Shaun Matthew

Shaun passionately and energetically strives for members of the public to discover something emotive and impactful within all forms of classical music.

He won the Royal Northern College of Music's Mortimer Fruber Prize for the conducting of contemporary music, and regularly conducts some of the UK’s finest orchestras, such as Chineke! (as part of Grace Jones' Meltdown Festival) the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

As the long-term Musical Director of the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra, he regularly champions works by neglected composers such as William Grant Still, Shirley J. Thompson and Andrzej Panufnik, also collaborating with prominent concerto musicians such as Tai Murrray, Jamie Walton and Jess Gillam. From 2023 onwards he will be completing the UK premieres of Grant Still's symphonies.

Drawing from his Caribbean roots growing up in east London, Shaun is a passionate and vocal advocate for arts education, diversity and inclusivity. The socio-economic difficulties he faced growing up offers him a clear perspective on the issues faced by aspiring musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is passionate about making arts accessible to all (were it not for free local authority instrumental lessons he would never have had the privilege of studying at JGSMD and RNCM) and he curates outreach concerts for school-aged children across the UK. He has mentored Chineke! Junior Orchestra, Trinity Laban Conservatoire's Symphony Orchestra and Leeds Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra and he regularly serves as

Shaun is also a freelance tubist and a talented transcriber, arranging many scores for brass bands and chamber orchestras. He currently holds the position of Professor of Tuba at the University of York.

Christina Waldock

Christina was born in Glasgow and her first words were in 'Weegie. She lived in Zambia and Kenya as a child, absorbing different languages and cultures before she could learn about them in books. The sounds, smells, rhythms and images of Africa are deeply ingrained in her memory, and they led to an avid interest in world cultures and a natural gift for languages which she went on to pursue at Pembroke College, Cambridge. 

She lived on the North Hull Estate for a while after returning from Zambia -African jungle to Urban jungle, the social deprivations and cultural divides of Africa and her home town making a big impression. Having spent most of her formative years in Hull and returned to the area in 2003 to bring up her own family, she knows the complex social currents of the city well, 

Christina's passion for music was ignited by the cello at the age of 6. She progressed quickly, giving her first public performance within a year. She gained a scholarship to the Purcell School in London at 16 and dove headlong into the wolrd of chamber music, winning an international competition (Stage '91, Barcelona) as cellist of the Juventus Quartet. Since then her freelance career has taken her all over Europe, to Russia and to Canada. She regularly plays concertos with UK orchestras and has given recitals at music clubs and festivals across the UK with Mark Knoop for 20 years. She loves to improvise and has collaborated in several multi-disciplinary projects over the years, also recording albums with Barbara Dickson and Hull-based indie folk band Pavey Ark. She also has a sound healing practice in East Yorkshire.

Christina co-founded the Yorkshire Wolds Music Foundation in 2022 and is the Artistic Director of the Yorkshire Wolds Music Festival. She and Shaun met in 2017 whilst playing in an orchestra and immediatley felt a strong kinship. Hull Jam Factory is the result of many years' research & dreaming, a strong love for Hull & its people, a desire to give back to the town that gave her so much growing up and a belief that Hull deserves to be celebrated.