we are
h e r a
CORE TEAM
Toria
Banks
Toria (she/her) is a director, acting teacher, dramaturg, writer, and now producer, who lives with a neurological disability. She has been Resident Director at Trinity Laban since 2009, and has worked for major opera companies including English Touring Opera and the Royal Opera House. An experienced acting teacher, she led the Foundation Acting course at Arts Ed for five years. As a theatre director and dramaturg she has worked with a combination of new writing, old writing, collaborative devising, and physical theatre. She is also a commissioned playwright.
Toria is 40.
linda
hirst
Linda (she/her) is a singer and singing teacher. An internationally-acclaimed mezzo soprano, she is especially known for performances of contemporary music, and has worked with composers including György Ligeti, Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze and Judith Weir. She was Head of Voice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for 22 years, and is President of the Kathleen Ferrier Society. She has always worked across genre boundaries, and has recorded with The Who, Ivor Cutler, Nonclassical, and others.
Linda is 71.
simone
ibbett-brown
Simone (she/her) is a mixed-race performer, theatre-maker, and administrator. She has sung BVs for artists including Benjamin Clementine; roles for BBC Four and in workshop for the Royal Opera; and is an Extra Chorister at English National Opera. She worked in administration for Cheek by Jowl and Paines Plough, where she led on accessible performances; and is a writer and director of opera, theatre and cabaret. She recently directed her first short film for English National Opera, and is a published playwright.
Simone is 27.
associates
EMMA BAILEY
designer
JESSICA COTTIS
conductor
YARIT DOR
fights, movement & intimacy director
ANGELA GASPARETTO
movement director
EMILY GRAY
performer
RUTH MARINER
writer, director, opera-maker
dr kate potts
poet & creative writing lecturer
sophia smith galer
journalist
alice wright
arts administrator
TRUSTEES
helen
innes
Helen (she/her) studied cello at Trinity Laban. She was administrator of Centre of Young Musicians for five years, then
project manager for LSO Discovery. She now holds Sing and Sign classes for early years.
kalaiyashni
puvanendran
Kalaiyashni (she/her) is a Diversity & Inclusion Consultant. She is currently a D&I Project Manager with the Wellcome Trust, a global health charity, where she worked in a team of two to set up the Diversity & Inclusion priority area. She was previously the Diversity & Inclusion Assistant Consultant at King’s College London.
ELIZA
THOMPSON
Eliza Thompson (she/her) is a music consultant and composer for film, theatre, TV and radio. Recently, she co-produced Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress with OperaGlass Works, a sell-out production at Wilton’s Music Hall.
She is also a trustee of the Golsoncott Foundation and The Classical Road Show.