Scottish Schools Orchestra Trust Personnel

Leon Gee – Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and the Grand Orchestra - received his formative musical training as a violinist, subsequently studying conducting at the Birmingham Conservatoire under Jonathan Del Mar, with further studies in the Czech Republic, at Dartington with Diego Masson, and with British Youth Opera under Peter Robinson. As British Arts Council Young Conductor, Leon was appointed founder Music Director for the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (1991-94). Subsequent guest engagements have included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as Music Director for the Windsor & Maidenhead, Northampton, British Police and Oxford Symphony Orchestras. Much in demand with younger orchestras, recent and ongoing work in this field includes conductorship of Junior Guildhall Symphony, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Junior Dept, Oxford University Orchestra, Pro Corda and Music Directorship of the Worcestershire, Ealing and Berkshire Youth Orchestras.

Robin Wedderburn – Conductor of the String Orchestras – began his violin studies at school with Maxwell Ward before studying with Manoug Parikian at the Royal Academy of Music and taking a music degree at King's College, Cambridge. Having started his teaching career at Malvern College, he retired in the summer of 2009 from St. Paul's School in London, where he had been Head of Strings since 1981. He is an experienced coach and conductor and has always enjoyed composing and arranging, most often in connection with his teaching. His "Fantasy for Orchestra" was commissioned by SScOT and performed at their 20th anniversary course in July 2005 and he has several string pieces in the Goodmusic catalogue. He has recently been delighted to accept the position of viola player in the London-based Rasumovsky Quartet and is enjoying an active retirement, developing his violin and viola playing, private teaching, coaching, conducting, adjudicating, arranging and composing activities, whilst avoiding having to leave home ridiculously early every morning.

Susan Dingle – Conductor of the Wind Bands – holds an honours degree in music from Sheffield University and an M.Mus (conducting) from the RSAMD in Glasgow, where she studied with Martyn Brabbins. She also spent over 3 years studying at the State Conservatory in St. Petersburg with Alexander Polishchuk and Ilya Musin. Since then she has conducted the BBC Scottish and Leicester Symphony Orchestras, the Paragon and Kelvin Ensembles, the Edinburgh Practice Choir, Opera on a Shoestring and Lontano. She is Music Director of the Cumbernauld Choir and principal conductor of the Highland Chamber Orchestra, the Kentigern Ensemble and the Highland Region Youth Orchestra, and for the past six years has been the principal conductor of Renfrewshire Schools Symphony Orchestra.

James Chamberlain - Conductor of the Brass Ensemble - holds an honours degree in Music Performance from the University of Huddersfield, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate of Education. As a trumpet specialist, he has performed with the English Northern Philharmonia and the Classic FM award winning ensemble "Harlequin Brass". He has performed with the finest brass bands in the UK, including Black Dyke Mills, Yorkshire Building Society and Brighouse & Rastrick. James is currently resident conductor of the Whitburn Brass Band and the Dalkeith & Monktonhall Colliery Band. Having spent the last ten years as a player with Whitburn, he is highly regarded as a flugelhorn soloist and has been featured many times on BBC Radio 2's "Listen to the Band" programme. James has taught both class music and brass instruments in schools across Edinburgh and South Lanarkshire, and took up a full-time position as a brass instructor with Fife Council in August 2009.

Neil Metcalfe – Chairman of SScOT and Co-Director of the summer courses – has been Director of Music and House-Parent at Rannoch and Strathallan Schools. After gaining an honours degree in music from Edinburgh University, he worked as a repetiteur with Scottish Opera for several years, before moving into the field of music education. Since leaving Strathallan in June 2008, he has worked as a freelance conductor, musical director, pianist and piano teacher and is on the staff of Stevenson College in Edinburgh.

Jean Murray – Director of SScOT and Co-Director of the summer courses – has been organising extra-curricular musical activities for children for over 20 years, and is also Director of Edinburgh Young Musicians, which runs Saturday Morning Classes for children aged 3 to 17. She holds a music degree from Edinburgh University and works as a freelance flautist, mainly with small chamber groups at weddings and other functions, and as a flute teacher at St. Andrews University and privately.