Who We Are

Henry Pearson – Chairman  (Trustee)

Henry has been associated with the Festival as a member of the Management Committee and Trustee since its formation and became Chairman in December 2025. He retired in 2021 from a senior civil service Cyber Security post, supporting foreign governments and helping UK companies export, following an extensive career in technical consultancy and advising Governments on IT-related matters.

Julia Pearson (Trustee)

Julia spent sixteen years in the USA, during which time she worked for an international Bach Festival in Philadelphia.

Her background is in clinical social work in the United States and the UK. She lives in Shere and has six grandchildren.

Julia established the Festival’s management Committee in 2011 and served as Chair until December 2025.

Gary Lloyd – Treasurer (Trustee)

Gary Lloyd has been Treasurer of the Festival from the beginning and is also a Trustee. A qualified chartered accountant, he followed key roles at British Aerospace and KPMG with a further period running his own practice before retiring.

Previously an active cricketer, he now keeps fit by running distances ranging from 5k parkruns to marathons. He lives in Westhumble so has plenty of opportunities for training in the Surrey Hills!

Lyn Litchfield (Trustee)

A Chinese-born Finn, Lyn Litchfield has extensive international exposure; she started her career as a TV journalist & news reporter in China. Before founding Premier Business Matchmaking & Consulting Ltd, she had 15 years of rich experience in the Telecom industry, working for Nokia with teams & clients worldwide.

Lyn is also a great fan of classical music, opera, theatre, fine art, books & fashion.

Cindy Peck (Trustee)

Cindy has had a long and distinguished career as a City Solicitor. She is now a non-executive director on a number of boards including Ofqual, the Architects Registration Board (the regulator of architects), Birkbeck College – University of London, and the Royal College of Psychiatry. She uses her prior experience to focus in particular on strategy development and risk management. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Festival for many years and became a trustee in 2020.

Lynne Robb (Trustee)

Lynne has a long career in the commercial and non-profit sectors. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with significant experience as a Finance Director and CFO.  She has worked at a non-executive level for many years and is currently on the Boards of several organisations.

She believes strongly in supporting live music and developing talents, and she is delighted to join the Board this year.

Stephen Goss (Trustee)

Stephen Goss is a composer, guitarist, and academic. His music has been recorded on over a hundred albums by more than a dozen record labels, including EMI, Decca, and Deutsche Grammophon. Steve has been commissioned by many of the world’s most celebrated musicians, such as John Williams, Ian Bostridge, Evelyn Glennie, Nicola Benedetti, and Mikhail Pletnev. He is Professor of composition at the University of Surrey and Professor of guitar at the Royal Academy of Music. Before that, he was on the staff at the Yehudi Menuhin School. He is an Arsenal season ticket holder. www.stephengoss.net

Katy Lethbridge (Trustee)

Katy is a long-time performer in amateur orchestras, classical choirs, opera and musical theatre. She is Chair and Trustee of Wokingham Choral Society, and on the Board of Trustees of Making Music (The National Federation of Music Societies). Katy is committed to supporting professional musicians through her Angel sponsorship of SHIMF and as a Patron/Friend of the Aldeburgh, Thaxted, Chipping Campden and Petworth music festivals. Katy aims to bring her love of music and considerable business skills to support SHIMF in promoting professional musicians, young and emerging artists, and local arts and culture.

Paul Lethbridge (Trustee)

Paul Lethbridge has recently retired from a career in business, marketing, and technology management and has become more involved in music and the arts. As an amateur musician, he has become increasingly aware that many supremely talented musicians struggle to find an outlet for their talents: as musical excellence and commercial success is a rare combination. As a Trustee and Board Member of SHIMF, he brings his prior experience as a company director, technologist, and musician to assist in the further development of SHIMF’s Festival and its aim to provide a showcase for both emerging and established musicians.

Wu Qian 

Qian co-founded the Festival in 2010. Born in Shanghai, she began her long-standing association with the Surrey Hills when she moved here, aged 13, to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School. She is a founding member of the Sitkovetsky Trio and is a winner of a 2016 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and of the first prize at the Trio di Trieste Duo Competition with Alexander Sitkovetsky, and performs regularly in the United States each season as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Tracy Lees

Tracy has been in the classical music profession for over 30 years and was the manager of the International Piano Series at London’s Southbank Centre, as well as managing many top international artists for a leading classical music agency.  She has long had an association with music in Surrey and sings in her local choir in Wimbledon as well as performing in several churches in the Surrey Hills area.