ADJUDICATORS
Your Adjudicators for the Birmingham Music Festival 2026 are:
David
Quigley
Described by The Birmingham Post as “a pianist of amazing maturity and concentration”, David Quigley has established an international reputation as a performer of rare depth and versatility. His playing - praised for its expressive range and captivating presence - has enthralled audiences across Europe, the USA and Asia.
Following early success in major competitions including BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition, and as the UK representative for the ECHO Rising Stars concert series, David has gone on to perform in many of the world’s leading concert halls. These include Carnegie Hall (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Musikverein (Vienna), Mozarteum (Salzburg), Philharmonie (Cologne), Wigmore Hall (London), and Symphony Hall (Birmingham).
As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, Southern Sinfonia, and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
His growing discography includes acclaimed recordings such as Piano Music from Northern Ireland, Rediscoveries: Old and New Music of Ireland, Piano Music by Philip Hammond, Piano Classics, Piano Nocturnes, and The Fair Hills of Éire: Irish Airs and Dances. His performances are regularly featured on BBC, RTÉ, Classic FM, and RTÉ Lyric FM broadcasts.
Alongside his performing career, David is deeply committed to education. He teaches at both the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the University of Birmingham. He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and adjudicate across Ireland and the UK, including serving as a juror for BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2018 and 2020.
David recently founded the Cecilia Ensemble, one of the UK’s newest and most dynamic chamber music groups, and looks forward to developing new artistic collaborations as the ensemble establishes its presence on the international stage.
David is proud to represent Kawai Pianos UK as a Kawai Artist and brand ambassador.
Caroline Rae is a pianist and Professor of Music at Cardiff University. A graduate of Somerville College Oxford, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover Germany and an Associate of the Royal College of Music, she has a combined conservatoire and university background. A pupil of Dame Fanny Waterman from childhood, she took part in many televised masterclasses with her and also gave her first public recital in her teens, later winning a French Government Scholarship to study with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen in Paris. Caroline remains active as a performer and has been on the juries of the BBC Young Musician and Wales International Piano competitions while also being an established external examiner in the conservatoire and university sectors.
An internationally recognised specialist on twentieth-century French music, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government for her services to French culture in 2018. Her many publications include four books, articles, contributions to edited collections and she also writes regularly for the BBC Proms. Her research has been supported by the AHRC and British Academy as well as a Cardiff University Research Fellowship. She is a Vice-President of the Royal Musical Association.
Caroline also enjoys working with orchestras and was Series Advisor to the Philharmonia Orchestra for their acclaimed City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 season which was shortlisted for a Royal Philharmonic Society award in 2016. She has also been a programming consultant to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, projects including the BBC Discovering Dutilleux Festival (2008), Jolivet Composer Portrait (2011), Paul Sacher Perspectives season (2011-12) and Dutilleux 100 (2016). She has given talks at London’s Southbank, Barbican and Royal College of Music and is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 3. Her latest book is on the French composer André Jolivet and is forthcoming next year with Boydell.