Nina is a highly intelligent, musical and communicative artist who has invested in her teaching skills to ensure that she offers teaching of the highest possible standard. Equally interested in technique and performance skills, Nina has developed her natural empathy with students and enhanced her pedagogical processes through rigorous examination of her university teaching practice. It is notable that she has secured Fellowship with the HEA and a Certificate in Performance Teaching at the Guildhall School so early in her career. I recommend Nina unreservedly. Kate Paterson, Head of Vocal Studies, Royal Academy of Music.
Nina is passionate about music education and outreach, and has been working in these fields since her undergraduate studies. In 2021 she was awarded a distinction for her Postgraduate Certificate in Performance Teaching from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and was recently awarded her FHEA (Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy), in recognition of her contribution to teaching in higher education.
Since February 2019 Nina has been a faculty member at KM Music Conservatory (KMMC) in Chennai, India, where she is a lecturer in Western Classical Voice, Music History and Musicianship Skills. During the pandemic, Nina has been teaching online from London.
Nina is the founder of Vox Madras, a new vocal chamber ensemble made up of students from KMMC. In December 2019 they gave their first concert to a packed-out audience at Chennai’s Goethe Institut, performing opera and choral works by composers including Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Berlioz, Lehár, Verdi and Tavener. Plans for a recording and a concert of Easter music at the Amir Mahal palace in Chennai were unfortunately postponed due to the pandemic.
In 2020 Nina founded India’s first Art Song Festival, dedicated to celebrating and promoting western classical art song to new audiences in India. This launched in January at KMMC with an opening concert and student masterclass, featuring guest artists Patricia Rozario OBE and Mark Troop, and was profiled in articles in The Hindu and Serenade Magazine. The festival proper was planned for April and included a new competition for student duos, masterclasses and workshops, and a series of concerts from visiting British-Indian artists such as Patricia Rosario, Karl Lutchmayer and Sandeep Gurrapadi, but was cancelled due to lockdown.
In July 2021 the Art Song Festival returned online, in a new partnership between KMMC and Trinity Laban International Academies. Featuring vocal masterclasses, a composition workshop and a competition showcase, the festival invited applications from performers of any level based in India and beyond. All events were free and livestreamed, with the continued aim of promoting art song in India and showcasing Indian performers and composers. To date, the festival has reached over 200,000 online views, and we hope to continue it in future, live in India.
Prior to moving to Chennai, Nina taught singing, piano and music theory in London for the last seven years, alongside developing her performing career. She has taught many private students ranging from children to adults and beginners to advanced levels, and also in schools (Selwyn School, Waltham; Kew Green Prep School, Richmond; St Anthony’s Prep School, Hampstead; Westbrook Hay Prep School, Hemel Hampstead; St George’s Roman Catholic School, Maida Vale).
Nina has participated in outreach training with Streetwise Opera, Voicelab and with Suzi Zumpe at ENO as part of their Opera Works programme. After completing her BA, she was a project assistant intern for Create (Arts) Limited, working on a range of cross-genre arts projects for many vulnerable community groups. Nina then worked for the Education Department at Cecil Sharp House on their education and outreach projects, before leaving to teach and perform full time.
