The Glasshouse

Abigail began playing brass at the age of six in her local brass band in Lancashire. She eventually came to Newcastle to study music at Newcastle University and spent one of those years studying abroad in Hong Kong. Abigail began working for In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead in 2018 and also teaches privately, in schools and for music centres in and around Newcastle. When she’s not teaching Abigail is involved in numerous different projects around Newcastle in which she writes, records and performs music on the trumpet. She enjoys playing a wide range of genres and settings which include musicals, session musician work and jazz. She will usually say yes to playing anything!

Originally from Scotland, Mark trained as a percussionist in Edinburgh and Newcastle. His work as a conductor and percussionist takes him across the country and further afield to work with orchestras, choirs and Indian Street Bands. After starting musical life on the recorder and violin, he quickly switched to percussion after a concert playing the triangle. Mark is currently undertaking further study with Clark Rundell and Mark Heron at the Royal Northern College of Music which includes being the Assistant Conductor for projects with BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Psappha ensemble. Earlier this year he founded the Northern Percussion Ensemble who perform concerts, recitals and workshops across the region.

Mark is currently Director of Music for New Tyneside Orchestra, Hexham Orpheus Choir, Felling Male Voice Choir, workshop leader for Streetwise Opera, lecturer in conducting at Newcastle University and associate conductor for ‘Voices of Hope’ who recently won the BBC Choir of the Year Competition.

Originally from Bristol, Annie took up the clarinet at the age of eight and went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After graduating, she worked for BBC Radio 3 before moving to Newcastle. She has played in many orchestras including Royal Northern Sinfonia and has taught woodwind and Clarinet throughout the region. Annie’s positions include Programme Leader for wind and brass on Sage Gateshead’s Young Musicians Programme and she has been involved with In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead since it’s inception. Annie enjoys travelling and cooking and going to visit her two grown-up children.

Northumberland born, Jo Montgomery started playing the violin at the age of four and studied at Chetham’s School of Music from the age of 13. She went on to study in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she performed in string quartets and on West End shows whilst still a student. Jo has a varied musical life combining teaching with string quartet playing and orchestral work, having performed and recorded with the BBC Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia. She has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company touring company playing an on stage role in the Taming of the Shrew.

Jo has been teaching at In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead for the past six years and highlights have included; team teaching with Andrew Lloyd Webber, taking the children to perform at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool and working with the reception children, who are so fabulous.

Born in Corbridge, Peter began cello lessons aged eight at his local school in Ashington. He studied under Alexander Baillie at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Peter enjoys a varied career performing and recording all sorts of music on the cello and electric guitar. He especially enjoys arranging music for the many ensembles he directs as well as conducting youth orchestras. His favourite band is Radiohead and adores the composers Shostakovich, J.S.Bach, Thomas Newman and Debussy.

As well as enjoying teaching at Hawthorn Primary School, Peter teaches at The Royal Grammar School and Kings Priory, Tynemouth. He is a keen mountain biker, loves renovating property and has two Cocker Spaniels called Milly and Maya.

After growing up near Sheffield, Hannah studied music in Newcastle and then travelled to Sweden to train to be an orchestral violinist at the Swedish National Orchestral Academy. She loved living in Sweden but was happy to move back to Newcastle, where it’s much warmer! Hannah started working for the In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead programme in 2017 and also teaches at Sage Gateshead and in other schools and music centres in the area. She performs regularly as a freelance violinist and violist, and likes to play music from lots of different genres including classical music, Scandinavian folk music and British folk music.

Originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, Chris has been playing the Tenor Horn from the age of 10. Following in the footsteps of his dad, Chris joined the NASUWT Riverside Concert Band. He then became a member of the Young Musicians Programme at Sage Gateshead, studying Brass and Double Bass. Whilst on the CAT programme, Chris also joined the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.

In 2016 Chris moved to Wales to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he studied with Owen Farr and Dr Robert Childs. Whilst studying at the college Chris played solo Horn with the college brass band and was involved with numerous chamber ensembles, qualifying for the Phillip Jones Brass ensemble final, held at the college in 2020. In 2018 he competed at the National Brass Band finals of Great Britain with the City of Cardiff Band.

Arranging music is a great passion of Chris’, his first work was premiered in 2015 at Sage Gateshead. Since then he has arranged music for the International Tenor Horn and Flugelhorn festival, various brass ensembles and more recently for orchestras. At university, Chris set up the Prestige 6 Orchestra with renowned composer Daniel Hall, a progressive hybrid orchestra that fuses the world of pop and classical together.

Now back in the North East, Chris enjoys playing in musicals, local brass bands and teaching at Sage Gateshead teaching brass and strings.

Mark was born in Leeds and moved to the West Coast of Scotland when he was ten years old. In a primary school with a total pupil population of eight he had his first experience of playing the flute by a visiting teacher. This experience set him on a musical journey to the bright lights of Aberdeen, Newcastle and Sunderland, leading him to become a secondary music teacher. Having enjoyed 27 years of working at Thornhill Academy in Sunderland it was time for a fresh adventure and is delighted to be working at Bridgewater and Hawthorn Primary Schools. Inspired by his Auntie’s gift of the E.T. Soundtrack in 1982, Mark has a strong passion for film music. He enjoys running and has completed two marathons, London and Chicago, as well as 26 Great North Runs.

Born in the North-East, Laura’s musical journey began at school. She began learning the trombone at the age of 10 before joining The Band and Bugles of Durham ACF in secondary school where she performed at high profile events in the UK and abroad, such as Malta’s Military Tattoo and at Windsor Castle, where she performed for The Queen. She later went on to study Music at Newcastle University, completing a BA Hons in Music and an MMus specialising in trombone performance on modern and period instruments. She now enjoys a freelance career as a trombonist, sackbut player and educator. Laura is an active performer, performing all genres from Early music to Classical and Jazz. She can often be found in a musical theatre pit and loves performing for shows. Show highlights include: Hadestown, Annie, Shrek, The Addams Family and The Rat Pack and Blues Brother’s Live!, which were performed as part of The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Laura can also be heard on a number of recordings such as The Hovis Advert and the final episode of The Doctor Puppet YouTube series!

In addition to performing, Laura enjoys a varied teaching career. She teaches and leads ensembles in the North-East and North Yorkshire. Laura has taught at The Glasshouse for over ten years on various programmes and recently joined the In Harmony Programme in 2025, where she works with Year 5 and the West Newcastle Junior Orchestra.

Bio coming soon.