Mary Pells – Mentor (PGC, CME, CfT) – piano

Mary Pells studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she learned cello with Derek Simpson and piano with Jean Harvey.

Since then she has enjoyed a busy and highly successful portfolio career combining performing with teaching, examining and mentoring. In addition to this she has continued to study and her teachers have included Vovka Ashenazy, piano, and Alison Crum, viola da gamba.

As a performer she has specialised in early music on period instruments which led to her recording the complete sonatas of J. S. Bach for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord with German harpsichordist Martin Knizia. She has worked extensively for ABRSM both in the UK and the Far East and is on their panels for grade exams, diplomas, jazz, and examiner training. For 16 years she was a piano mentor on ABRSM’s Certificate of Teaching course and she now continues her work in educational training as Academic Programmes Professor at the Royal College of Music.

Mary also teaches piano and cello at the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk where she has pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and she is currently conducting research into how pupils practise.