Meet the Team

AERON FITZGERALD

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

  • Joining National Youth Arts Wales as Trainee Producer in February 2021 was an empowering and eye-opening beginning to my career. As Finance and Operations Assistant, I am fortunate that I get to contribute to NYAW’s delivery on its mission and values.  

    It never occurred to me that working within the Welsh Arts Sector was a possibility, until I was inspired by a passionate and driven Film teacher during my A-Levels. Fast forward a few years and I was able to graduate with an Honours Degree in Film from the University of South Wales. 

    It is a constant pleasure to collaborate with my colleagues, our freelancers, and our exceptional members past and present. 

    Cardiff born and raised, I consider the city to be a creative hub but, I am now thankful to NYAW for showing me the talent possessed by young actors, dancers, and musicians across Wales. Learning about the lasting benefits NYAW has on their lives makes me feel confident about the future landscape of the Welsh arts and its workforce.

CLAIRE GRABHAM

FINANCE AND RESOURCES MANAGER

  • Claire was born and brought up in Cardiff and has spent most of her life living and working in South Wales.

    A graduate of Bradford University, she is a chartered accountant who has worked in a variety of businesses before moving to NYAW in 2023.

    New to the Arts in work, outside of work she enjoys concerts, musicals, ballet and comedy. She’s looking forward to playing her part in ensuring a strong financial future for the charity.

HOPE DOWSETT

PARTICIPATION AND LEARNING PRODUCER

  • I’m an arts professional born and bred in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

    Over the past 8 years, I’ve worked in a range of administrative, logistical and creative roles within the Arts Sector for organisations including Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Small World Theatre and Hijinx. I also completed a Masters in Arts Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2019. 

    During my career so far, I’ve been lucky enough to have worked across various different art forms, and always want to support work which has a genuine impact on people’s lives - particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. With this in mind, I’m delighted to be working as Music Projects Producer for NYAW. Our projects are truly inclusive and offer valuable opportunities for young people to get involved with our work, often for the first time. Having loved singing and performing from a very early age, it’s now a privilege to be running projects which will give today’s young people much-needed creative spaces and opportunities. 

    If you want to find out more about our music projects or support our work in some way, please feel free to get in touch for a chat - I’d love to hear from you!

MATTHEW JONES

SENIOR PRODUCER & DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE

  • I have worked for National Youth Arts Wales for almost 13 years and, as a former member of the National Youth Choir of Wales, I am passionate about giving the next generation of young artists a 21st Century version of the incredible experiences I benefited from.  

    As Lead Producer for the music ensembles, I am particularly looking forward to developing experiences that will challenge, excite and inspire, whether that’s working with top class musicians and experts in their field, performing in prestigious venues or festivals or programming a diverse range of repertoire. I am particularly focused on widening our reach to ensure we can work with talented young performers from all corners of Wales and providing opportunities to ensure those from all diverse backgrounds can rightly access the first class training we offer. 

    I am a Music and Arts Management graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, originally from the Vale of Glamorgan and currently live in Swansea. 

BRUNA GARCIA

PARTICIPATION AND LEARNING OFFICER

  • I was born in Portugal but moved to Cardiff with my mum at 4 years old. I’ve always had a great passion for music and in my free time I also work as a supporting artist.

    I studied performing arts, English Literature and business at A level, where I had the opportunity to perform in many different shows and develop my skills further.

    I began my career at NYAW in 2021 as a Trainee Producer for our Cor skills programme. Since then, I have had the opportunity to help develop different programmes and meet many talented young individuals.

    It’s exciting that NYAW is working to provide young people with great potential, the opportunities and resources they need to become well-established creatives. I hope to assist in making NYAW even more diverse and be a voice for underrepresented young people in the arts sector.

JAMIE JENKINS

DANCE PRODUCER 

  • It is both a privilege and pleasure for me to work with talented young dancers from across Wales.

    He began his professional dance training at Stella Mann College before developing his contemporary dance technique at the London Contemporary Dance School. He later gained a PGCE qualification at Aberystwyth University. Whilst still undertaking training, Jamie embarked on his professional performing career, subsequently going on to perform with professional companies, touring the UK and internationally.

    He has a number of professional performing credits under his belt, in television, musical theatre, and contemporary dance. Jamie continued developing his career in the dance sector as a Dance Practitioner and Project Manager within learning and participation and dance education. Jamie is the Dance Producer for National Youth Arts Wales (NYAW). In this role, he designs and manages programmes for talented young artists from across the country to develop their technique and performance skills whilst working with some of the most thought-after choreographers, including Kerry Nicholas, Theo Clinkyard, Caroline Finn, Lea Anderson MBE and Sir Wayne MacGregor.

    Jamie is able to share his passion for dance whilst working as an authoritative advocate for dance activities accessible to all sectors of the community. In addition to his NYAW role, Jamie is the curriculum leader for creative industries at Coleg Cambria in North Wales, effectively guiding curriculum management. Furthermore, his influence extends as a Dance Facilitator for the Arts Council of Wales, a board member of the National Education Network for Wales, and a dance advisor for various esteemed organisations, including The International Eisteddfod.

MASON EDWARDS

ASSISTANT PRODUCER

  • With roots in Cardiff’s local communities of Butetown and Grangetown, it was always an aspiration of mine to help facilitate the growth of young artists both at a local and national level. 

    From a young age I have always been involved in some form of performing arts. Whether it was dancing as a child or discovering my love for theatre as a teen, I have always understood that the arts worked as a key form of expression for young people.

    After completing qualifications in both drama and performing arts at GCSE and A Level respectively, I went on to complete a BA in Drama and Performance at London Southbank University, with my last two years marred by Covid-19. 

    It was at university where my eyes were opened to the social and political effects that art and performance had on society, and then how lost we were without it. Through my academic research of critical theory, I began to understand more about my own personal experiences as a mixed-race young man and how they have informed my thinking over the years. 

    I feel incredibly lucky to be a member of the NYAW team, and to work professionally within the Welsh arts sector, something that at one point didn’t seem possible.

EVAN DAWSON

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

  • Over the past 25 years, I have seen arts and creativity transform the lives of thousands of young people and their communities - building confidence, connection and joy. At National Youth Arts Wales, we are determined to provide high-quality cultural inspiration and support for young people throughout the whole country. As you can see below, we have an excellent staff and trustee team working hard to achieve this together.

    Evan joined National Youth Arts Wales in October 2023. He is a Welsh-speaker, a qualified lawyer and has an MA in Arts Management. Previously, he was CEO of Live Music Now and The Royal Photographic Society, winning several awards. He has published influential research about the impact of arts participation on development, health and wellbeing - speaking at the Welsh Assembly, House of Lords and at conferences around the world. He was a saxophonist in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) and led a 60-piece big band at University College London for 8 years, whilst also volunteering as a music tutor at a South London housing estate. He has written music for live performance, film and television, including the string-quartet theme for BBC2’s “Only Connect” (filmed in Cardiff); and his music photography has been published in national press and arts journals.

MEGAN CHILDS

THEATRE PRODUCER

  • I’m originally from Pembrokeshire but have made Cardiff my home for the last 20 years and have roots in the North East of England where I studied English Literature at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

    During this time, I embarked on my career in the music business as a violinist and went on to spend the next decade recording and touring with the pop band Gorkys Zygotic Mynci. Two children later, I returned to further education and graduated from RWCMD’s Arts Management Masters Degree course and turned my love of theatre into a career working as a marketing manager and then producer for Theatr Iolo. 

    Having joined the NYAW family early in 2019, I’m incredibly proud and excited to be working with some of the leading theatre venues and professionals in Wales to shape the next phase of National Youth Theatre of Wales. Here at NYAW we’re committed to nurturing talent and developing the skills of the next generation of Wales’ actors, theatre makers, writers and backstage creatives through the ambition and quality of training and performing opportunities we can offer young people from all backgrounds. 

    I’m keen to get out across Wales to meet as many people as possible who share our passion for theatre in Wales, so if you’re a creative, venue, a youth theatre, college of community group, school, ex member or just want to talk all things NYTW please do drop me a line as I’d love to start the conversation in English or Welsh! 

TOM KEMP

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

  • Throughout my life, I’ve had a range of amazing artistic opportunities and I’m so excited to be working with NYAW to bring these same opportunities to the next generation of Welsh talent.

    Born and bred in Pontypridd, I fell in love with the arts at a young age. My childhood years were spent producing, directing, choregraphing and starring in my very own one-man shows in my grandparents’ garden. With continued support and encourage from my family, I started working as a professional bilingual performer during my teenage years, with credits spanning British and American television dramas, comedies, commercials and UK touring stage musicals. It’s still a dream of mine to perform in a one-man show, but in a slightly bigger venue than my grandparents’ garden!

    Even though I graduated with a Geography degree from Swansea University, the arts, media and creative industries have never left my side. More recently, I’ve worked as a television and radio presenter, voice over artist and columnist.

    I’m delighted to be working with NYAW to make sure that the next generation of young Welsh creatives and talents, not only hear about us, but can gain both personally and professionally from the same high level of professional training, in all creative disciplines, as I was fortunate to receive.

BOARD MEMBERS

David Jackson (Chair)
Peter Curran
Anthony Matsena
Nia Medi
Richard Newton
Karen Pimbley
Sian Ropaigéalach Isaac Lewis Rhys Watkins Mared Browning