College Management Team

Tony brings with him a wealth of experience, having most recently served as the Managing Director at TRG Arts, providing consultancy services to leading performing arts venues and producers across the UK and Europe. His extensive background started when studying Music at City University, London, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, before beginning his career at the BBC where he produced some of the network’s most prestigious program strands, including the Proms, Live 8, and Cardiff Singer of the World.

Tony then spent nearly a decade with the Royal Opera House as Head of Broadcast & Distribution and Business Development Lead. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in growing the worldwide ROH Live Cinema Season, Opus Arte label, and World Ballet Day, working with some of the world’s most celebrated singers, dancers, creatives, and theatres.

Beyond his professional achievements, Tony is dedicated to giving back to the community. He currently serves as the Chair of the UK charity Music for All, where he helps disadvantaged individuals gain access to music-making opportunities. Additionally, he volunteers on the Advisory Board for Serious Events and serves as a Trustee for Hay Festival Global.

Emma trained at Bird College and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Dance and Musical Theatre. Emma works worldwide as a Director and Choreographer and has had shows headline in London, America, Japan, Australia, Monte Carlo and Canada to name just a few. She has taught at Performers College for over 15 years and choreographed for some of the biggest events all over the UK.

Nikki trained and graduated from Bird College with a first class degree before going on to tour across the U.K. and Europe. During a 14-year performance career she danced with companies including Motionhouse, Gravity & Levity, Wired Aerial as well as her own company, All Play. She performed as an aerialist in the London Olympics opening ceremony and was solo aerialist at the opening of the European Games in Baku in 2015.

Adam trained in Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma and was awarded the Ronald William White Award for Excellence in Acting Through Song. Adam also holds the LRAM in the Teaching of Musical Theatre Singing, and he is currently working under mentorship from Anne-Marie Speed and The Voice Explained to qualify as a certified master teacher in the Estill Voice Model. Adam has worked as an actor, singer, vocal coach and agent, representing young performers and supporting them with auditions for West End shows, UK tours, films, TV and commercials. For the past 15 years Adam has focused his career on performing arts education and training, and was most recently Artistic Director for PQA Studios where he created and led their Level 3 vocational course in London. Adam’s lifelong passion is teaching, and he specialises in Improvisation, Text, Voice, Technical Singing and Acting Through Song. Adam is extremely proud to be the Principal of Performers College Birmingham, and feels honoured to be working alongside Tracey Lee and her outstanding team to bring the Performers College experience to the Midlands.

John Harrison has worked in higher education for over 20 years and joined the University in 2022 as the Head of Education for BIMM Manchester. In July 2023, John was appointed to the role of Head of School for Performing Arts at the Institute for Contemporary Theatre, based at the iconic and historic Dancehouse Theatre on Oxford Road.

During his career, John has gained significant experience in academic leadership for subjects aligned to the creative industries, fulfilling roles such as module leader, personal tutor, course leader and head of department. John’s experience in higher education has been applied to key areas of higher education such as access and participation, assessment and moderation, learning and teaching, product development, quality and standards, and the student outcomes.

Sarah has worked across a range of teaching, research, and leadership roles in Higher Education. She has BA in Drama and English and MA in Theatre from Queen’s University Belfast. Sarah holds a PhD in Drama, Theatre and Performance from Queen Mary, University of London. She is a queer performance researcher, and her recent scholarship examines the materialist practices and politics of theatrical institutions.