Our people
Music and Theatre for All is run and managed by a Board of Trustees, and a small but agile executive team
President
Sir Richard Aikens | Chair
Sir Richard, former Judge, now international arbitrator and Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. Richard has long been involved with musical charities.
Patrons
Alexander Armstrong
Alexander is a well-known comedian, actor, television presenter, baritone, and presenter of Classic FM’s weekday morning show.
Rosamund Bernays
Sophie Gilpin (chairperson)
Sophie Gilpin (she/her) is an award-winning opera, theatre and film director who is passionate about inclusivity in the arts. She is a Co-Founder of SWAP’ra (Supporting Women and Parents in Opera) and has research experience in cultural policy, placemaking and levelling up.
Charlotte Ring
Charlotte is a Tax Manager with a background in accounting and finance. Charlotte has previously worked with charities that engage with young people and promote accessibility.
Jill Palliser
Jill is co-Head of a South East London primary school, with a background in performance; Jill worked as an actor-musician across theatre and radio, before moving into the education sector. Jill is committed to widening opportunities for children and young people to engage with, and express themselves, through the Arts.
Kaleesha Rajamantri
Kaleesha brings strengths in business strategy and negotiation with a background in global media and tech. She has deep international experience in leading product go-to-market, and full-suite digital advertising campaigns for global brands, spanning the Americas, APAC, and EMEA. She is passionate about theatre and its transformative impact on young people.
Oscar Simms
Oscar is a young stage director and musician working across opera, theatre and music education. He is passionate about art produced in community settings.
Riccardo Ottaviani
Riccardo works in asset management and is a seasoned investment professional focused on various industries. In his spare time, he is passionate about classical music and is an enthusiastic believer in the numerous socio-psychological benefits attributed to music and its dissemination. Additionally, Riccardo has a background in performing arts, culminating in a postgraduate degree from the ‘G. Verdi’ Conservatory in Milan.
Stephen Weil
Stephen has a background in investment banking with a focus on financing technology companies since the early 1980s.
“Knowing that we’re working together to support wider access to music and theatre, and to see the benefits for MTFA participants, is extremely rewarding and motivating.”
Jill Palliser
MTFA Trustee
Executive team
Thomas Guthrie
Artistic Director
Tom is an award-winning director, musician, and actor. He works in theatre, film and music to tell stories in vivid, new and direct ways. www.thomasguthrie.com
Miranda Hunt
Creative Produce & Urban Opera Company Manager
Miranda is a creative producer and Arts and Education administrator, and has been working for MTFA and the Urban Opera project since 2020. Following a first class honours degree in Drama and Theatre studies at Royal Holloway, and second degree in Humanities with the Open University, her background is in theatre lighting (manufacture and operation), trade shows and events nationally and internationally.
Penny Jonas
Development Consultant
Penny specialises in planning and fundraising for classical music and culture.
Kate Petty
Strategic Ops & Comms
Kate is a creative freelancer with experience in campaign management, comms and marketing. She’s also a lecturer in Plant Science at Bath Spa University, sings with Paragon Singers and is an occasional harpist.