The Team at Musicians’ Health and Movement Institute
We are proud to have some amazing teachers and performers based in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, France and the USA who lecture and teach in the Timani Certification Course, educating future Timani teachers.
In addition to their various backgrounds in music performance, teaching, science, anatomy, manual therapy and functional movement practices, they are all Timani teachers, and have a deep understanding of the body specifically aimed at the needs of musicians. We also invite external lecturers from other fields of anatomy and movement to complement the content of the Timani Certification Course.
We deeply care about the students and give our best to create a non-competitive and safe space for everybody to thrive and learn. What provides a unique qualification is that all the teachers are, or have been performing artists beside teaching at the institute, and therefore they hold a direct insight in the everyday as a musician.
Tina Margareta Nilssen, Founder and Creative Director
Tina Margareta Nilssen is a pianist, lecturer, the creator of Timani and author of “Unleashing the Potential of the Musicians’ Body” (GIA Publications). She is currently doing a PhD at the Music Physiology Centre at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, researching orchestral players’ movement coordination while performing music.
She has developed the method Timani and the Timani Certification Course, based on extensive education within the body. Her educations include being a certified kinetic control therapist, fitness and movement coach, massage therapist, yoga teacher and with a background in various movement systems.
She is an advocate for musicians’ health and has shared her expertise with thousands of musicians globally through workshops, books, and lectures at renowned institutions.
Jay Crossland, Director of programmes
Jay is the Programmes Director at the Musicians’ Health and Movement Institute. She is from the UK and has been teaching for over 20 years. From 2015 - 2020, she was the Academic Director at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine.
She is a horn player, teacher and conductor, and also plays the bass and piano. She is a trained Timani teacher and has experience with Alexander Technique. She has taught at music schools in London and Yorkshire in the UK, holds postgraduate qualifications in music and music performance (York University and The Royal College of Music) and a bachelors in English literature.
Jay is a certified Timani Teacher and has performed administrative tasks at the Musicans’ Health and Movement Institute since September 2020, and since 2021 as Director of Programmes.
Steinar Børmer, Senior Institute Teacher, Head of Finances
Steinar Børmer is a bass player, Timani teacher, and is Head of finances at the Musicians’ Health and Movement Institute.
He has his bachelor's and master's degrees from The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway. After 7 years as a double bass player in The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003, he transitioned to the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra where he is currently performing full time.
Steinar has also completed his MovNat instructor training in 2015, and has taught Timani since 2014. Together with Tina he built the institute since 2013, and has contributed hugely to its existence and continuation.
Direct contact and session booking: steinar@timani.no
Miriam Hlavatý, Senior Institute Teacher
Miriam is a Timani teacher, pianist, bodyworker, somatic coach and lecturer who lives in Oslo.
She holds a bachelors and masters degree as a pianist from the Norwegian Academy of Music and is a certified Restorative Exercise specialist of Nutritious Movement™ and in the bodywork- and massage technique Myofascial Energetic Release which combines deep tissue body work with somatic awareness and trauma work.
Miriam has taught Timani since 2016. She also gives annual lectures on Pain, the Nervous system and the Fascia system both at the Musicians Health and Movement Institute and at other institutions and organisations.
www.thelisteningexperience.com
For session booking: https://thelisteningexperience.simplybook.it/v2/
Photo credit: Dat Danh
Christine Clancy, Senior Institute Teacher
Christine is an American flutist living in Sweden. She is an active orchestral and chamber musician as well as the founder of Effortless Musician.
Christine is also a Timani teacher, yoga teacher, and performance coach with a Bachelors degree in neuroscience from Brown University as well as postgraduate flute performance degrees from conservatories in the UK, Denmark, and Sweden. She teaches both online and in person.
Ellen Seligman, Senior Institute Teacher
Ellen Hiranya Seligman is a Timani teacher and opera director based in Oslo. She has worked as a Dean for The Norwegian Academy of Opera, as a bassoonist in The Norwegian Opera Orchestra and as a freelance opera director.
Her education in music is from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and in opera directing from Operahogskolan in Stockholm. Her instrument is the bassoon, and she has given Timani lectures for professional institutions such as Barratt Due Music Institute and The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Direct contact and session booking: ellenhiranyaseligman@gmail.com
Linn Lillsunde, Senior Institute teacher, Head of Regional Institute Teachers
Linn is a Swedish violinist and Timani teacher based in Paris. She completed her Master of Music degree at Trinity College of Music in London, and also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Linn started teaching music in 2009 when she was employed by the Purcell School for Young Musicians in London, and has since then taught in many different schools and institutions, alongside running her private violin studio. She is a busy freelance musician and appears regularly with ensembles in Paris.
Dr. Hannah Murray, Regional Institute Teacher
Dr. Hannah Murray is a Timani teacher, music educator, and performer based in Los Angeles, CA. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma, and is a certified yoga instructor.
Hannah is the founder of corpSonore - sound | body | wellness, a platform dedicated to the health and wellness of all musicians. She is the Instructor of Violin and Viola at Mount Saint Mary's University and the Orchestra Director at The Archer School for Girls. She regularly presents Timani workshops and lectures at music conferences, conservatories, and institutions across the United States, and hosts Timani courses and classes online.
Elvira van Groningen, Regional Institute Teacher
Elvira is a Dutch violinist and Timani teacher based in the UK, combining an international performance career with her work in musicians’ health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, where she now also teaches violin and Timani.
Elvira recently graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music in London, earning an MSc in Performance Science. After experiencing challenges with focal dystonia, she is dedicated to helping other musicians prevent and recover from injuries while reaching their full artistic potential.
She is the co-founder of Recompose, an online platform providing musicians with research-informed support, and she teaches Timani both online and in person — including recent workshops and masterclasses at the conservatoires of Berlin, Bremen, and Zwolle. Elvira is also an active freelance musician, performing regularly with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
https://www.elviravangroningen.com/
Prof. Dr. Christine Fish Moulton, Regional Institute Teacher
Christine is professor of flute at Commonwealth University of PA-Mansfield in US, is a licensed Body Mapping Educator and Timani teacher. Member of the Manhattan Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, principal flute of Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra & Valley Vivaldi and the annual Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
She regularly performs and presents workshops at music conventions, fairs and schools and serves as secretary of the Marcel Moyse Society.
Karin Petersdotter Eriksson, Regional Institute Teacher
Karin is a Timani teacher, a Swedish violist, an avid chamber musician and member of Polar Chamber Ensemble. She is frequently active as an orchestral musician and has performed under the baton of Daniel Harding, Sakari Oramo and Daniel Blendurf among others. Karin holds an Artist Diploma and Master of Music degree from New York University Steinhardt. During her studies under Prof. Stephanie Baer and Karen Ritscher she was appointed Adjunct Viola Faculty at New York University Steinhardt.
Karin is a certified Timani Teacher and teaches Timani, Anatomy for Musicians, Violin and Viola at Umeå Music school. She teaches both in person and online. She completed her Bachelor degree in Music from Royal College of Music in Stockholm and holds a Degree of Master of Arts in Education from Ingesund College of Music, Karlstad University.
Assoc. Prof. Tuva Semmingsen, Regional Institute Teacher
Tuva is a Norwegian singer and Timani teacher based in Copenhagen. As an opera singer, she has performed with numerable European opera houses, as well as being a member of the soloist ensemble at the Royal Danish Opera for 16 years. At the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where she completed her master’s degree in Elite Vocal Pedagogy, she is associate professor, teaching voice majors and a weekly class in voice theory (anatomy and physiology). She trained at the Norwegian State Academy of Music, and the Opera Academy in Copenhagen.
Tuva’s huge interest in vocal health has led to further studies at Vocal Health UK, where she recently completed her certification as Vocal Habilitation Professional, with distinction. She lives in Copenhagen with her family, and loves running, yoga and knitting.
https://www.tuva.dk/
Image: Royal College of Music, London
Dr. Anna Détári, Guest Lecturer
Anna is a Lecturer in Performance Science within the Centre for Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London. Anna’s main research interest is performing artists’ health and well-being. Informed by her work as both a performer and a researcher, her goal is to translate the latest scientific findings into effective practices to positively impact musicians’ lives in a meaningful way.
Her doctoral dissertation focused on exploring the origins and treatments of Musician’s Focal Dystonia. She offers coaching sessions specifically for musicians with focal dystonia, but she is also a Timani teacher in training.