Meet The Team

Liz Muge has worked in and around Music since graduating from Leeds University in 1999. On discovering there wasn’t much need for second rate Oboists in the world she has focussed instead on bringing the best possible musical experiences to children and young people. This journey has included spending time as the Education Director at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, a Regional Officer for charity Youth Music, the Chief Executive Officer of a small music charity Make Some Noise and more recently as Business Development Manager at the Nottingham Music Service.

Liz is passionate about music and the impact great music can have on all people, particularly small people. After 15 years working in Music Education, and following a period of research funded by Arts Council England, Liz established MishMash Productions in 2014.

Sam joined MishMash in 2025, bringing experience in video marketing and production. Originally from Cardiff and now based in Nottingham, he supports the team by helping plan and deliver creative projects that combine live music with storytelling. He works closely with Liz and the rest of the team to keep things running smoothly, whether that’s shaping content, coordinating logistics, or helping performers.

Sophie graduated with distinction as a cellist from the Royal Academy of Music in 2006 and has been working as a freelance cellist ever since. She has always been interested in combining music with more visual and theatrical elements. She is passionate about sharing music that she loves with audiences (and young people) in a way that will hopefully help them to love it too - like making some kind of magical mix-tape. Since joining MishMash for their first production in 2015, Sophie has stuck around and become part of the furniture: performing in shows, being musical director and finally joining Liz as Creative Director. In 2022, Sophie was awarded an Arts Council DYCP grant to develop her skills on the directing side and she has since co-directed the award-winning ‘in Sync’ (a collaboration between MishMash and Scottish Ensemble), and Toot! (last year’s MishMash Ensemble production). After attending the Jeunesse-Oorkaan academy in 2023, Sophie directed a Triolino production for Jeunesse in Vienna in 2024. 

Raised in Scotland and Canada and now living in England, Smitha brings a rich blend of cultural and creative experience to her role. With a background in classical piano and South Indian music and dance, she developed a lifelong passion for music. Academically, Smitha’s interest has predominantly been in health and life sciences, particularly health promotion. After earning a Master’s in Public Health, she transitioned into marketing and communications, working across both private and not-for-profit sectors, including at the British Heart Foundation.

Since 2018, Smitha has led communications at healthcare-focused creative agency Havas Life London, where she drives internal communications, supports organisational change, leads company promotion and is heavily involved with DE&I initiatives. She is especially passionate about helping to shape the company culture, defining brand strategy, and amplifying purpose-driven messaging. Outside of work, Smitha shares her love of many genres of music with her two children and loves to travel.

Terry has recently retired from education after a career spanning nearly forty years, including twenty-four years as Headteacher at Greenfields Community School, an inner-city Primary School in Nottingham. Passionate about the transformative power of music in children’s lives, Terry has been unwavering in championing musical education throughout their career. Under Terry's leadership, Greenfields became renowned for its exceptional music provision, ensuring that every child had the opportunity to learn an instrument and take part in joyful, uplifting ‘whole school sings.’ Music wasn’t just an activity, it was woven into the very fabric of the school, enriching the curriculum and creating a vibrant and inspiring learning environment.

As an amateur musician, Terry has treasured the profound experience of seeing a school community unite through shared musical moments, embracing the creativity, connection and joy that music brings. Now, stepping onto the board at MishMash, Terry is thrilled to continue advocating for musical opportunities for all children and young people. Terry is proud to contribute to such an inspiring organisation, dedicated to fostering a love of music.

Mária is Marketing and Communications Manager at Lakeside Arts, Nottingham. Born in Cluj, she studied Art History at Babeș-Bolyai University and Eötvös Loránd University, and Graphic Design at the University of Art and Design Cluj. She completed her MA in Art History at the University of Nottingham.

Before moving into arts marketing, she worked in galleries in Romania and the UK as an art historian, assistant, and co‑curator. Her marketing career spans visual arts, contemporary dance, music, and performing arts across government‑funded, independent, and higher‑education organisations. She is committed to making art accessible to enhance wellbeing and build community and therefore feels privileged to support MishMash’s mission.

Early exposure to the arts shaped Mária deeply: raised in a musical family, she grew up immersed in classical music, theatre, and poetry, sang in choirs, and played the piano – making classical music an organic part of her life to this day. Now a parent, she is passionate about giving children similar access to live performance.

Geetika Goyal is Science Educator & Educational Leader, bringing a wealth of experience in education, governance, and strategic leadership. She currently serves as a Director/Board Trustee with the Raleigh Education Trust and previously chaired the governing body at Westbury and Woodlands Academy, providing strategic oversight for SEND Schools. In these roles, she guided senior leaders through complex decisions, balancing accountability with creativity, and contributed to an Ofsted-rated “Good” outcome and recognition for strong governance.

With postgraduate qualifications in education and leadership, including a PGCE and masters in electronics engineering. Geetika combines strategic insight with a deep commitment to inclusive practice. She believes that education and the arts are not just skills to be taught, but experiences that can awaken curiosity, imagination, and confidence in every young person.

She believes that fostering access to the arts is more than a mission. It is a way to shape a future where every child can see themselves in the stories, sounds, and possibilities the world of music has to offer. She joined mishmash music production dedicating to helping break down barriers to classical music, ensuring that creativity, wonder, and inspiration reach children from all backgrounds.

An intercultural leader, Rachel has dedicated her 25-year career to fostering creative educational and cultural opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds. This commitment has taken her to more than 40 countries, where she has collaborated locally to develop innovative, needs-led programmes and partnerships that have shaped policy and practice in education, culture, and youth development. Her work has united learners, teachers, practitioners, and future leaders, encouraging collaboration and mutual learning across cultures and disciplines.

Rachel served for 17 years at the British Council in senior leadership roles, including as Director for Central Asia, where she collaborated with governments and diverse partners to drive transformative reforms in education and culture for burgeoning youth populations.  

Passionate about creating inclusive environments, Rachel is known for inspiring and uniting interdisciplinary teams to encourage open dialogue, address challenging issues, and deliver sustainable positive outcomes for young people and society.

Rachel studied music at university and holds master’s degrees in Ethnomusicology and International Development & Education. Outside her professional commitments, she enjoys singing, swimming, and gardening.

Lynn has worked in the charity and not-for-profit sector for over 20 years. She began her career as an evaluation consultant, focusing on skills and employment programmes and economic development. Since then, she has held consultancy roles specialising in impact measurement for charities, and more recently, in fundraising and evaluation within the arts and heritage sectors. Lynn has successfully raised over £3 million in revenue funding for clients and led research projects of varying scales. 

Her broad experience includes working directly within charities in senior leadership positions across grant-making, programme direction, fundraising, finance and evaluation. She has delivered and evaluated multi-million-pound national and international creative programmes and led a major capital and revenue campaign for a heritage centre. She is also Trustee and Treasurer of Leicester International Music Festival.

Carmen Flores is a musician dedicated to creating new pathways for experiencing and performing classical music. Carmen is a recipient of the prestigious US Fulbright Award and she has given performance masterclasses at the University of Nottingham, Oxford University, Dartmouth College, Birmingham Conservatoire, and Sheffield University, among others. Carmen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe and she has been featured on several BBC Radio and Television broadcasts, including BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and The Andrew Marr Show with the Villiers Quartet, and at the Les Jardins Musicaux, Tanglewood, Pacific, and Boyne Music Festivals. She is a founding member of the Villiers Quartet. Based in Nottingham, she is Director of the Nottingham Chamber Music Festival.

Aisha moved to Nottingham from Pakistan seven years ago and has been working for the Nottingham Music Service in fundraising and marketing. She completed her Master's in Social Work from the Washington University in St Louis, USA on a Fulbright scholarship and later returned to work in Pakistan for an education charity.

Aisha is passionate about making a difference, has many years of experience in writing, and project planning and implementation, as well as experience in monitoring and evaluation. She loves reading, writing and being kept on her toes by her four-year-old!