Phil Taylor - Chair

Council

Phil has a lifelong affiliation with church music, having started singing at the age of nine, only later realising the influence the RSCM had on his musical development. He brings to Council professional skills in Information Technology from his role as managing director of an IT services company and previous experience chairing a national charity. Phil is an active school governor, parish church organist and choir director. In his spare time, he’s also a motorsports enthusiast, particularly Formula One.

Andrew Morgan – Vice Chair

Council

Andrew has had a lifelong involvement in church music from singing at the age of 8 to playing the organ at churches in Somerset, Farnborough and Southampton. He has held several Director of Music roles in Bristol, most recently at Frenchay Parish church where he established a thriving junior and senior chorister programme. Andrew’s professional life is as a Senior Civil Servant, and he is qualified as a Chartered Project Professional and Chartered Engineer. 

Sean Costello

Council

Sean is a distinguished figure with nearly 15 years of experience in educational leadership and partnerships. Currently serving as the ‘Head of Educational Opportunities’ at Eton College, he plays a pivotal role in spearheading the development of a vibrant regional partnership program in Oldham, Middlesbrough, and Dudley. Sean has a long-standing passion for the quality and access of music education for young people particularly those in deprived circumstances.

Between 2015 and 2018, Sean assumed the role of Deputy Headteacher with a specific mandate for Sixth Form at Wembley High Technology College. Under his leadership, the institution earned recognition, ranking among the top 5 sixth forms in the country and number 1 school overall in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, Sean took on a significant role at the National Citizen Service Trust, where he oversaw education engagement, strategy, and governmental relations.

Outside his professional roles, Sean has actively contributed to the realm of education as a governor and Vice Chair at ELAM (East London Arts and Music) College. ELAM is renowned for its excellence in preparing young people for careers in the music and creative industries, and Sean’s involvement reflects his commitment to fostering the next generation of talent in these dynamic fields.

Susan Pope

Council

Susan Pope has over 40 years’ experience in university and diocesan administration. She was an assistant treasurer of Cambridge University, and a Fellow and Bursar of Trinity Hall Cambridge before becoming Diocesan Secretary of St Albans Diocese in 2001.  She has had a lifelong interest in church music, joining a church choir aged 10, having organ lessons in her teens, and going on to read music at Jesus College Oxford.  She brings experience as a qualified company secretary, Chartered Governance professional, and as a Lay Canon of Ely Cathedral where she served on the Chapter for 12 years.

Julia Mixter

Council

Julia Mixter is the Director of Transformation at Raven Housing Trust. Prior to this position, Julia has held senior roles in Human Resources for over 20 years, most recently as Director of Human Resources for the Royal Automobile Club where she was shortlisted for Outstanding HR Leader of the Year in Hospitality (2018), and prior to that as Director of People and Operations at The Children’s Trust and Senior HRBP at Transport for London. Julia has acted in a voluntary capacity as an Executive Adviser to the Polka Theatre and as a Careers Enterprise Adviser to a number of local schools. Julia holds a degree in Psychology, a Postgraduate diploma in Strategic Human Resources Management and is FCIPD qualified.

Dr Margaret Greenwood

Council

Margaret is a Chartered Accountant and retired academic and whose research area is public sector accounting. She retains an interest in research and in service to the academic community. Prior to commencing her academic career Margaret trained with Price Waterhouse and Co followed by a career in industry . She has many years experience of voluntary and public service including non-executive roles in the NHS, experience which subsequently inspired her research. Margaret is Director of Music at St Marys’ Tetbury and sings with both RSCM Voices South and RSCM Voices West.

Sammi Tooze

Council

Sammi’s love of church music began in her teens, continuing on to complete a degree in music focussing on the 16^th Century. In her professional life, Sammi has worked in Church of England dioceses for many years, currently holding the position of Discipleship and Strategy Adviser in the Diocese of York, and is particularly interested in the relationship between music, worship and discipleship. She is an elected member of General Synod, as well as the Community Committee in York Minster, and is an appointed member of the Church of England’s Liturgical Commission. Sammi enjoys singing with The Ebor Singers in York, the Associate Choir of York Minster, regularly participating in worship and holding their own concert series.

Martin Honeywood

Council

Martin Honeywood is a technology programme director with over 25 years experience of delivering IT and business change. As an independent consultant Martin has delivered successful outcomes in B2B, housing, charity, professional, public and FTSE-250 corporates. Martin is also a director of music production company HoneywoodSix, providing artist business management to Industry music producers working with high profile artists in UK, USA and Canada. HoneywoodSix has produced top 5 albums in the UK and USA. Martin has a background in evangelical Church music as a musician and worship leader.

John Halsey

Council

John Halsey had an 25-year management and consultancy career, specialising in business analysis and market research, combining this with Organist & Choirmaster positions at: St Luke’s, Chelsea, London; the Anglican Chaplaincy, Strasbourg, France; and, during an interregnum, Wangaratta Cathedral, Victoria, Australia. Bookending his business career, he taught mathematics and music, initially at the well-known independent senior school, St Paul’s School, London, and recently in Slough, where he built up arguably the most musical state primary in the country at Langley Hall Primary Academy. John is currently Organist & Choirmaster of Windsor Parish Church and Regional Consultant for Berkshire for the Royal College of Organists. 

Tansy Castledine

Council

Tansy Castledine is Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral. She has held several Director of Music roles in large parishes and served in schools as Director of Music and Deputy Head. In addition to being a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Tansy also holds the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership, and was awarded an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music for services to Choral music. Formerly President of the Music Teachers’ Association, Tansy was educated at Oxford where she was Organ Scholar at Exeter College, and the Royal Academy of Music, and has been involved with various musical aspects of the life of the RSCM since her early chorister days.

Nicholas Riddle

Council

Nicholas Riddle was for many years CEO of the Edition Peters Music Publishing Group founded in Leipzig in 1800. He joined Peters in 1993 after twelve years in the computer industry. He studied piano and organ from an early age, adding choral directing at university. He held several church posts as Director of Music. Since 1995, he has attended St Bartholomew the Great in London where has helped with the music as a deputy conductor and organist when required. He has been a Trustee of several musical charities, including the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Chris Bridges

Council

Dr Chris Bridges trained as a chemist and has worked in commerce for the last thirty years.  Latterly he has worked as the marketing director for a distributor of laboratory products, leading its digital transformation from a provider of paper catalogues to a web-based business. Chris conducted the British Methodist Youth Choir and is Director of Music at Beeston Methodist Church in Nottingham. 

Edward Wild

Council

Edward Wild is the Managing Director of Wild Search and advises boards and businesses on senior appointments, with a particular expertise in education, charities and the rural economy. An experienced charity trustee, he has also edited or written a number of publications on education and governance, including the history of Hampton School (2006). During his early career he was a teacher and fundraising and development director. Edward chairs the Nominations Committee at St Edmundsbury Cathedral and is a Governor at St Paul’s Cathedral School. 

Brigid Parkin MBA

Council

In her working life, relinquished two years ago, Brigid Parkin has used her data capture and analysis skills to help define and solve business problems across a number of industry sectors. As a business analyst she has been involved in business process re-engineering, systems development and migration, balanced by experience in market research, marketing services and business development.