Meet Some of our Music Tutors
Amy Chalmers — 2022-2023 Director & Strings / Vocals
Amy Chalmers is a violinist, vocalist and pianist based near Liverpool. As a freelance musician, she is an arranger, composer, session musician and musical director. She is also involved in music education as a violin teacher and a classroom music teacher.
Amy gained a BA Hons in Music at Leeds University in 2000, and since then has gone on to be involved in many different musical projects. She is one half of original folk/acoustic duo “Two Black Sheep”, who have had national radio play on BBC Radio 6. She had been on two UK tours with the Essence of Ireland stage show, and performed at numerous music festivals across the country. She has worked with The Christians and China Crisis, and recently played on a single organised by Radio 2’s Bob Harris, featuring artists such as Mark Knopfler and Rick Wakeman.
Amy enjoys working across a variety of genres, playing as part of an 11-piece hip hop show, “The Incredible 11”, playing in classical string quartet “Echo Strings”, and arranging and performing music for award-winning Americana singer/songwriter Robert Vincent. She has also appeared on television, playing violin on the recent docudrama about Hillsborough, “Anne”, and she regularly works with world-renowned composer Keith Hopwood recording music for various children’s TV shows.
Amy is passionate about encouraging young people to pursue their musical ambitions, working with both primary and secondary pupils on the Wirral.
Steve Askew — Guitars
Steve has had a long love affair with the music industry. Guitarist with 80’s group Kajagoogoo, he co-wrote the global hit ‘Too Shy’, which was No. 1 in 10 different countries and became a top 5 single in the US. Since then, Steve has been signed to 6 major record labels throughout his career and is still constantly touring, writing and performing music for live and TV performances. He recently performed at the Nano Mugen Festival at the Yokohama Stadium and had a No. 3 hit in the Japanese charts.
Steve now has his own music production studios, Reddot Music, where he records, produces and teaches many types of popular music from record label artists to school students covering GCSE to A levels.
Matt Lammin — Vocals
Matt is our lead vocal coach and has vast experience as both a teacher and performer. He is a member of ‘Sense of Sound’ and has performed backing vocals for Ringo Starr, Seal, Bon Jovi and Damon Albarn. He has made several TV appearances with Sense of Sound, most notably on BBC’s ‘Last Choir Standing’ and Gareth Malone’s ‘The Choir’.
As a choir leader in his own right, Matt took a Wirral-based choir to X Factor boot camp in 2008, has his arrangements performed all over the world and will be visiting America extensively next year to work with various school choirs in Pennsylvania.
Matt studied Music and Popular Music at the University of Liverpool, went on to do a Masters degree in Music Performance (Pop Vocals & Piano) at the University of Salford and recently completed his PGCE.
Nick Byrne — Strings
Nick currently works as a freelance cellist and plays regularly with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
He also performs as a session player and is Principal Cello of the Liverpool Session Orchestra and Welsh Session Orchestras, having recorded and performed with many well-known artists, such as Corinne Bailey Rae, Andrea Bocelli, Nicola Benedetti, The Saturdays, Bryn Terfel, Michael Ball, Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet), Katherine Jenkins, Hayley Westenra, Rhydian (X Factor), Russell Watson and John Lord (Deep Purple) to name but a few. Nick often records for BBC TV and Radio broadcasts, including the last three series of ‘Dr Who’.
Nick is the cellist of the Liverpool String Quartet, which was founded in 2010. Despite being a relatively new group, the LSQ has performed concerts worldwide to critical acclaim. The LSQ have also appeared extensively on TV and radio programs around Europe, including a live performance at Catalunya Música radio station, BBC Radio Merseyside and National Television of Catalunya TV3.
Steve Smith — Brass
Steve is one of our key brass tutors, boasting a vast wealth of experience from 20 years of brass playing, most notably with Wellington Brass Band. He specializes in the euphonium but also plays Bb and Eb bass, tenor horn and baritone. Steve has reached the National Brass Band Championships with Wellington, where they were third section champions in 2008. They also perform regularly throughout the year, notably at Ludlow Arts Festival and Ironbridge Brass Festival.
In 2013 Steve co-founded Vorsprung Deutsch Oompah, a group of musicians on various traditional German instruments performing popular German tunes with an outfit to match!
Over the last 15 years Steve has volunteered for projects looking after first aid, supporting brass sections and most importantly ensuring everyone is having fun! Outside of music he works for an established charity in the care sector, where he leads the care team in providing support to individuals as well as assessing/quality assuring QCF diplomas in health and social care.
Rob Chalmers — Guitar
Jonas Tattersall — 2024 Director & Orchestra Conductor
Jonas is a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist, playing the piano, trombone, clarinet and bassoon. He graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2013 with a BA in Music and Popular Music having specialised in classical piano performance and music technology. After university, he spent a year playing piano in the showbands of two cruise ships accompanying a variety of guest entertainers including Christina Bianco, Des O’Connor and Elaine Delmar. He currently plays bassoon with Crosby Symphony Orchestra and has also played with Orchestra DelL’arte, Hope Metropolitan Orchestra, Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, St. John’s Orchestra Chester and Wirral Symphony Orchestra.
Jonas works as a music teacher at Wirral Grammar School for Girls and leads the mixed SATB choir, a popular improvisation group called the Junior Jazzers and has been musical director for the past six musicals. Shows have included Guys and Dolls, Grease, The Producers as well as Chicago which was runner up for Educate’s Outstanding Arts in a Secondary School, 2019. Outside the school setting he has done a lot of musical theatre work as MD with companies including What We Did Next, LIPA, Birkdale Operatic Society, Arden School of Theatre and Bentley Operatic Society. He loves coming to GBMC and takes great pride and enjoyment in conducting the orchestra.
Lizzie Watts — Improvisation & Vocals
Lizzie is a musician, music therapist and youth worker with years of experience working with people through music. She is a qualified music therapist (MMT), trained in the Nordoff-Robbins approach which places interactive music-making and creativity at the heart of the therapeutic process. Her work is informed by the belief that music is part of being human, and as such provides unique opportunities for connection, interaction and growth.
Lizzie is also an experienced community musician, having run choirs, samba percussion groups and team-building workshops in diverse settings. She is particularly passionate about working with young people, using music to help build confidence and self-esteem. She currently runs a youth choir at The Hive, Wirral Youth Zone.
Aside from her community and therapeutic work, Lizzie performs regularly as a pianist and singer and teaches piano to children and adults in Wirral and Liverpool. However, GBMC remains the highlight of her year!
Wes Russell — Funk & Soul
Wes is a multi-instrumentalist and musical director/composer. He attended GBMC as a camper from 2014-2017 and credits Music Camp with heavily influencing his future career decisions. Graduating from LIPA in 2020 with a First Class BA in Music, he specialised in keys. While studying there he formed DADDY, a Liverpool-based 10-piece comedy funk ensemble. Soon after forming they became known for their unorthodox guerilla marketing stunts, like their full-band flash mob in Liverpool ONE or their heavy funk arrangements of popular children’s TV show themes. In 2019 they were main support for the Grammy-Winning Hot 8 Brass for their Liverpool date. Wes also co-wrote and produced the sold-out original funk musical “DADDY: The Musical!”
Wes is also an experienced session player and MD having been on multiple UK/European tours and in the studio with artists like: Micayl (lead guitar) and Joey Wit & The Definition (kit). He played bass for top 40 artist: Mark Joseph on his festival headline at MK17 Fest. Wes also has a solo project prioritising minimalistic storytelling through folk/soul and he opened for IAMDDB with his London debut show.
Ash Murphy — Rap Music
Beatboxer, lyricist, rapper and event producer. Ash runs events which brings together DJs, rappers, producers, animators and artists. He has DJ’d and performed across europe at festivals supporting artists such as chic, alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and Snarky Puppy.
He also creates projection installations across the country using VR technology and projection mapping.
Ash also works as a music leader and workforce development for community music and education charity More Music.