Our Conductor - John Modelski

Highly sought after as a musical director, conductor and tutor, Jan has made a huge impact on the music scene in Cheshire since his arrival almost 25 years ago. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Jan grew up in London where he primarily studied the violin becoming the principal violinist of several orchestras.

In 2001 following his arrival in Chester, he set up his first community orchestra, which aimed to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for instrumentalists of all ages and abilities to develop their musicianship and playing skills to a high level. The success of this orchestra gave Jan an increasing reputation in the Chester music scene and led to his appointment as director to many other ensembles, ranging from orchestras and choirs to big bands. He is a great advocate of introducing varied and sometimes lesser-known repertoire to his audiences; with his ensembles he has also premiered some of this country’s finest new works, including that of the award-winning choral composer Chris Hutchings.

Also a well respected instrumental teacher, Jan has tutored countless students over the years – some to diploma level and beyond - on a vast range of instruments. Whilst he enjoys teaching children and adults alike, Jan is particularly passionate about nurturing musical development in the early years of school as he believes that younger children are just as capable of accessing a good and meaningful musical education as their peers in the later stages of school life.