Meet the Team
Dr Gary Lutton
Director & Guitar Teacher
Gary is a musician and teacher based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is the winner of Sky TV's Guitar Star and holds a PhD in music from Ulster University. Gary has been a lecturer in music at various colleges throughout N.I. for 10 years and has toured internationally in the US, Europe and China.
Live at Stormont for BBC2 Music Day
Original tune
David Dalzell, BA (Hons)
Drum and Bass Guitar Teacher
David is a musician and teacher based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is a session musician and collaborator, playing for various original artists and function bands and a bassist and percussionist. David has worked as a private drum tutor, as well as working with Antrim School of Music as a freelance tutor and percussion workshop director.
As a recent graduate of Queens University Belfast, David now holds a Bachelors degree in Music and Audio production, and he is excited to work alongside Strandtown Music Academy to bring a quality teaching experience.
Daniel Quigley, BA (Hons), ALCM
Piano Teacher
Daniel is a composer, pianist, arranger, singer, and instrumentalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He specialises in contemporary classical music, but also enjoys incorporating ideas from his experiences with jazz, traditional Irish folk, and choral music. He began playing the piano around the age of five, and later also took up flute and alto saxophone. He was a member of the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra 2014-18 and the Choral Scholars Training Choir in St. Gerard’s Chapel, Belfast, 2017-18. He then studied music at Magdalene College, Cambridge, becoming heavily involved with the choral, musical theatre, and instrumental music worlds. He briefly worked as a Graduate Music Assistant in Wells Cathedral School, Somerset, before continuing his composition studies at Högskolan för Scen och Musik, University of Gothenburg. His works have previously been performed by Magdalene College Choir, the staff of Wells Cathedral School, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and Svenska Kammarkören, and has an upcoming collaboration project with Bohuslän Big Band.
Hannah McGrady, BA (Hons)
Singing and Piano Teacher
Having just graduated with a first in Music Performance from Queens University Belfast, Hannah is a passionate musician. As a classically trained singer she has experience in opera, contemporary music, musical theatre and jazz. She is also a prolific singer-songwriter, utilising her skills as a singer, pianist and guitarist to create diverse original music. Hannah’s debut single featured on BBC Introducing and her EP ‘Temporary’ is available to stream on Spotify under the name ‘Honeyblossom’. Hannah is a patient and enthusiastic teacher here to build your confidence and skills while having fun as you learn!
Liam McCartan, PhD
Guitar Teacher
Liam McCartan is a Belfast-based musician, producer and composer who gained his doctorate from the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen's University in 2022. Liam is a multi-instrumentalist with 18 years of cross-genre guitar-playing experience and a speciality in improvisation. Having recorded, written and performed in rock, folk, metal, jazz, electronic and experimental groups, Liam has become expertly versed in many forms of music.