Our Team
Meet the talented individuals who make up our teaching faculty for our jazz summer course.
Course Leader & Voice Teacher
Emilia Mårtensson
Emilia Martensson, ”A voice of quite remarkable expressive depth” -(JAZZWISE) is an award-winning London/Berlin-based vocalist originally from Sweden.
She has built a well-deserved reputation as one of the most exciting vocalists on the UK Jazz scene and she was awarded ‘Vocalist of the Year-2016′ at The Parliamentary Jazz Awards. She features as a vocalist in several projects and has been collaborating, both as a singer and as a composer with a range of groups, most recently with The Third Orchestra. Her most acclaimed collaboration led to a MOBO Award with the British group ‘Kairos 4tet’.
The Guardian wrote: …”...Martensson invest every sound with a skimming, rapturous lightness and clarity”…JF
New music will be released in 2024. A duo project together with pianist Matt Robinson and produced by Chris Hyson, (Snowpoet). Their new collaboration looks to expand upon the traditional piano-vocal duo with a fresh approach to sound, color, and open improvisation.
Emilia is passionate about working with and creating opportunities for other singers. She developed ‘Beyond Vocals back in 2013, which has in later years developed into an international online program and community for singers wanting to excel in their music careers. ‘Beyond Vocals’ also hosts jazz summer retreats in Izola, (Slovenia) every August and provides workshops and masterclasses for jazz festivals including London Jazz Festival and Ljubljana Jazz Festival.
Piano Accompanist & Music Theory
Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson is a London based pianist, composer and producer, primarily in jazz and contemporary music. Best known for his melodic improvisations, harmonically nuanced playing, swirling synth soundscapes and use of live electronics.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the Edwin Samuel Dove prize and a Yamaha Jazz Scholarship upon graduation.
Matt has performed, written and recorded with many leading musicians on the UK scene including Snowpoet, Flying Machines, The Magic Lantern, Emilia Martensson, Josienne Clarke and Nick Costley-White Quartet. His playing has been featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 6 music, Jazz FM and at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Ronnie Scotts and Love Supreme Festival.
Matt is part of a new duo collaboration Solitary Creatures with Swedish vocalist and composer Emilia Mårtensson. They have released three singles on Edition Records with more music coming soon.
Matt is also one half of new Indie-Folk project Wanderland with singer and visual artist Natalie Wildgoose. They released their debut EP Songs I in July 2021 and have already featured in CLASH magazine as well as on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio York and BBC 6 Music. They are now working on a second EP due for release later in 2022.
Voice Teacher & Choir Director
Beth Aggett
Beth is a vocal coach & choir director based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She is an experienced session vocalist, backing vocalist and songwriter within the pop and electronic music genres, and has performed as lead vocalist in numerous ensembles including big bands and orchestras. Currently Beth sings with a close harmony trio and is working on a solo project of original music that combines influences from folk, pop, and jazz. One of Beth's earliest choir experiences was singing in the Camden Jazz Voices run by Emilia over 15 years ago!
Holistic Voice
Marina Mårtensson
Marina Martensson is a well-established singer, songwriter, and performing artist based in Slovenia. Her passion for music and curiosity in exploring her vocals has taken her from the jazz scene in Sweden to a record deal in Japan, resulting in two album releases and collaborations with well-regarded musicians in Sweden. Throughout her two-decade-long career, she has collaborated with big bands and orchestras, blending her voice across genres such as electronic music, folk, country, soul, hip-hop, and, for the past six years, as a featured singer with the Slovenian pioneers of industrial rock, Laibach.
Marina's inquisitive approach to exploring the depths of her own voice, as well as others' voices, has in recent years led her to pursue education in holistic voice therapy, alongside her work as an IB PYP Music teacher at Ljubljana International School and as a vocal coach at Ljubljana Creative Art Academy. This journey is marked by her ability to seamlessly navigate and integrate frequencies and energy flows through the vibrations of the voice. She believes in the profound impact of the voice on emotional and physical well-being and dedicates herself to helping individuals unlock their true vocal potential. Her work not only elevates her performances but also empowers her students and clients to explore their own vocal journeys.
Creative Writing & Music Theory
Frederik Vedersø
Frederik Vedersø has been a successful singer, songwriter and artist throughout most of the 10’s in bands like The White Album and The Eclectic Moniker with whom he has released numerous albums on both Warner, Sony and Universal and toured all over Europe.
With a background as a jazz guitarist from Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense (DK), he has many years of teaching experience behind him from intermediate to the highest level, where he’s taught both songwriting, music production and music students at various conservatories, music schools and folk high schools in Denmark.
Frederik currently lives in Berlin where he teaches music at the Scandinavian School in Berlin, while running the online songwriting school Beyond Songwriting and releasing new music under the moniker Aunt and Feather.
Dummer
Žiga Smrdel
Žiga Smrdel is a young drummer, composer and band leader from Slovenia, who has
been a member of rhythm sections and leader of various bands for many years and is
extremely active on the Slovenian and foreign music scene - with the bands Smrdel
Brothers Collective, WCKD Nation and the piano trio Mind Tree, as well as in
collaboration with important names such as Jure Pukl, Marko Churnchetz, Denis
Beganovič, Igor Matkovič, Robert Jukič, Tonč Feinig and groups such as Vazz, Rok
Zalokar Trio, etc.
As one of the most talented musicians from the Balkan region he has also been invited to
an international music festival Punta Lopud Jazz Festival, where he performed and
learned from Grammy winning musicians Antonio Sanchez, Thana Alexa, Joe Lovano,
David Sanchez....
He is a long-time student of the great jazz master Gregory Hutchinson, and has also
studied with Doug Hammond, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Joe Sanders, Shai Maestro, Charles
Altura, Joel Ross and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Ziga is also the recipient of several international awards such as: The Hub for the
Exchange of Music Innovation (HEMI), awarded by the European Initiative for the Support
of Artists, gold plaques at the national competition Temsig and the state award Zlata
piščal (Golden Flute), awarded by the cultural-artistic association Zlata piščal for
outstanding achievements in the field of Slovene popular music. Together with the jazz
trio Mind Tree, Ziga has also won the prize for best composition at the 7th Virtual Jazz
Club competition. The trio has also released their first album “Catharsis”, which has been
well accepted among critics and listeners.
Miha Koren is a well established slovenian bassist who completed his masters studies at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz, majoring in jazz double bass in 2015. Since then Miha has been involved in many acclaimed projects in his home country and abroad.
He has performed at many international festivals (Port Townsend Jazz Festival, Graz Jazz Nacht, Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Misic Festival Exit etc.) and has collaborated with many recognizable musicians such as :Johnathan
Kreisberg, Femi Temowo, Jure Pukl, Jan Sturiale, Emilia Martensson, Marko Churnchetz and many others.
Miha recorded and composed music for film and theater and participated in many studio recordings.
Miha also received an international jazz award for the best live
performance of the year ‘Downbeat Student Award 2014’.