Profiles

Musical Director - Theo Vinden

Japanese-British conductor, Theo Vinden, is very excited to start to work with the Wymondham Symphony Orchestra this Autumn!

He is also guest conductor of the Grim's Dyke professional Opera company (formerly the D'Oyly Opera company), assistant conductor of the National Youth String Orchestra of the U.K., assistant professor of conducting at the London Performing Academy of Music, and conductor at the North London Conservatoire.

Over the past 3 years, he was director of the orchestra and choir at Keele University. The orchestra doubled in size during his tenure, and he refounded the choir in January 2024.

He was formerly conducting Fellow of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (in West Texas, U.S.) and interim director of orchestra at the University of Texas Permian Basin, while completing his doctoral studies in the U.S.. Last year, he also participated in the Mostly Modern Festival in the Netherlands, on a full scholarship, championing new music of composers from across the world.

During his time in the U.S., he assisted conductors such as Imre Palló and Benjamin Zander; additionally, he conducted on stage with Jill Grove (mezzo-soprano of the Metropolitan Opera). He was head conductor of the TTU Matador Opera Workshop (performing Mozart's Da Ponte operas) and conducting professor on the West Texas Kodály Initiative.

Prior to going to the U.S., he was director of the chamber choir at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy, Hungary (as well as conducting many other choirs across Hungary), and also completed his Masters degree in Kodály pedagogy and choral conducting. Whilst in Hungary, he conducted in important ceremonies commemorating Kodály's birth and death anniversaries in the 2017-18 season - performing most of Kodály's choruses. This followed his studies in Russia (St. Petersburg Conservatory) and the U.K. (Royal Northern College of Music and University of Manchester Joint Course, cello).

Theo, with his rich background in Kodály pedagogy, is passionate about education work. He formerly coached the Intermediate Choir of the North London Conservatoire, the West Texas Children's Chorus, Pro Corda and the English School's Symphony Orchestra. He also performed at the Royal Festival Hall with musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra, in an education project involving London youth music hubs.

As cellist, Theo has appeared as soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra and done freelance work with many professional orchestras in the U.K. and U.S., including Opera North, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra.

Leader - Judith Jenks

Judith was born in Norwich and grew up there. Her love for orchestral playing was fostered and developed while playing violin in the Norfolk County Youth Orchestra, the Norwich Student Orchestra, Norwich High School Senior Orchestra and ultimately the Norwich Philharmonic.

After graduating with a music degree from Birmingham University she worked in London in classical music administration whilst playing violin in numerous orchestras. In 2000 she moved to Lincolnshire to become a peripatetic violin teacher at a range of schools within the county. She gained her ATCL Violin Recital Diploma and took up the viola; she developed a passion for playing in musical theatre pit bands. A highlight before the pandemic was playing violin in ‘The Sound of Music’, a professional production in Limassol and Nicosia theatres in Cyprus.

Since moving back to Norwich Judith has been a violin extra with the International Film Orchestra for a couple of ‘The Spectacular Music of Harry Potter’ concerts in 2023, performed in ‘The Norwich Halls’ and Lincoln Cathedral. She recently played in a concert for ‘Encore: A Night with West End Stars’ at the Koningin Elisabethzaal, in Antwerp, Belgium with the Northern Musical Theatre Orchestra. Judith is now tutoring in Norwich.

Patron - Juan Gonzalez

Juan started his musical education at the Sistema of the Youth Orchestras in Venezuela and was member of the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra. He works regularly with orchestras such London Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and the London Contemporary Orchestra among others. Juan also lived in Germany, where he was a member of the German Chamber Orchestra ( DKO Berlin) and worked with the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, Deutsche Oper, Runfunk Symphonie Orchestra Berlin, KammerAkademie Potsdam and the Ensamble Resonanz in Hamburg. He was invited to lead the Berliner Symphoniker in several occasions whilst in Berlin. As a soloists and chamber musician Juan has performed in many Latin American countries, Germany, England and Switzerland and has recorded for Deutsche Grammphon, Sony Clasic, Costa Records, Signum Classics as well as many recordings with the BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and film scores at Abbey Road Studios in London. Most recently Juan played at Westminster Abbey in the Coronation Orchestra during the Coronation of King Charles.

President - Adrienne Cleary ARCM

Born in Wiltshire Adrienne has lived in both Suffolk and Norfolk. She studied at the Royal College of Music and for all her working life she has been teaching piano and recorder privately and at Old Hall School, Hethersett, and Wymondham College in Norfolk. She was a founder member of the Friends of Norfolk Youth Music (FONYM), running workshops for young musicians, and is frequently invited to be a guest conductor of the Norfolk Recorder Society.

She founded the Wymondham Symphony Orchestra in 1984 and has kept busy behind the scenes not only as secretary for the first ten years and then its President. She is also an active member of the orchestra playing piano, celeste and percussion.

In December 2019 Adrienne was shortlisted for the Cultural/Arts Person of the Year Award, sponsored by Broadland & South Norfolk Council, as part of the Stars of Norfolk & Waveney Awards 2019. Later at a ceremony in the 'Open', Bank Plain, Norwich, she was presented with the winner's prize.