Glasgow Suzuki Workshop 2025

Elaine Wilson BMus (1st Hons) ESA Violin Level 5 (Antwerp Conservatory)

 

Elaine grew up in Cork, Ireland, learning violin through the Suzuki Method with Patricia Kelleher.

She now lives in Scotland, teaching privately in Glasgow and Ayr. 

Whilst studying at the RCS, Elaine won the Orchestral Prize, and the Hilda Bailey Violin Prize, and took part in many masterclasses. As a freelance violinist, Elaine has played with orchestras across the UK and Ireland.

 

Elaine regularly teaches at Suzuki workshops across the UK and Ireland, and is director of the Glasgow Suzuki Workshop. Elaine is also qualified as a Suzuki Viola Teacher and Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) teacher.

Karina studied violin at Trinity College of Music with Hu Kun and Eszter Boda Katona.

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In 2000 Karina became a Suzuki teacher and one of the very first in South East London. After 22 years with the Dulwich Suzuki Group Karina has started the new adventure with setting up Karina’s Violin Studio in Penge. Continually growing as a teacher and human being is what makes life interesting.

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As a Suzuki teacher Karina loves to be involved with workshops and courses where it's is always inspiring to work alongside and learn from other colleagues.  Karina became an ESA Teacher Trainer in 2020 and is enjoying the new dimension that training the future teachers has brought to her experience of the Suzuki Method.​​​​

Brendan Conroy is an Australian cellist and Suzuki cello teacher based in the Netherlands.

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He is a Teacher Trainer for courses in the Netherlands and the UK, and has taught at teacher courses and student workshops around Europe.

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He has played as a professional musician in concerts in the Netherlands and toured to many countries, earlier working in Australia with the Sydney Symphony, the Tasmanian Symphony, and various chamber ensembles.

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He has studied Suzuki pedgagogy in both Europe and the USA with a wide range of trainers, and has an active studio of students in Amsterdam who also love to travel regularly to workshops.​​

Mysie was born and educated in Scotland graduating from the RSAMD. In 1976 she joined the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

 

Mysie is a teacher trainer of both violin and viola and director of the Scottish Teacher Training Course.  Mysie is in great demand to teach at work shops and regularly trains and examines teachers all over Europe. Mysie is director of the viola teacher training course in Madrid and in March 2013 she taught at the 14th Suzuki World Convention in Matsumoto, Japan. 

 

Mysie has worked regularly as violin and viola tutor to the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland and as director of the Strings Training Orchestra of Scotland.  Mysie continues to run a very busy private teaching practice based in Edinburgh.

Ellen Martin began her career in Birmingham where she performed and taught. Most notably for the Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Department and Birmingham Music Service. She also studied in London with the British Suzuki Music Association.

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She relocated to Scotland and founded the Ayr Suzuki Cello Group. Ellen teaches for the Royal Conservatoire of ScotlandJunior Department and within various schools in Ayrshire. Keen to share her knowledge and pedagogy of cello, she regularly delivers training sessions at conferences and workshops in the UK and abroad.

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Ellen has recently been appointed Cello Director for the British Suzuki Music Association.

Joke Verswijvel started playing the violin when she was 9. Her teachers were Veerle Van Gorp and Wim Meuris.

 

When she was 18, she continued her musical studies at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven (BE) with Elisa Kawaguti and Wim De Moor. In 2012 she graduated for her Master in Violin, in 2013 for her Master in Chamber Music.

 

From 2014-2018 she studied the Suzuki Postgraduate for Violin at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp (BE) with Wilfried and Veerle Van Gorp, Wim Meuris and Koen Rens. Joke teaches in multiple music schools in Belgium. Next to violin teaching, Joke also followed the CML (Children’s Music Laboratory) training with Marco Messina (IT).

Hi, I'm Sarah - Suzuki student, teacher, and parent! I can't wait to meet you all in Glasgow for a fun weekend of music-making. I'll even be bringing my 3-year-old along, so make sure you say hi!

 

 I teach violin, viola, and Early Childhood Education down in the Midlands (Birmingham and Bearwood to be exact). We have an amazing community of families, from babies to teens - I love how music can bring so many people together. So get practising and I'll see you very soon! 

 

PS my favourite piece is Etude (book 1) so make sure you do extra practice on that one ;)

Cate Howard has studied and played the violin since the age of six. A graduate of the University of Witwatersrand School of Music, Cate continued post-graduate studies with Jascha Brodsky (Philadelphia PA) and Igor Ozim (Köln, Germany).

 

She has both performed and taught extensively in the US, South Africa, Tanzania, Germany and in the UK. Cate is a certified Suzuki teacher with both the SAA and BSMA.

 

In 2008, she published her first book 'How the Violin Plays the Violinist'. Currently, Cate is a Lecturer of Violin/Viola at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Juniors, Freelance Tutor for the Benedetti Foundation, and she directs the Galloway Violin Studio, Castle Douglas Scotland.

Anne learned to play the violin at school in Glasgow, and studied Pure Science at University. She was classically trained, but has always loved playing traditional music.

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After spending 10 years living in Nigeria, a chance conversation lead her to the Suzuki Training course directed by Mysie Ferguson. Her life was changed and enriched!

 

Since then she has run her own Suzuki Group in Edinburgh, holding regular group classes and concerts. she was actively involved in organising the Edinburgh Suzuki Workshops for many years, and has taught at workshops in Scotland, England, and Italy.

Anna Mavromatidi Whyte is a Piano, Zen Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher with over 25 years of experience working with children and adults.

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Anna’s passion lies in sharing valuable Yoga and Mindfulness skills with people of all walks of life, and in particular with musicians and music educators through workshops, courses and 1-2-1 mentoring.

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Anna is often found teaching at Summer Schools in Central Scotland, such as Caritas Strings Summer School at George Watson’s College (Edinburgh) and RCS Summer Strings Course (Glasgow), as well as Suzuki Workshops. 

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Scottish percussionist Calum Huggan is renowned for his musicality and charisma. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Mannheim Musikhochschule, and the Royal College of Music, developing a deep affinity for the marimba.

 

At 18, he earned his first solo BBC broadcast and has since gained international recognition as a soloist and chamber musician.

 

A Yamaha Artist, he is professor of marimba and percussion at Trinity Laban and Head of the Youth Ambassador Programme at the Benedetti Foundation. Passionate about education and inclusion, he also serves as Vice-Chair of the Musicians’ Union ED&I committee.