MEET OUR TUTORS

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Ancuta Nite is a Romanian-British pianist and educator, born in Piatra Neamț, North East Romania. She has been based in Scotland since 2000, following the award of a Silvestri Scholarship which enabled her to continue her studies at Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools in Edinburgh.

Ancuta later returned to Scotland to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she was awarded both a Stevenson Scholarship and an ABRSM International Scholarship. Ancuta also received very generous sponsorship for the duration of her studies, made possible by the kindness of many donors and the invaluable assistance of Helen Mitchell, the Director of Music at Mary Erskine School.

Under the guidance of distinguished pianists Fali Pavri and Aaron Shorr, she graduated in 2009 with First Class Honours in Piano Performance, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma and Master’s Degree. During her time at the Conservatoire, she won numerous prizes including the Mozart Concerto Competition, performing K271 “Jeunehomme,” and gave a memorable performance of Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as part of her final exam.

Her performance career has taken her across Europe and the UK, with appearances in prestigious venues such as Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, London’s Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, and the New Auditorium at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. She has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists including John Lill, Steven Osborne, Katia Veekmans, Roy Howat, Hyoong Jung Chang, Alexander Korsantia, and Pascal Rogé. 

Recent concerto engagements include Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto with Glasgow Sinfonia, Beethoven’s Third with the New Edinburgh Orchestra, and Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto with Helensburgh Orchestral Society, alongside solo recitals in Italy and Germany.

In 2021, Ancuta released her debut solo CD Post tenebras lux (“Light after darkness”), featuring works by Chopin and Liszt.

She is a sought-after adjudicator, having judged piano competitions in Germany (Einbecker Klavierfrühling), Sweden (Twelfth Stockholm International Music Competition), China (Yi Yue Classic Piano Competition), Greece (Colibri International Piano Competition) and various UK festivals. She recently completed a year-long educational project in China, delivering 30 lessons for beginner pianists.

A passionate educator, Ancuta is the founder of the Nite Piano School in Glasgow’s City Centre and West End (www.nitepianoschool.co.uk). She teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and serves as Piano Coordinator at the University of St Andrews.

Together with her husband, Quintin Doyle, Ancuta has been an ambassador for Hospices of Hope since 2008, supporting palliative care in South Eastern Europe. Their fundraising efforts—including chamber music concerts, private recitals, and performances at venues such as London’s Globe Theatre—have raised over£33.635  for the charity.

Ancuta is also Artistic Director of the Ardtornish Piano Retreat and Concert Series, held annually at Ardtornish Estate, Lochaline, and of the MoltoPiano International Summer School in St Andrews (www.moltopiano.co.uk).

Richard Michael occupies a unique place in the musical life of his native Scotland, as he has the versatility to improvise on any theme, in any key and in any given style.

He has a virtuosic piano technique enabling him to give recitals on “The History of Jazz Piano”, encompassing every major jazz pianist from Fats Waller to Keith Jarrett, and is a master of stride piano playing. 

Years spent as Head of Music in Beath High School, Cowdenbeath have led to an easy rapport with audiences explaining how music works. A popular broadcaster on Radio Scotland since 2007, he has revealed to thousands of listeners the secrets of the jazz masters in his role as “Jazz Jargonbuster”.

He is Honorary Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of St Andrews, and played a major role in the development of the ABRSM Jazz Piano Syllabus.

Richard, through his pioneering work with Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra, has been influential in the development of many of our finest musicians such as Calum Gourlay, Helena Kay, Fergus McCreadie and Kim Macari. Richard currently runs a ”Virtual” FYJO with members from all over the UK.

He has had a regular feature on BBC Radio Scotland’s “Jazz Nights” for the past 14 years, opening up and explaining how jazz works to thousands of listeners, and is one of the country’s most experienced educators.

He is currently working on a book and DVD for Hal Leonard Inc. entitled “Jazz Piano for Kids”, is teaching improvisation on Nicola Benedetti’s Foundation, and plays the organ in Abbotshall Church, Kirkcaldy. 

 Stephen Armstrong is a pianist and teacher based in Dundee and Perth.  

After graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) where he studied with Murray McLachlan, Elizabeth Jacobs and Jack Keaney, Stephen built up a successful private teaching practice.  

In 2000 he accepted the challenges of a new post in Dundee as Head of Piano at the High School of Dundee.   There he has worked with many talented young pianists and instrumentalists as accompanist. Several of Stephen’s students have gone on to study music at university and conservatoire. 

Stephen is also an Associate teacher of piano at the University of St Andrews working with a varied range of pianists from all over the world.  While Stephen’s focus has been teaching the piano, he has continued to give recitals as soloist, accompanist and as part of a piano duo with his friend and colleague Avril Evans.  Stephen and Avril established their piano duo in 2006 after a performance of Carmina Burana with the High School of Dundee Senior choir in the Caird Hall, Dundee.  Since then they have given many recitals throughout the UK of much of the main works for four hands on one piano.  Gary Fraser of the Dundee Courier said ‘Stephen and Avril could both excel as soloists but as a duo, are a positive delight’!  

Stephen is a Fellow of the ‘Independent Society of Musicians and a Member of the ‘European Piano Teachers Association’.  

Toni James has attracted wide critical acclaim as “an outstanding musician” (New York Times) and “chamber music pianist of the highest calibre” (MusicWeb International).  Her recordings have won acclaim from Gramophone, MusicWeb International and Fanfare Magazine.  She has toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, UK and Europe, including appearances at Weill Recital Hall, Jordan Hall, Rolston Recital Hall, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Bing Concert Hall and Copley Symphony Hall.  Toni’s major international festival appearances include Rockport, Banff, Heifetz, Mainly Mozart and La Jolla.  Her collaborators include Rachel Barton Pine, Jeremy Denk, Conn-Selmer Roster Artists, and principals of the major American orchestras.  Toni’s performances of newly commissioned works and premieres include music by former Chicago Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence Augusta Read Thomas, Grammy-Award winner Billy Childs and Daniel Dorff.  She is currently pianist with one of Scotland's foremost new and chamber music collectives Scottish Voices.

Toni is Doctor of Musical Arts, which she earned from the world-famous Eastman School of Music where she also received the Postgraduate Certificate in College and Community Teaching.  She was the youngest-ever recipient of the Bachelor of Music Performance Degree with First Class Honours from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, aged just twenty.  In addition to earning top honours in the Conservatoire’s Mozart Memorial Concerto Prize, Governor’s Recital Prize and Bach Prize, Toni is an international prize-winner in the Moray, Scottish International Piano Academy and International Emmanuel Durlet competitions.  She was also a keyboard finalist in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year Competition.

Appointed Professor of Piano, Performance and Pedagogy at San Diego State University School of Music and Dance in 2015, Toni was awarded the University’s Exceptional Service Award.  She was later appointed Head of Academic Quality & Standards for the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of Liverpool, where she taught classical music performance and pedagogy as well as launching the inaugural Women in Music conference.  She has been Visiting Professor at the Music Departments of Furman University and Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as a guest teaching artist at Bravo! International Music Academy, Hausmann Chamber Music Program and Asheville Area Piano Forum.  Toni has delivered access, development and progression in music for children, young people and adults of all ages and backgrounds as Director of the Piano Academy at San Diego State University Community Music School and San Diego Summer Music Institute.