Jessica Mogridge (Oboe/Cor Anglais) & Muriel Phillips (Piano)

Jessica Mogridge Oboe/ Cor Anglais/ Performers Coach

Jessica’s career as an oboist has taken her all over the world.  After spending 3 years living in Hong Kong and playing Principal Cor Anglais with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Jessica is now based in the UK.   Firmly established in the freelance world, Jessica is much in demand particularly as a Cor Anglais player, and works all over the country in addition to touring frequently.  Amongst the orchestras she plays with are the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, and BBC Concert Orchestras, as well as English National Ballet and Britten Sinfonia.

Jessica’s unique career combines orchestral playing with being an active chamber musician; she is a founder member of cutting edge oboe trio Pipers 3, specialising in playing absolutely the best works for oboe trio.  Highlights include being resident chamber ensemble at St Magnus Festival in 2011 and Bath Festival in 2014, and broadcasting on Radios 3 and 4.  They have played in all kinds of venues to all sorts of audiences, from a small church on a cliff edge in Orkney to Broadmoor Prison, and as part of a production of The Tempest in full costume and body make up.

Six years ago Jessica trained as a coach, specifically to work with performers, and now holds a PG Cert in Business and Personal Coaching.  She works mostly, but not exclusively, with performers, both in the UK and abroad, helping them to do what they do, better.  As a Performers Coach, Jessica is involved in the RLPO’s Performance Wellbeing Programme.  As well as coaching individuals, she runs workshops, and is a regular visitor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  She has also run workshops for Chetham’s School of Music and the Purcell School, and for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales.  The Covid19 pandemic has pushed her into independently running a successful 6 week online group coaching course for creatives, “Lockdown Limbo”, where participants benefit not only from coaching, but from coming together, and from peer support.

jessicamogridge.co.uk

Muriel Phillips - Piano

Muriel Phillips began her musical education in Bedford, England. She won a Junior Exhibition at the age of eleven to the Royal College of Music, studying both the Piano and the Violin. She later studied Piano at the Royal Northern College of Music and concurrently took a Music degree at Manchester University (the Joint Course).

On leaving the RNCM, Muriel was awarded the Clifton Helliwell Memorial Prize.  Muriel returned to the Royal College of Music in London as a Postgraduate Accompanist and won several major accompaniment prizes, becoming a Wall Trust Scholar. At the RCM, she gained her ARCM (PG) and was later awarded a ‘Geoffrey Parsons Junior Fellowship in Keyboard Accompaniment’, studying with John Blakely.

She has performed widely as an accompanist in both the UK and abroad.  Concert venues have included London, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, India, Sweden, Egypt, Cyprus and Berlin. Muriel accompanied James Rutherford in their Wigmore Hall debut and has also performed in recitals on cruise ships.  She has performed in the presence of HRH the Prince of Wales on a number of occasions and accompanied Alfie Boe at a dinner commemorating Placido Domingo’s twenty-five years at the Royal Opera House.  

Muriel is in demand as an accompanist for recitals, competitions, choral societies and a wide variety of audition work. She was Head of Piano at Charterhouse School in Surrey and taught Piano at Eton College in Berkshire.  She has also taught and given masterclasses in the USA.

Muriel has been an ABRSM (Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music) Examiner for many years, and her busy examining schedule has included many tours to international venues. She is a Trainer and Moderator, and also undertakes examinations for the Jazz Syllabus and Diploma level candidates.