Management Team - London Youth Choirs

Led by Chief Executive Officer Nina Camilleri, LYC’s professional management team looks after our day-to-day organisational business and underpins all areas of LYC’s work and activity.

NINA CAMILLERI

Chief Executive

Formerly Director of Development and Planning for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Director of Development and PR for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and Senior Development Manager for Scottish Opera and Opera North, Nina brings a wealth of experience to London Youth Choirs in the fields of strategic planning and development.

In her positions with both the National Youth Choirs and National Youth Orchestra Nina has been responsible for the creation and implementation of new philanthropic strategies which have played a critical role in their development and growth. Alongside these roles, Nina has also worked as a consultant to Help Musicians UK, Longborough Festival Opera and Gabrieli Consort & Players, providing business development support and advice on fundraising and governance. In 2018, Nina became a Trustee of the D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.

RACHEL STAUNTON

Artistic Director, Conductor (LYC South East, London Youth Choir)

Rachel Staunton is a London-based conductor, choral entrepreneur, and Artistic Director of London Youth Choirs (LYC), which she co-founded in 2012. She is passionate about using singing to unlock young people’s potential, widening access to music for all, and creating outstanding choral experiences that resonate both on stage and beyond.

Under her artistic leadership, LYC has delivered transformative musical opportunities for thousands of young people and built a reputation for excellence—performing for royalty, international music legends, and at high-profile cultural and corporate events. Rachel also spearheads LYC Voices, the organisation’s professional and commercial arm, which collaborates with brands, media, and the film industry to bring bespoke choral performances and recordings to national and international audiences.

Trained at Royal Holloway and the Royal Academy of Music (where she is now an Associate), Rachel has contributed extensively to TV and film; her credits include Wallace & Gromit and The Twits, alongside appearances across ITV and the BBC. Her career spans leadership roles with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and Opera North, demonstrating a unique ability to deliver high-quality music education at scale.

Widely recognised as an innovative and visionary leader in music and arts education, Rachel was shortlisted for the 2023 Francesca Hanley Inspiration Award. She combines artistic excellence with a strategic approach to partnership and funding, ensuring LYC continues to thrive as both an educational powerhouse and a commercially successful organisation.

james Prescott-Martin

Finance Director

(he/him)

James has worked for over 35 years in both the Arts (English National Opera, Contemporary Dance Trust, Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre and the National Youth Orchestra) and the Voluntary sector (Age Concern and Surrey Community Action) in both Finance and General Management positions and now part time at LYC as Finance Director.

He now spends the majority of his spare time playing tennis. He also enjoys swimming, Pilates, reading, cinema, theatre and of course music. He is a member of Epsom Choral Society as a first bass.

Tom Hansell

Planning & Operations Director

(he/him)

Tom joined LYC as Head of Operations in September 2022, before coming into his current role as Planning and Operations Director in 2024. Born in Yorkshire and raised in Surrey, Tom gained a BA in Music and MA in Music Composition from Durham University and has worked in the arts for over a decade: initially in secondary education and as a freelance arranger and orchestrator, before moving into arts management with various roles at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, latterly, the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras.

Before joining LYC, Tom spent five years at the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras – running their young artist development scheme, fixing and managing John Eliot Gardiner’s Monteverdi Choir and undertaking various fundraising roles. Outside office hours, he can often be found racing across the country on his bike, singing in various choirs around London, or indulging his love of cats and other animals. Tom is proud to be a Trustee of Echo Vocal Ensemble.

NICOLETTE SHAW

Fundraising Director

(she/her)

Formerly Director of Development at the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Nicolette has worked both in the voluntary sector and in the arts for over 30 years. No stranger to ambitious growth plans, Nicolette and team quadrupled voluntary income at the National Youth Orchestra and launched an award winning direct marketing programme.

In her positions as development lead at the National Youth Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and most recently Gabrieli, Nicolette has been responsible for income growth, donor care and team management. She has gained a wealth of experience of the importance of good communications and governance and the impact they both can have on fundraising.

ALISON BASTABLE

Head of Safeguarding & Pastoral Care

(she/her)

Alison started her nursing career at age 18 at St. George’s Hospital in London. She has experience in many different specialities but when her two daughters were young she became a school nurse at a boys prep school in Surrey. The boys’ wellbeing took front and centre of her work and she was a member of both the pastoral and safeguarding teams. She is delighted to have found LYC and to be able to bring her commitment to young people's wellbeing to the LYC family.

ISHANI O'CONNOR

Head of Schools and Communities Engagement

(she/her)

Ishani joined LYC from the Chineke! Foundation where she was Learning and Participation Manager for nearly five years. She brings an understanding of the wider music education sector, creative learning, partnerships and development of community outreach programmes to the new role of Head of Schools and Communities Engagement.

At Chineke! Foundation, she worked with the musicians of Europe's first majority Black, Asian and ethnically diverse professional and junior orchestras, nurturing young talent, providing the Chineke! Juniors with a welcoming environment to confidently perform at prestigious venues, such as Royal Festival Hall and Kensington Palace. Ishani developed multiple learning partnerships with music hubs, venues and other charities across England, taking Chineke! Orchestra professional musicians into primary and secondary schools to lead workshops in performance and creative composition.

She is a Trustee for the charity Music for All and a member of Dulwich Symphony Orchestra, playing second violin, where she ran an orchestra outreach programme and is also a Trustee. Ishani established a new charity, Draper Together with the residents of the Draper Estate in London SE1, bringing a diverse community together through arts-based events such as cultural festivals, a theatre season and concerts in the community hall. In 2016, she achieved a Masters (Distinction) in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London and was a Development Placement with the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT). Ishani has been a TV Researcher for BBC Specialist Factual Arts and an independent educational film producer.

LILY PIETERSEN

Membership Manager

(she/her)

Lily joined LYC in October 2025 as our Membership Manager after completing an MFA in Music - Creative Practice at Goldsmiths University. Lily comes from a background in film production and has spent the last two years filming and editing a feature length documentary about the choir she is in: F*Choir. Lily has been a member of F*Choir for the last 4 years. She's had first hand experience of how being in a choir and singing can build confidence and push you out of your comfort zone in wonderful ways (such as conducting a 60 piece choir completely unprepared on stage at the Barbican!)

Outside of work and choir Lily enjoys most things creative: pottery, painting, playing the guitar or flute. You may see her frantically knitting at rehearsals!

POLLY DOOLEY

LYC Voices Manager

(she/her)

Polly is an Executive Producer and Company Director for 20Four7 Films. She was the co-creator, along with Shaun Dooley, and the Executive Producer of Got it Covered: a 90 minute primetime BBC 1 show, which included the release of an album that went to number one in the charts. To date the project has raised almost a million pounds for BBC Children in Need.

Polly has worked extensively in theatre, ﬁlm and television. She started oﬀ working in stage management on numerous theatre shows ranging from weekly repertory to the West End, including three years on Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She was an assistant producer on a number of gala shows including Sondeim Tonight – Barbican, Around The World – Royal Albert Hall and Comedy Tonight – National Theatre.

In television she worked in production on several commercials, promos and TV dramas both on set and in the production oﬃce. Polly then worked as an assistant agent at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (now United Agents) representing some of the top actors in the world. She then moved to the BBC to work as a Casting Director. She also independently cast ﬁlms, promos and ran workshops for actors.

Polly is proud to be Patron and Chair of Trustees for Barnsley Youth Theatre. She has four children, several animals and loves hiking, cold water swimming and singing.

JULIAN FORBES

Marketing & Communications Manager

Julian is a freelance Arts consultant specialising in management and communications. From 2014-2018 he was Marketing Manager for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain where he oversaw transformative developments across communications activity and systems, audience engagement, and media and content strategy including the creation of the in-house digital record label.

Away from LYC, Julian is Executive Director of the GRAMMY-nominated period ensemble Arcangelo, supporting and developing the group's international concert, recording and young artist development activity. He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and a Trustee of Young Sounds UK.

Zoe Nendick

Operations & Events Manager

(she/her)

Zoe joined LYC in August 2021 as the Operations Assistant after completing a BA Music and MSc Psychology at the University of Nottingham, where she was a Choral Scholar at St Mary’s Church and Assistant Conductor in the University Choir. Zoe was the 24-25 soprano Choral Scholar at Hertford Choral Society and is now the soprano at St Olave's Church, Hart Street, and occasionally deputises in other church choirs. She is also in Symbel Choir, which sings evensong and compline services at churches around London.

Outside of choirs, Zoe can often be found playing badminton or watching cricket. Living in Hertfordshire, Zoe spends much of her time on trains in and out of London, but says she enjoys it because “it gives me time to read”. Book recommendations always welcome.

Arisa Loomba

Operations & Data Officer

(she/her)

Arisa joined LYC in June 2026 having completed a PhD in Global and Imperial History at the University of Oxford, in partnership with the National Trust. Prior to this, she worked as a podcast researcher and coordinator, which she continued to do in a freelance capacity alongside her PhD. This culminated in her co-authorship of a non-fiction public history book, published in 2025 by Profile Books. She is deeply committed to contributing her creative, organisational and research skills towards bringing people together through the power of the arts and humanities.

Arisa also has a lifelong connection to music. Having spent her school years singing in choirs and playing the flute, she knows firsthand how music can provide a child with a vital sense of purpose, belonging and pride. Arisa's role at LYC therefore brings together two areas that particularly motivate her: understanding the importance of well-managed data and information to enable meaningful work, and the opportunity to contribute to an organisation that positively shapes young people’s lives through creativity and community.

Martha dowland

Operations Administrator

(she/her)

Martha is a soprano who performs with a variety of ensembles across London. Through these groups, she has enjoyed remarkable musical experiences, including singing a solo at the Royal Albert Hall, contributing to professional recordings, and performing at numerous BBC Proms. After graduating from Royal Holloway University with a degree in Music, she has continued to build her career through performing, teaching, working in a music shop, and serving as an assistant leader with LYC North East.

Martha’s passion for choral music began with her two years in the London Youth Chamber Choir—a love for the organization that eventually led her to join its operations team.

ANNA SAID

Rehearsals Volunteer

Anna is a parent of two young people in LYC. She originally studied music when she left school many moons ago, but now works as a nurse in a central London hospital. Anna was so impressed with LYC and how welcoming all the staff are that she offered to volunteer at the evening of the LYC Cambiata Choirs which her children attend. In her spare time, Anna goes trail running.