Teaching Staff
Musical Director: John Grundy
John Grundy returned to Edinburgh in 1995 as Director of Music at St. Mary's Music School, Scotland's specialist school for young musicians, having spent the previous eight years in Sydney, Australia. There he was Artistic Director of Sydney Philharmonia, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and the City of Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. He planned and directed seven seasons at the Sydney Opera House, including the celebrations of the Australian Bi-Centennial. He was much in demand as a guest conductor, and conducted concerts with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, and the Auckland Philharmonic amongst others. There has always been much work with young people in his life, and he has directed the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, West Australian, Sydney, Australian National and many other Youth Orchestras.
He is proud to be Patron of the Australian Intervarsity Choral Association, which brings together student choirs from all over the continent twice a year for major concerts. Other activities in Sydney included teaching on the staff of the New South Wales Conservatorium and directing the music for the films Black Robe (Bruce Berresford) and Strictly Ballroom (Baz Lurhmann).
Prior to taking up his position in Australia, John conducted most of Edinburgh's choirs and orchestras at one time or another. He was Director of the Edinburgh Bach Choir, The Edinburgh Royal Choral Union, The University Music Society, The Edinburgh University Singers, and Edinburgh Grand Opera for a number of years.
Violin: Peter Cropper
Peter Cropper was born in Southport, Lancashire, England. He comes from a musical family; his grandfather was Leader of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and his uncle Principal viola player in the BBC Philharmonic for thirty-five years. At the age of thirteen he won a music scholarship to Uppingham School and whilst there joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, where he met his wife to be, Nina Martin.
He continued his violin studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with his future father-in-law David Martin. He won numerous prizes there including the prize for the best final year recital. He also founded the now internationally acclaimed Lindsay String Quartet of which he has been the Leader for over thirty years. Despite giving concerts all over the world with the Quartet, he gives many solo recitals and has performed concertos with over a dozen different orchestras. He plays on a Golden period Stradivarius violin.
Since The Lindsays retirement as a quartet at the end of July 2005, Peter has been playing in a piano trio with Moray Welsh and Martin Roscoe and is in the process of recording all the Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Martin. He is also teaching an MA in String Quartet performance at Sheffield University.
His musical activities don't end with the violin, he often gives talks about music for the BBC. He was invited to sit on the music panel of the Arts Council of Great Britain, which gave him an insight into the need to promote music as well as play it. To this end he started the International Chamber Music Series, now known as Music in the Round, in Sheffield, where he now lives. As Artistic Director of this festival he set about popularising chamber music by dressing informally and giving entertaining and informative introductions to the music. In 1994 he was awarded the Philharmonic Prize for 'consistently imaginative programming'. In 2000 he was given a Creative Briton award for his outstanding vision, leadership and creativity in the musical life of Great Britain. Peter has been awarded many honorary degrees, including Doctorates from the universities of Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester.
Outside music, Peter's interests are varied, but his main loves are wine and food (having been born in one of the best wine years of the century, 1945) and he has nearly finished renovating a 17th century farmhouse tucked away in the Peak District. He has 2 children, a son who is following in his father's footsteps as a violinist and a daughter who plays the oboe and conducts.