ICP at Ludgate Hill is a music space in the City of London that provides private music lessons and performance opportunities to adult learners of all abilities, including complete beginners, as well as returning students and those at an advanced level.  We also work closely with amateur musicians and emerging performers. 

ICP hosts regular events and collaborations with the hope of encouraging as many music lovers to come together to experience different spectrums of training and performance opportunities . The studio has a close partnership with the Red Hedgehog venue in Highgate.

 

Teachers and Staff

  • Leona Crasi

    FOUNDER | PIANO & SINGING

    Leona is a Romanian-American pianist and founder of ICP. She trained as a classical pianist, earning her B.Mus and M.Mus from the Royal Academy of Music, and has since focused on providing lessons and performance opportunities for amateur pianists. Driven by her passion for teaching, she opened the doors to ICP in 2021 with the aim of creating a space where music profesisonals, emerging young musicians, and amateur musicians could come together.

    As a performer, Leona specialises in Hungarian 19th and 20th centruy repertoire. She has appeared in venues and festivals such as the Lucerne Piano Fetsival in Switzerland, the Bloomsbury Music Fetsival in London, the Aegean Music Festival in Greece, the Hungarian Cultural Institutes in Vienna and Budapest, and the Royal Theatre in Morocco. She has been a guest teacher at the Fatima Refugee Centre in Bangkok, the Mohacs Masterclasses in Hungary, the Red Hedgehog in London, and the Sigismund Toduta Music College in Romania.

    In 2020 she worked alongside the cultural planning team at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London assisting in the continuation of cultural events during the pandemic, and alongside her teaching, she remains active in cultural diplomacy.

    Listen to Leona performing Ligeti.

  • Anjulie Chen

    PIANO

    German classical pianist Anjulie is an emerging young artist who is establishing a reputation as a musician with “an admirable musical sensibility”. Her playing has been praised for its “subtlety, stylishness and warmth” that is “full of poise, elegance and feeling”.

    Anjulie engages with a multitude of works, but is especially devoted to Schubertian and French repertoire - a passion that has led her to work with eminent artists such as Thomas Adés and Kirill Gerstein on invitation by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dame Imogen Cooper, Pascal Rogé and Dina Yoffe.

    She is also a passionate chamber musician and has been accepted to numerous prestigious festivals such as the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, the Oxford Piano Festival and the Virtuoso&BelCanto Festival on invitation by cellist Adrian Brendel.

    Listen to Anjulie performing Bach.

  • Ana Popescu-Deutsch

    VIOLIN

    Romanian-born violinist, Ana, started to sing before she could talk properly. At age six she was spotted by a music teacher from the George Enescu Music College in Bucharest, where she commenced her formal music training.

    Ana has won prizes at national and international competitions, including the 'Lorenzo Perosi' International Competition (first prize), Romanian Music Olympics (special prize), and the 'Timotei Popovici' National Music Performance Competition (first prize).

    Ana is passionate about folk music, specifically of the Balkan, Irish and Klezmer styles, appearing on Romanian television both at educational programs and shows together with Grigore Lese (one of Romania’s top ethnomusicologists).

    She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of music, earning her B.Mus with Richard Deakin and M.A. with Mateja Marinkovic. Between 2018 and 2019 she was part of the Southbank Sinfonia cohort.

    Listen to Ana performing Bartok.

  • Sofiya Kraykova

    ADMIN

    Sofiya is passionate about all music, from pop to folk to classical. Not a musician herself, she has worked as an administrator within the diplomatic sector since arriving in London 20 years ago.

    Sofya contributes greatly towards the day-to-day business operations at ICP, working closely both with students, teachers, and collaborators, and ensuring that all activities are run smoothly.

    She is curious about the arts and different cultures, and enjoys traveling together with her daughter.

  • Bernardo Simoes

    MEDIA | COMPOSITION & PIANO

    Bernardo is a Brazilian and Portuguese composer from Rio de Janeiro. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, having trained as a pianist, composer and conductor.

    As a contemporary composer, he has worked with the Brazilian Embassy on the project “Marés – Journeys through Brazilian Music”, the Riot Ensemble, the Chroma Ensemble, Sylva Winds quintet, Hill String Quartet, and other numerous solosist and ensembles.

    As a teacher, his experience and passion for all expressions of music supports his preparation of lessons for pupils of all levels and styles: from classical, to bossa nova, to jazz. He especially enjoys writing piano arrangements for his own students.

    Bernardo is also an expert contect creator, assisting musicians with professional recordings and general media activities. Since 2020, he has been leading an interview series on YouTube, featuring various artists and their projects.

    Follow Bernardo on YouTube.