About Us
Here is some more information about the people who provide music lessons with us.
Originally from Toulouse, Paul Milhau began his musical education at Toulouse Conservatoire where he was awarded the Prix de Violon and Prix de Musique de Chambre. He then moved to London to take up the offer of a place to study at the Royal College of Music and completed both his Bachelor of Music and Postgraduate Diploma there with Radu Blidar. While a student, Paul was selected to perform in orchestral projects directed by Sir Roger Norrington, Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vladimir Jurowski, and masterclasses with Carolin Widmann, Jean Pierre Wallez, Vasko Vassilev, Trio Apaches and the Talich Quartet. In Paul’s final two years of studies, he founded and led the XVIIth Quartet; in addition to performing in churches across London and recording Beethoven and Shostakovich at the University of Surrey’s studios, the XVIIth Quartet was chosen to perform in the Royal College of Music’s Chamber Music Weekend Showcase Concert in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall.
Since graduating, Paul has made a professional career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician and teacher. He has performed at venues such as York Minster, Chelsea Arts Club, Saint Mary Abbot’s and St Paul’s Church Knightsbridge, Salle Bleue and Saint-Pierre des Cuisines (in Toulouse), Église Saint-Vincent and the Concert Hall of Ax-les-Thermes (in the Pyrenees), the Festival Notes d’Ecumes in Port Leucate, the Forum Musikae (in Pozuelo, Madrid), and at the Granados Concert Hall (in Lleida). Recent engagements have included touring with Regent’s Opera as the only violinist in a chamber arrangement of Rossini’s Barber of Seville, performing as a soloist at Notre Dame de France in Leicester Square, London and playing for York Minster's service 'Three Hours Before the Cross' for Good Friday.
Paul Milhau - Violin
Eleanor Kornas - Piano
After studying at Chetham's School of Music for nine years, Eleanor read Music at the University of Cambridge, becoming a Senior Scholar and winning the Donald Wort Prize for academia. While at university, Eleanor also accompanied Trinity College Chapel Choir for their evensongs, tours and for three recordings of music by Leighton, Ešenvalds and Howells, all nominated for Gramophone awards. Upon graduating Eleanor worked as an Adami Award Junior Fellow at the Royal College of Music. Eleanor later offered cover as a Staff Accompanist at Chetham's School of Music before returning to London as a Piano Accompaniment Fellow at the Royal College of Music and a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme. Eleanor is now the Head of Keyboard Studies at Queen Margaret's School, York, alongside continuing to perform as a soloist, chamber musician and duo partner, supported by the Tunnell Trust and Park Lane Group. Eleanor has recently enjoyed a a tour of music clubs in Scotland and looks forward to upcoming duo engagements at the Wigmore Hall and St John Smith’s Square.
Ioanna Koullepou started her music studies at the age of eight in Lyceum Ellinidon Ammoxostou Music School in Cyprus. She is a graduate of Musicology/Music Education from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki while also she got her Piano Degree and Diploma with general grade Excellent from Philippos Nakas Conservatory. In 2019 she completed her Postgraduate degree in Music Performance Practice under Peter Seymour and Hilary Suckling at the University of York, which was followed by her PhD on Carl Loewe's songs. She has worked on chamber music with various instrumentalists and singers and participated in piano seminars and competitions. Ioanna has also worked as a piano accompanist for a dancing group, choirs and undergraduate and postgraduate recitals. Her various performances as a soloist and as an accompanist in Greece, Cyprus and her professional concerts with Yorkshire promoters left her with exceptional work opportunities integrating with new musicians and professionals. Particularly rewarding projects are her collaboration with Peter Seymour in the British Song Project and performances of Britten's Saint Nicolas and Philip Wilby's Merry Chris Mouse.
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Ioanna Koullepou - Piano
Christopher Wood - Piano
Christopher Wood has been a piano teacher in Yorkshire for seven years. After graduating from Leeds College of Music with a degree in Piano Performance he went on to achieve an MA in Historical Performance Practice at the University of York and remains there as a PhD student and accompanist.
Christopher is able to teach a range of musical styles with a specialism in Classical music and accompaniment. He also helps students to prepare for music theory exams up to grade 5.
One of Christopher’s greatest passions is teaching music and he enjoys building a strong dialogue with his students in order to understand their passions and goals - whether for school, college, or university, or just for fun. Christopher prides himself on a tailored teaching style that is built on trust and clear communication and always makes sure each lesson is engaging, productive, and (most importantly) fun!​
Nichola O’Connell is a professional Piano Teacher based in York offering lessons to a wide variety of ages, from young children to adults who may want to pick it up as a hobby.
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Nichola graduated from the University of York in 2013 with a degree in Music and went on to study Javanese Gamelan at the Institute of Arts in Surakarta, Indonesia. When studying abroad, she learnt to develop her improvisation skills and memorisation skills which consequently helped her piano studies and encouraged her to think in a completely novel way. Nichola is now a member of the ‘Gamelan Sekar Petak’ ensemble at the University of York. Nichola went on to work as an accompanist at the Steiner School in York and is now a peripatetic teacher for North Yorkshire County Council and as such visits both primary and secondary schools across the County.
Nichola incorporates Kodaly and Dalcroze techniques into her lessons,
particularly when working with young children. This helps internalise some concepts which children may be struggling to understand with musical notation alone.
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