About Music at Reading

Dan’s passion is sharing music — a space full of fun, unity, expression, and creativity. He believes in working as a team to create welcoming, open environments where individuals and groups can collaborate and achieve exciting, high-quality results.

A specialist music educator, conductor, composer, and arranger, Dan leads the University of Reading’s musical life alongside teaching singing and directing all the senior choirs at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Junior Department. He also works with several prestigious schools and institutions, including Wellington College, and until recently, the City of London School for Girls. His former pupils have gone on to careers ranging from record labels and opera houses to the West End.

Dan conducts a wide range of groups across classical, musical theatre, and contemporary styles, and has collaborated with the NHS on projects exploring the role of music in wellbeing and community engagement. He studied cello at the Royal College of Music and voice at Trinity College of Music. Above all, Dan is committed to making music-making creative, collaborative, and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Fun fact: “if I only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be pizza. Breakfast pizza is a perfectly honourable tradition!”

Simon Oliver is a musician, producer and live visual artist.

He graduated from UoR in 2022 in Applied Psychology (Msci), and his approach to events and live music focuses on connecting the University and Reading.

Simon began his journey as a member of UoR Big Band, then he became president of the Band Society, and finally a member of the UoR Music team as an event organiser & live sound engineer. He’s performed in, organised, or engineered countless events over the past 8 years.

Notable accomplishments include:

– Performing at ‘Are You Listening?’ Festival four years in a row via their live bands (Empires, Empires , MY LIBERAL PONY, As Loud as a Mouse, pej), including over 60 gigs as Empires, Empires in one year

– Introducing jam nights at the Dairy on London Road campus in 2022

– Producing alumni band ‘Sundaughters’ first single “Austrian” achieving 17,000 streams

– Starting live visual collective “Iridiphore”, completing personalised tailored visuals for over 100 live performances

Photo credit: Jonny Moto

Dae Lee is a drummer, percussionist and educator. He has worked with musicians and entertainers such as George Fenton, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Craig Revel-Horwood, Mike Batt (Wombles), Melody Thornton (Pussycat Dolls), EDBL, The Definitive Rat Pack, Ruthie Henshall, Bob Chilcott, Brian Blessed, Craig Revel Horwood, Shane Ritchie, Mike Batt, Brenda Edwards (XFactor), John Archer (BGT), Leslie Garrett, the London Swing Orchestra, National Youth Jazz Orchestra (ambassador), Thomas Adès, Dick and Dom, Don Broco, Nico Muhly, Hannah Lowther (TikTok), Pete Firman, Ian Talbot OBE, Malory Torr, Byron Wallen, Thierry Pécou, and has also performed for Queen Elizabeth II. His contributions to various albums has seen individual tracks rank no. 1 on the UK Jazz charts on numerous occasions.

Alongside his performing career, Dae is an educator and band leader in educational establishments such as The Royal Ballet School (White Lodge) and University of Reading.

Fun Fact: “If I’d had a different career I’d have been a chef!”

Michael Higgins is a pianist, composer and arranger, and co-Artistic Director of Sonoro. With a special interest in choral accompaniment, Michael is in demand with some of the leading choirs in the country and works with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, London Voices and the BBC Singers. He has written for the Stay at Home Choir, Farnham Youth Choir, RSNO, Sonoro, The Dionysus Ensemble, the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, Wimbledon Choral Society, corporate films and television commercials including the 2014 Waitrose Christmas advert, as well as music for the Classic BRIT awards, BBC Children in Need and the Royal Variety Performance. Many of his works are published by the Royal School of Church Music and Oxford University Press. Michael studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, London, and at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. 

Originally from London, Paul has been playing electric and upright bass since the age of 14 in a range of different styles from jazz to rock and world music. He studied at the prestigious Trinity College of Music and graduated in 2009. He is a regular on the London jazz scene and has toured extensively through Europe.

He has performed at iconic venues such as Ronnie Scotts with Julian Joseph, Vortex jazz club, Royal Albert Hall, many music festivals across Europe and live sessions including BBC6 Music and Jazz F.M. He has worked in London’s West End in the pit and at theatres across the country including Chichester Festival Theatre with Lance Ellington. He has also performed at the Royal Opera House featuring with world renowned dancer Carlos Acosta’s Tocororo.

He is currently working with Byron Wallen in the Four Cornersproject (nominated for parlimentary jazz awards ‘Best live band’ and ‘Best Album’) and the Gayan Gamelan Ensemble playing the music of Kraftwerk and Boards of Canada, Emily Saunders, Nick Walters ‘Paradox Ensemble’, Lorraine Baker’s ‘Eden’ , pianist Rebecca Nash and as part of Nicolas Meier’s World Group.

Paul is also an experienced teacher and ensemble leader running workshops for the Wigmore Hall, Royal Opera House, Leeds Collage of Music, Reading University and in schools across the country.