ANASTASIA MICKLETHWAITE
Flute & Voice
"Anastasia is a fabulous Director of Music." - Suzi Digby OBE
"Anastasia is a fine musician, a great teacher and a committed human being."
- Dr Atarah Ben Tovim MBE
"Nothing is more important than inspiring young people as you do.
I admire you so much for that."
- Suzi Digby OBE
Yorkshire-born Anastasia Micklethwaite is a musical director, teacher, flautist, contralto and conductor. She has lived and worked in the UK and New York City and has toured extensively as a soloist, chorister and orchestral musician, performing at many of the world's leading concert halls. On graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, Anastasia successfully maintained dual careers in International Banking and Musical Performance.
In 2002 she set up Furness Music Centre in Cumbria and decided to focus solely on teaching and performing. Anastasia specialises in flute, voice and choral directing, whilst working in schools. She has held the position of Director of Music at St George's School, Windsor Castle and at Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School in Cumbria, and is currently Head of Music at Stockport Grammar Junior School.
Anastasia has won several major awards and competitions for her performances and has made numerous TV and radio broadcasts, in addition to commercial recordings. She feels privileged to have studied and collaborated with many great musicians and conductors, but is especially grateful to Atarah Ben-Tovim MBE, David Butt, Jeffrey Dooley, Peter Broadbent, Dr Gordon Pearce, John Powell, and the late Dr Richard Marlow, Janet Alexander, John Leach, Morag Noble and Sir Neville Marriner for their guidance and friendship over the years.
As a youngster, Anastasia was a member of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain and went on to perform with both the National Youth Orchestra of GB and the National Youth Choir of GB. A child prodigy on the flute, she made her solo South Bank debut aged 12 and went on to study at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. Anastasia won a Choral Exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she read music and then gained her teaching qualification. Anastasia is an Associate of the Royal College of Music in London (flute performance) and also holds the NPQH qualification.
Anastasia founded and then directed Furness Music Centre in Cumbria for 9 years and has taught in schools across the North of England for 2 decades. In addition to leading large music departments, she has developed highly successful singing programmes for young voices which have been rolled out across more than 30 schools. Anastasia has a passion for community music and feels strongly that music is for all. She firmly believes in developing musical excellence and encourages young performers to be the best that they can be.
Anastasia held the post of Director of Music at St George's School, Windsor Castle, before returning to Cumbria as Director of Music at Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School in 2012. She developed a thriving music department at Sedbergh Prep, incorporating 5 choirs and 13 instrumental ensembles into a busy performing schedule of almost 30 annual services and concerts, whilst creating and delivering a unique curriculum of innovative, tailored lessons across the school. She also developed a new programme of Big Sing! workshops for primary schools along the Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire Dales border, bringing together more than 700 primary pupils each year in song. Anastasia enjoys devising innovative community musical projects and over lockdown she created a series of online educational music videos for children aged 3-13. She is currently Head of Music at Stockport Grammar Junior School.
In addition to her school teaching, Anastasia enjoys freelance work as a tutor, conductor and performer. As a singer, she is in demand as a soloist for oratorio and recital work and she currently performs with a variety of choral groups, including Luminatus, Vox Celestis, The Ramsey Singers and the Scottish Vocal Ensemble. She has worked as a Flute Tutor for the National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain and has played with noteable orchestras in the UK and abroad.
Anastasia has worked as Conductor or Musical Director with a range of choirs, including The National Youth Choirs of GB, The National Children's Choir of GB, Dentdale Choir, Kendal Choral Society, Furness Community Choir and Kirkby Lonsdale Singers. She directed the Children's Chorus at Lakeland Opera in their production of Carmen and in 2015 founded a new choir, the Sing Joyfully! vocal ensemble. In June 2022 conducted the Platinum Jubilee Day Concert at the Ulverston International Music Festival.
