Cast and Crew Emily Blacksell—Producer, Director and Writer Emily’s 18-year career in the entertainment sector has seen her assist, support, and represent some of the legendary figures of their respective fields both in the UK and internationally, namely the late John Barton CBE, the late Sir Peter Hall, Sir Paul McCartney and Sally Greene OBE. She has worked for world-renowned organisations and venues including the RSC, MPL Communications Ltd., the Old Vic Theatre, Old Vic Productions (now Greene Light Stage), Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre, granting her extraordinary access to, and the experience of working with, globally recognised creative teams and artists on diverse projects and creative ventures. These include Tantalus (USA and Europe), Billy Elliot the Musical (worldwide), five world tours, four album releases, and six book publications during her five years as Assistant to Sir Paul McCartney, and eight seasons at the Old Vic Theatre – a period that included the groundbreaking three-year BAM/Old Vic/Sam Mendes Bridge Project collaboration. Emily received her creative and academic training from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior department where she studied violin and voice, and the University of Birmingham where she read English and Drama. Her passion for music specifically, and performance in general, has informed her own practice and enabled her to work creatively as a director, assistant director, and producer across theatre, opera, digital platforms, and film. As Producer: WillShake Henry V (Short Form Film Company) featuring Tom Hiddleston; Theatre Lives (Digital Theatre+) featuring Dame Julie Walters, Imelda Staunton, Juliet Stevenson, Adrian Lester, and Michael Grandage; Producer & Project Manager Peter O’Toole Memorial (Old Vic Theatre, London); Producer & Co-Curator - with Tom Morris and John Caird - Bristol Old Vic 250th Anniversary Gala. As Assistant Director A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Le songe d'une nuit d'été (Théâtre Gérard-Philipe, Paris); La Fanciulla del West (Opera Holland Park); The Rape of Lucretia (Benjamin Britten International Opera School, Royal College of Music); as Production Assistant The Shakespeare Sessions – John Barton on Shakespeare (PBS); as Associate Producer Desert Dancer (dir. Richard Raymond – feature); as Executive Producer Double Take (dir. Sam Hodg- es for Channel 4/Big Shorts in association with BAFTA – award-winning short film) and Mary Nighy’s award- winning debut short film, Player, starring the late Pete Postlethwaite. In Association with Classical Kicks Productions and EB Productions Lizzie Ball—Lead Artist Violin, Vocals, Composer, Co-creator of Corrido, Co-producer of Corrido “she lit the place on fire with one of her solos” San Francisco Chronicle Lizzie Ball is an internationally recognised violinist, vocalist, and concert producer known for her ability to perform in a multitude of musical styles. Her creation of Classical Kicks, a unique brand of energetic reinvigorated classical music shows has been a stand out addition to the classical performance scene in London. It began its residency in Soho’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, and then toured to international festivals, created its own flagship UK festival, a record label, a children’s education show, and collaborations with world class musicians including DJ/Bestival Founder Rob da Bank. Lizzie’s further solo violin/vocal collaborations are numerous. The most notable include countless international tours in the world’s finest venues with Nigel Kennedy (as a soloist with him and leader of his Orchestra of Life for 8 years), as a featured band member as both solo violinist and vocalist on numerous occasions with Jeff Beck and Brian Wilson, Judith Owen with Bryan Ferry, New York Polyphony, accordion superstar Martynas Levickis , James Pearson Trio, and more recently leading an all female orchestra for Grammy award winning MD Steve Sidwell for US pop sensation Ariana Grande, in a BBC film special to air later in 2018/19. Performance highlights include headlining at Madison Square Garden NY for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, several critically acclaimed US-wide tours, and directing the historical Palestine Prom for BBC Proms 2013 in the Royal Albert Hall. Lizzie has an MA in Music from St. Johns College, Cambridge University and postgraduate performance diplomas from Royal College of Music/Guildhall School of Music. She plays a Joseph Kantuscher violin (1967), and electric violins custom made by Bridge. She is currently endorsed by Strymon pedals, AER amplifiers, Thomastik strings, and Eastman Music of Los Angeles. She is a proud ambassador of PRISMA Mexico, a charity set up by Morgan Szymanski to provide arts workshops for children in need in Mexico. In Association with Classical Kicks Productions and EB Productions Morgan Szymanski—Special Guest Guitarist Described as ‘a player destined for future glories’ (Classical Guitar Magazine) Morgan Szymanski has been highlighted as ‘One to Watch’ by both Gramophone Magazine and the BBC Music Magazine. In 2016 he was selected as one of Mexico´s most influential international artists by the Mexican Government. Born in Mexico City in 1979, Morgan started playing the guitar at the age of six. Early studies at the National Music School (Mexico) and the Edinburgh Music School led to a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London where he was awarded all guitar prizes as well as scholarships from the Tillett Trust, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Leverhulme Trust, Wall Trust, FONCA and a scholarship to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He immediately went on to become the first solo guitarist to be selected by the Young Classical Artist Trust and was the first guitarist to be awarded a Junior Fellowship at the RCM. A top prize-winner at international competitions, Morgan won first prize at the National Guitar Competition in Mexico. Performances as a soloist and with orchestras have taken him to concert halls and festivals worldwide. Morgan enjoys a varied career as s soloist and chamber musician. His many recordings on Sarabande Records have been described as ‘top class in every respect’ (Classical Guitar Magazine), and as ‘a jewel’ by Gramophone Magazine. On Szymanski´s Sketches of Mexico, Gramophone Magazine called it ‘a gorgeous and original tribute to Szymanski’s homeland, its artists and its music’ with Morgan’s playing ‘of the highest order.’ Numerous composers have written works for him and he is frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Morgan Szymanski plays on a guitar by the Chinese master guitar Luthier Yulong Guo. He is a Live Music Now! Alumni - the scheme started by Lord Yehudi Menuhin to reach audiences that would otherwise have no access to live music. ´ In 2016 he started PRISMA, an artistic outreach programme aimed at disadvantaged and remote areas in Mexico. In Association with Classical Kicks Productions and EB Productions Eve Best—Narrator Eve Best is an internationally award-winning, critically acclaimed actress and director. Her stage debut was opposite Jude Law in ’Tis pity She’s a Whore at the Young Vic for which she won London’s coveted Evening Standard Award for Best Newcomer as well as the Critic’s Circle Award for Outstanding Newcomer, and she went on to star at the National Theatre, the Old Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe (The Cherry Orchard, The Heiress, Three Sisters, Mourning Becomes Electra, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Coast of Utopia, The Duchess of Malfi and Antony and Cleopatra). She garnered several more awards along the way, including the Olivier Award for Best Actress, for her performance as Hedda Gabler in London’s West End. On Broadway she has twice been nominated for a Best Actress Tony, starring in Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon For the Misbegotten, and in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming; she starred as Dr O’Hara in Showtime’s hit black comedy Nurse Jackie, and played Wallis Simpson in the Oscar winning film The King’s Speech. Eve made her directorial debut with Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. In 2012 she held The Shakespeare Sessions, a three-month pop-up underground theatre in SoHo New York, which hosted poetry, play readings and several productions including Othello (starring Anna Deveare Smith), As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. She has conducted masterclasses and led workshops all over the world, including The Actor’s Studio in New York, Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, and in rural Mozambique as part of the country’s AIDS rehabilitation programme. Eve is a member of council for RADA, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Sunlight, a not-for-profit company that takes theatre to deprived or damaged regions of the world. In Association with Classical Kicks Productions and EB Productions Bartosz Glowacki—Accordion Bartosz Glowacki is one of the leading lights of a new generation of accordionists. His artistic goal is to con- tinue to improve awareness of the accordion in classical music, as well as to develop a new repertoire for his instrument. In 2016 he graduated from The Royal Academy of Music with distinction and DipRAM. Bartosz won the Polish Young Musician of the Year in 2009, following which he represented Poland in the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Vienna. He is a winner of many National, as well as Interna- tional Music Competitions. Bartosz is one of the 2015 Artists of the City Music Foundation. He won the Sir John Manduell Prize at The Bromsgrove International Musicians’ Competition 2018. As a soloist he has performed in many prestigious concert halls, for example The Wigmore Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, The Purcell Room, Salle Cortot, The Colston Hall, Studio SI of The Polish National Radio, and many others. As well as being a soloist, Bartosz is extremely active chamber musician. He is a founding member of The Deco Ensemble.