Meet the Committee

Chair & Trustee Thanea Hodges' instrumental journey started at Watford School of Music, followed by Watford Grammar School for Girls where she enjoyed daily part-singing in the choir as well as leading one of several school orchestras and participating in Festivals near and further afield. 

Whilst raising her family, she took a degree in music and began her professional life of performance and teaching. She founded two choirs, directed several different choirs, led choir courses and became a peripatetic music specialist and piano teacher for the county and several independent schools. She has always believed that it is a real privilege to watch children develop their musical skills. She continues to love teaching, duetting with her husband Maurice at home or in concerts, playing in a bassoon quartet and in a wind band. 

From 2004-2022 Thanea helped to organise several events using the musical community to raise funds for good causes. In total, through performances of various kinds, the musical community has raised approximately £300,000. 

In light of the ever-growing dependence upon videoed exams, Thanea fervently believes in the many transferable life skills acquired through live performance. The wonderful Rex Freeman invited her to take the festival on and she feels rather in awe of the extremely gifted committee members who now serve alongside her and thanks them for all their commitment and hard work to preserve the festival and to promote the sheer joy of music making throughout all our communities. 

Martin Entwistle (trustee) is a software engineer, working on intelligence and analytical software products widely used in law enforcement and governments internationally. Martin spent his childhood learning the trombone and guitar, playing in brass bands, marching bands including in Lancashire Students Concert Band as principal trombone.

While working in Japan, Martin presented popular British pop music playing guitar on stage at International Friendship Festivals. As well as Japan, he also spent time living in France and appreciates learning about other countries' cultures and how music connects peoples beyond language. As well as enjoying music, Martin is a keen photographer and has recently received awards in Japan and the U.K.

Drawing on previous experience as Cambridge University's Kendo Society's treasurer, he is excited to take on the role of treasurer for the CCMF as well as acting as the official event photographer.

Akiko (trustee) admires musicians and feels very honored to be working in CCMF.

Her childhood memories are filled with music. Having enjoyed time as a piano accompanist for the schools' choir festivals for 10 years, she participated in reforming the brass band club together with her teammates by changing their practicing method. The team was awarded gold within a year and this foundation led the team to shine at the top of the national competitions in both Classics and Marching a few years later. Akiko loved playing the Timpani and the Drums and enjoyed percussion ensembles too. Having these experiences in her youth, Akiko understands how important it is to provide chances for music learners to colour their lives. She strongly believes these experiences will turn out to be a strength in the future in every field.

Having studied Intercultural Studies, Law (Jurisprudence),  Akiko came to the UK and participated in studying International Development. During her career, she luckily had several occasions to visit the LSO and the ROH through her work. These experiences led her to deepen her understanding of the dignity of music and arts as well as its people.

Akiko joined CCMF in 2026 and she is thrilled to be working for music lovers of all ages.

Rachel is a GP, Life Coach and a very amateur musician! She grew up singing and playing the piano in local music festivals in Yorkshire which she recalls as being some of the highlights of her childhood. Inspired by an enthusiastic A level teacher, her rather narrow musical horizons were broadened and she has loved the music of Monteverdi, the English madrigalists and Bartok ever since.

She continued to sing in choirs at University and beyond, and for many years was a member of a 5-part madrigal group. 

She was very happy when her two children developed their own love of music. Through taking them to piano and cello lessons, and Stringmoves, Rachel was privileged to get to know Thanea Hodges and Naomi Yandell, and years later she is delighted to be on the CCMF committee.

Jo May (trustee) was born and brought up in Foxhole, Cornwall where her mother was the Chapel Organist. She started playing the cornet at an early age and having come from a family of brass players really enjoyed playing in local brass bands and many festivals. As a teenager she started playing the French horn.

After studying music in London, she taught as Music Coordinator in a Surrey middle school and then as Head of Music in a nearby secondary school. 

Following the birth of her two sons, she specialised in Behavioural Management and Educational Special Needs. She spent the ‘90s as Artistic Director of the biennial Farnham Music, Dance and Arts Festival. 

Moving to Cambridge 15 years ago, she continued to work in Special Educational Needs until in 2015 she returned to her music roots as Music Administrator for St John’s College School. 

Jo has been a CCMF committee member since Thanea Hodges became Chair and is keen to make music accessible to all.

Maurice was born in Portadown, started piano lessons aged 9 and read music at Caius College, Cambridge, studying composition with Robin Holloway. For many years he worked as a piano teacher at King’s College School, Swavesey Village College, St John’s College School and Anglia Ruskin University, where he was also the repetiteur for Anglia Chorus, taking part in many concerts in many different capacities! For many years he also played keyboard in a ceilidh band. He still plays the recorder and bassoon (learned for free with the County Armagh Youth Orchestra) and now also the horn. He still teaches privately, and continues to work as an accompanist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist and arranger.

As a child, Maurice was regularly entered for piano classes in various local festivals around Northern Ireland, and much enjoyed the opportunities to visit different towns, play different pianos, hear other instrumentalists and singers perform and receive feedback from different adjudicators. He particularly remembers Noel Cox telling him that he could project more because ‘the Yamaha is built like a battleship and can take it’!

The Portadown Festival started in 1922 with 41 music classes and now has 510, encompassing Music, Speech, Drama, Dance and Irish Folk Dancing, spread over 42 days from February to May. So we in Cambridge have a way to go, and with your support we can hope to rebuild CCMF towards its former glory!

Naomi is a cello and theory teacher based in Cambridge.  As well as a private studio she works at Stringmoves, which is hosted by St John’s College School. With its director Celia Cobb she shares a special interest in young string pedagogy. Together they have written repertoire books (Take Your Bow and Top Banana), a duet book (Cool Beans), the Trinity sight-reading method (Grades 1-8 for all strings) and a series of string-related theory books for young string players (A First String Note Book). Many of their pieces are on the ABRSM and Trinity string syllabuses.

In addition to this Naomi has written the Trinity theory workbooks (Introducing Theory of Music and Grades 1-8) and pieces for young pianists.  She writes the monthly string technique articles for The Strad magazine as well as from time to time on aspects of teaching.

Naomi is passionate about the importance of practising performance, believing that it is not just great for young musicians but that it can be carried into other aspects of life, growing confidence and resilience.  She has been a member of the committee since Thanea Hodges took over the running of the festival from Rex Freeman.

Janna Hüneke

In addition to school flute-teaching, Janna co-founded eflute academy, Stapleford Flutes and Flute School London, all of which welcome and support adult learners of all levels. Much of her work has centred on supporting adult learners, alongside coaching advanced students. Recently Janna published a handbook for adult flute learners, called The Flute Unwrapped – available from ‘Just Flutes’ and ‘All Flutes Plus’.

Janna works as a freelance orchestral player, as a teacher and also regularly as a soloist with various amateur orchestras. Recitals and chamber concerts make up the rest of her playing work, notably with the chamber group Harmoniemusik of which she is a founder member. Janna features on Harmoniemusik’s CDs which have regular airings on BBC Radio 3.

Paulo Ghiglia 

After graduating summa cum laude from the Music Conservatoire of Pescara, Italy, Paulo went on to study at the Ecole de Musique et Danse in Aulnay-sous-Bois with Patrick Gallois, and was awarded the Prix d’Excellence à l’unanimité. He later completed his MA studies in Gothenburg, Sweden, under the guidance of Norwegian flautist Håvard Lysebo. 

 Paulo has performed with numerous orchestras and ensembles throughout Europe, such as the Gothenburg Symphony and Opera, Turku Philharmonic, Vaasa Sinfonietta, Kymi Sinfonietta. He shared the stage with some of the best musicians in the world, such as Fabio Luisi, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Klaus Makela, Barbara Hannigan, Dalia Stasevska, Eva Ollikainen, Joana Carneiro, Jasmine Choi, Vikingur Olafsson. 

Paulo lives in Cambridge since 2020, where he enjoys teaching and occasionally performing in duo with piano or guitar. He has been Professor of Flute at the Music Conservatoire of Cosenza (Italy) in 2021 and 2022, and currently teaches at the Stamford Schools, St Francis College and Newnham Croft Primary as well as privately.

Eloise Kendall

Eloise Kendall is a highly experienced professional flautist, teacher and orchestra director and has been living and working in Cambridge since 2020. 

​​​After graduating with a first class honours degree in music from the University of Birmingham, Eloise completed a Master of Arts in Orchestral Performance at the Academy of Music in Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as further post-graduate studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Eloise has performed with numerous professional orchestras including the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Opera, Jonkopings Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Opera under internationally-renowned conductors including Eva Ollikainen and Joana Mallwitz. 

​Eloise has a thriving private teaching practice of flute and piano students in Cambridge, and conducts ensembles at Newnham Croft Primary School, the Cambridge Young Performers Orchestra as well as teaching flute in local schools and the University of Cambridge.