About
William Dutton Founder and Artistic Director
Born and brought up in Yorkshire, William Dutton is fast making a name for himself as one of the most exciting and sensitive young artists in the UK. Having won the Strings Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year, he is now emerging as a dynamic young conductor, having been the first British conductor ever admitted to the Italian Conducting Academy in Milan where he studied with Gilberto Serembe.
William began his international musical career as a singer, winning BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the year in 2006. He then went on to make his BBC Proms debut in 2007, was signed by Universal Music as a member of ‘The Choirboys’ and starred in Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of ‘The Magic Flute’. Following his early violin studies with the Kazakh virtuoso violinist Marat Bisengaliev, he went on to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School and in 2014 won the strings category of BBC Young Musician of the Year. In 2020, William was the first British pupil to be invited to study conducting at the Italian Conducting Academy in Milan, and made his UK conducting debut two years later.
Heart and Soul
In an ever-changing world, we believe that there is fresh space for classical music – and for a world-class Chamber Orchestra at the heart of Yorkshire…
Launched in May 2025, Cuore is a new, dynamic force showcasing orchestral music at the highest level in the heart of Yorkshire. Bringing together our very best young musicians, we want to show just how breathtaking a concert experience can be.
We believe that classical music should be there for anyone who wants to experience it. Through our live performances we will be breaking down barriers and engaging both with seasoned music lovers as well as new audiences, yet to discover the world of classical music.
We have chosen the Italian word ‘Cuore’ for its three principal meanings:
Soul – Music is not about the material things we have, but part of who we are. It helps us express ourselves and nourishes our soul.
Core – We want to be an orchestra at the very core of our region and in our varied and diverse communities.
Heart – We believe that music has the power to change and transform lives. We want the music that we make to speak directly to people’s hearts in the hope that we can make the world a better place.
Charity
Cuore was officially recognised as a charity by the Charities Commission in July 2025 with a board of four trustees and has a vocation to deliver educational outreach programmes to enhance the musical awareness and participation of schoolchildren in Yorkshire as well as igniting and nurturing musical interest and knowledge in the younger generations.
Trustees
Anna Stephenson
Co-Founder and Chair
Anna co-founded and runs Inflection Point Intelligence Limited, a finance education company.
Her diverse functional background includes Management Consulting, Technology, Operations, Relationship Management, and Risk Management. Her career has spanned insurance, financial markets and banking, and has taken her to London, New York, Toronto, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Significant roles include Deputy President and COO of NikkoCiti Trust Bank (Tokyo).
Anna has an MA degree from Oxford University and is Co-Chair Emeritus of Women in Finance Asia, Hong Kong.
Prior to Oxford, Anna attended the City of Leeds College of Music where she gained her Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music (LGSM).
Alan Leigh
Co-Founder
Alan Leigh is a Managing Director for Bank of America (BofA), based in London.
He has had a twenty-five year career with various roles as a COO, managing business development, risk and controls for the Markets, Banking and Research divisions in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Prior to banking he was a management consultant in New York and London for 9 years. His first work was in the theatre where he founded and led a traveling company on multiple national and international tours including winning an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First award. He has a degree from The Queen’s College, Oxford.
Christopher Barnes
Director & General Secretary
Christopher Barnes has spent all of his career in international sales, Business to Business (BtoB).
He had several European Sales Director roles based out of France where has lived for 35 years and working for leading global groups specialised in petrochemicals and in pharmaceutical, beauty and personal care secondary packaging.
His focus and experience are in international sales team and key account business development, strategy and marketing.
Christopher, a proud Yorkshireman, born in York, grew up in Harrogate, has a MA honours degree from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. In his early life he studied drama, took roles in amateur theatre and was also a chorister with a passion for sacred music.
Ian Burrell
Director
Ian Burrell is a Chartered Accountant. He qualified with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). Following roles within leading Construction, Chemicals and Consumer Products businesses Ian was appointed Group Finance Director of Marshalls plc, the UK market leader in Building Material Products.
In addition to the above, Ian was the Chairman of a significant Pension Fund and oversaw the derisking of pension liabilities.
Following his retirement from commercial roles, Ian was asked to become the Chief Operating Officer of the Registered Charity, the Leeds Diocesan Trust (Diocese of Leeds) and held this role for six years.
In a purely voluntary capacity, Ian was a Board member of Leeds Trinity University and was Chair of the Board for six years.
Artistic Advisors
Michael Berkeley
Michael Berkeley was born in 1948, the eldest son of the composer Lennox Berkeley. Benjamin Britten was his Godfather and as a boy soprano Michael sang with him and as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. He studied composition, singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music and then had lessons with Richard Rodney Bennett.
Berkeley has written in almost every musical genre including solo, chamber, orchestral and choral music. His three operas have been toured in the UK and produced in Australia, America and Italy. He has been Composer in Association to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and New York Philomusica and was the Artistic Director of the Cheltenham Festival between 1995 and 2005 where he premiered over a hundred new works from both leading and young composers.
Berkeley has long supported his composition with broadcasting, most notably as the presenter of Private Passions on BBC Radio 3 since its inception in 1995. He was awarded a CBE for services to music in 2013 and the following year was made a crossbench peer in the House of Lords where he consistently speaks on behalf of music and music education.
Michael Berkeley’s music is available from Oxford University Press or the composer’s own website.
Barry Wordsworth
Barry Wordsworth is Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet having previously served as Music Director from 1990 to 1995 and 2007 to 2015. He is also Conductor Laureate of the BBC Concert Orchestra, Brighton Philharmonic and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
He has an extensive catalogue of recordings with the BBC Concert Orchestra, the LPO, RPO, and LSO, and many video recordings conducting for The Royal Ballet.
