a guitar soloist and concert guitarist in the “Lima trio”, as well as being professor of classical guitar and conductor of the String Instrument Ensemble of the Art Institute of the San Martín de Porres University. He has performed at concerts in Spain, Uruguay, Ecuador, Mexico, Argentina and throughout Peru. He has been a soloist with the BRITÁNICO Symphony Orchestra (Peru), the Red Musical Orchestra (Peru) and the Berisso School Orchestra (Argentina). He also formed part of the jury for the International Guitar Competition of Peru in 2016-17.
Vov Dylan - violin
Vov has been a full time professional solo violinist and leader for over 20 years. For many years he has run his own orchestra, and his shows frequently tour to sold-out houses in theatres and clubs throughout the East Coast of Australia. He was nominated for Australian Instrumental Entertainer of the Year in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Vov boasts a performing repertoire that covers classical through to jazz and contemporary. His wide experience includes a classical recital at the Sydney Opera House with Panos Karan through to performing as a cabaret artist on boutique international cruise ships. He has also worked as a teacher since 1999 and has conducted masterclasses in Hong Kong, and virtually in Belgium, the UK and Ghana. His passion is to help students understand the beauty of the violin and to become confident enough to play any piece they desire.
Lucy French - cello
Pedro Gomez Briceño - violin, viola
Pedro learnt the violin and viola with the Venezuelan orchestras El Sistema, Núcleo Paraguaná and the Conservatorio Musical del Estado Falcón, and held positions as principal of the second violins and viola sections in orchestras such as the Sinfónica de Paraguaná and Juvenil Regional del Estado Falcón.
In 2013, he became head of viola studies at the Mozarteum Caracas School of Music and was also appointed as a violin and viola teacher at the Conservatorio Musical del Estado Falcón, before becoming the viola teacher for El Sistema. In 2015, he moved to Maracaibo where he continues his teaching work at the Núcleo San Francisco of El Sistema. As well as teaching, Pedro performs both as a chamber musician and a soloist with the Capilla Musical Ricercare.
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Marleen Hiemsch – cello
Marleen is a German cellist and hypno-coach. She studied music education in Germany until 2018 and then completed her master’s degree in 2020 at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has also completed a course as a hypnotherapist and coach.
Marleen is a devoted chamber musician and teacher. Alongside her work for Keys of Change, she is a visiting music teacher at the DG College in Aldgate and has been giving private lessons for the last ten years. She is especially interested in the craft of playing the cello and making learning as effective and fun as possible. Her knowledge of hypnotherapy also enables her to help musicians overcome stage fright, tension and other mental issues. Seeing children and adults believe in themselves and their potential and connecting through music is one of the greatest joys of her work.
Georgiana Hughes – flute
Georgiana holds a Master of Music in Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a First-Class Honours from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, during which she studied with Katherine Bryan, Ruth Morley, Richard Blake, Jonathan Rimmer, Marie Christine-Zupancic, Janet Richardson and Andrew Lane. She was generously supported in her studies by The Clemence Charitable Trust, Arts Council Wales, The James Pantyfedwen Foundation, The Aspinwall Educational Trust, Coats Foundation, Womens Career's Foundation and was awarded the David Nicholson Flute Award for Travel and Study from the RCS upon graduating.
Whilst undertaking her studies, Georgiana took part in side-by-side schemes with CBSO, RSNO, Scottish Opera and Red Note Ensemble and performed in a number of public masterclasses including Michael Cox, Adam Walker, Sir James Galway, Patricia Morris and Trevor Wye.
Panos Karan – piano, conductor
Panos Karan is a pianist, conductor and humanitarian whose ideas are fast shaping the understanding of classical music in the 21st century. Born in Greece and educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Panos has taken music from the world’s top concert halls into the Amazon jungle, to the most impoverished districts of Kolkata, to prisons of war-torn Sierra Leone, and to the evacuation centers of post-tsunami Japan. Most recent performances include four solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, New York, Symphony Hall, Boston, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Sydney Opera House and Tokyo Opera City, at the presence of Empress Michiko of Japan.
He has recorded Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 and recently the 24 Chopin Etudes in live recital at London’s Cadogan Hall.
Panos Karan has visited more than 130 countries, has lived in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Athens, Tokyo and currently resides in London. He speaks six languages.
Masanori Taniguchi - cello, conductor
Masanori Taniguchi is an accomplished cellist, music educator and entrepreneur. He has a Master of Music (MM) and a Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD) in Cello Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Masanori began to play the piano at the age of four and the cello from 18 when he joined Kyoto University Symphony Orchestra. While studying in the USA, he received many honours and also performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. He has appeared in many well-known orchestras including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He co-founded the Boston String Quartet and, in 2017, the Reinheit Kammermusik Akademie, a chamber music academy in Tokyo. As well as performing, Masanori works as a teacher, introducing live music to local schools in Japan, training the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta and teaching at the Korea Philharmonic Research Institute.
Stephanie Tepper - flute
Stephanie started her musical education at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied with Peter Lloyd (ex principal - London Symphony Orchestra) for four years. Having graduated with a first class honours (BMus) in 2011, Stephanie successfully auditioned for the Foyle Future Firsts Orchestral Scheme with the London Philharmonic Orchestra which enabled her to learn and work with the orchestra for a year. In 2016, Stephanie went on to study for a Masters degree on the Orchestral Artistry course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the tuition of Gareth Davies (principal - London Symphony Orchestra), Sarah Newbold (St Martin in the Fields) , Ian Clarke (internationally renowned solo artist and composer) and Christopher Green (Principal Piccolo - Orchestra of the Royal Opera House). In 2017, she graduated with a distinction.
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