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Sunday February 8th 2015, 4pm St Mary's Church Aylesbury

Rachel Spencer Originally from Holmfirth in West Yorkshire, violinist Rachel Spencer studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Peter Lissauer. Supported throughout her studies by the prestigious Leverhulme scholarship, Rachel won numerous prizes and scholarships and was selected to perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. After graduating in 2011 with first class honours, she was selected for the newly-established Young Artist in Residence scheme at the RCS from 2011-12. Rachel subsequently studied for her masters degree with Alexander Janiczek at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating with Distinction and a Concert Recital Diploma for outstanding performance.

Rachel lives in London and performs regularly throughout the UK as a soloist and chamber musician. She has appeared alongside such distinguished musicians as Ilya Gringolts, David Watkin and Benjamin Grosvenor and at festivals including BBC Proms, SOUND Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival and Esbjerg Festival, Denmark, and on broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio London. As violinist for the Kapten Trio, she gives frequent performances across the UK to critical acclaim. Rachel is passionate about music education and has been an artist for outreach scheme Live Music Now since 2011, a position which will see her travelling to Abu Dhabi and regions of Scandinavia to lead education projects in 2015.

 

Sunday 4th May 2014, St Mary's Church, Aylesbury 4pm

Francesca Barritt is equally at home as concert soloist, orchestral leader and chamber musician and enjoys a varied performing career. Solo engagements this season include several performances of Beethoven's Violin Concerto and a performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. Recent concerto appearances have included Brahms and Sibelius, Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Del Mar Trio, and Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending. 

Francesca is in great demand as a chamber musician, and has performed at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room and Seoul Arts Centre in South Korea. She received broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 in 2011 and 2012, and has been invited to perform at the Kings Place Festival, Bath International Festival, and Norfolk and Norwich Festival to name but a few. Francesca is a member of the Del Mar Piano Trio and a founder member of Ensemble Matisse, who will be Park Lane Group Young Artists for 2014. 

Francesca is a regular member of the celebrated John Wilson Orchestra, with whom she appears yearly at the BBC Proms, across the UK, and on television broadcasts and EMI recordings. Francesca also performs with Philharmonia Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra and Orchestra of The Swan. 

Francesca was recently awarded a Master of Arts with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, having graduated with first class honours as a Bachelor of Music from the Royal College of Music. Her teachers have included Yossi Zivoni and Richard Deakin. She was chosen to lead the symphony orchestras at both the RCM and the RAM, and held the honoured position of principal second violinist in the acclaimed Sainsbury Royal Academy Soloists ensemble for the entirety of her time at the Academy. She has been the recipient of awards from The Stephen Bell Charitable Trust and Arts and Humanities Research Council. Francesca was awarded the Ian Anderson, Leverhulme Orchestral Mentorship and Marjory Bunty Lempford awards by the Academy, and was chosen by the institution to perform in a masterclass for Maxim Vengerov.

 

9/2/14 : Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

Michael McHale has established himself as one of the leading Irish pianists of his generation.

Since completing his studies at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music he has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. Michael has performed at many important musical centres including Suntory Hall, Tokyo; Lincoln Center, New York; Symphony Hall, Boston; Konzerthaus, Berlin; Pesti Vigadó, Budapest; the Ushuaia and Tanglewood Festivals, and for TV and radio broadcasts throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America.

His début solo album ‘The Irish Piano’ was released in 2012 on the RTÉ lyric fm label and has already been featured on national radio in France, Austria, Canada, Australia, the USA, Italy, Estonia and the UK. The disc was selected as ‘CD of the Week’ by critic Norman Lebrecht, who described it as “a scintillating recital…fascinating from start to stop”, whilst Gramophone praised “the singing sensibility of McHale's sensitive and polished pianism”.

Michael has performed frequently as concerto soloist with the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony and Moscow Symphony orchestras, the Teatro Colon Orchestra, Discovery Ensemble in Boston, the London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras in repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin and Rachmaninov.

A recent début with the Irish Chamber Orchestra saw Michael deputise for the indisposed Leon Fleisher in a performance of Prokofiev’s Left Hand Concerto with Gérard Korsten, which was broadcast worldwide on a live online video stream. Engagements in 2013/14 include regular season appearances with the Ulster Orchestra (Liszt Concerto No.2), the RTÉ NSO (Gershwin Concerto) and the Irish Chamber Orchestra (the premiere of Garrett Sholdice's Piano Concerto) in addition to further CD recordings, solo recitals and chamber music engagements.

His début solo recitals in the Wigmore Hall, London, the National Concert Hall, Dublin, and the Phillips Collection, Washington DC received great public and critical acclaim, with the Washington Post praising his “…bravura playing in the music of Franz Liszt…” and his “…beautifully proportioned and energetic account of Mozart’s Sonata in C minor, K.457…”

In addition to winning first prize and the audience prize at the prestigious Terence Judd/Hallé Award finals in 2009 (previous winners include Nikolai Lugansky and Stephen Hough), Michael was awarded the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition and the 2005 Camerata Ireland/Accenture Award. His teachers and mentors include John O’Conor, Réamonn Keary, Christopher Elton, Ronan O’Hora and Barry Douglas.

Michael collaborates regularly with Sir James Galway, Michael Collins, Patricia Rozario, Ensemble Avalon and the Cappa Ensemble, and his discography includes recordings for Chandos, RTÉ lyric fm, Louth CMS, Lorelt and Nimbus Alliance. For more information visit www.michaelmchale.com

17/11/2013 : Mahler Songs of a Wayfarer 

Njabulo Madlala Winner of the 2010 Kathleen Ferrier Competition, of the Singer Sections Final at the 2012 Royal Overseas League Competition, of the 2012 Lorna Viol Memorial Prize and Royal Overseas League Trophy for the Most Outstanding Musician From Overseas, the Sir John Manduell Award for an Outstanding South African Musician and of a 2012 Worshipful Company of Musicians Award, Njabulo Madlala was born in South Africa.

He studied on the Post-graduate opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Robert Dean and at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice. Njabulo Madlala was also a Britten Pears Young Artist and a Samling Foundation Scholar. At the Guildhall, Njabulo Madlala sang Le Calender La rencontre Imprévueand The King The King Goes Forth to France. Since graduating, his engagements elsewhere have included Don Fernando Fidelio, Bello La Fanciulla del West andSchaunard La bohème for Opera Holland Park, Moralès Carmen for Dorset Opera, Peachum The Threepenny Opera at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Rangwan Koanga at Sadler’s Wells Theatre,Fisherman Bird of Night for ROH2, Don Giulio L’ajo nell’imbarazzo at the Barga International Festival, Porgy Porgy and Bess at the Cheltenham Festival and Mel The Knot Garden at the Montepulciano Festival.

With Sarah Walker, he has made a special study of recital repertoire, appearing as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival as well as at the Wigmore Hall and participating in the Steans Young Artists Programme at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. Concert highlights have included J. S. Bach Ich habe genug with the Ten Tors Orchestra, Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen for the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyles First series conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. With the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra he has appeared under Arjan Tien and Richard Cock and recitals with Christopher Duigan in Cape Town & Durban, James Baillieu at the Lake District Music Festival, with Simon Lepper at the Buxton Festival and with Roger Vignoles at the Lugo and Cambridge Festivals. His broadcasts include In Tune for BBC Radio 3.

Current engagements include the title role in Don Giovanni for Mid Wales Opera, Aeneas Dido and Aeneas at the Wimbledon Festival, Mozart Requiemwith the English Chamber Orchestra, the Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra Music Revival Gala, the London Mozart Players and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Belshazzar’s Feast with the Philharmonia at the 2013 Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester and with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Escamillo for WINSLOW HALL OPERA and a recital with Julius Drake at the 2013 Mananan Festival.

21/04/2013 : Schumann Konzertstuck for Four Horns in F

Elise Campbell is on an MA course at the Royal Academy of Music having graduated from the Academy as a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours. She studies with a scholarship under Michael Thompson, Richard Watkins, Roger Montgomery and Martin Owen. She previously attended the Junior Academy with Simon de Souza, and began her musical education at the Aylesbury Music Centre. She has won the Dennis Brain Horn Prize and John Solomon Brass Prize in her time at the Academy. Freelance engagements include work with the BBC Symphony, London Chamber, Royal Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, and a trial with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Elise has also had frequent engagements with the London Sinfonietta, including a performance at the BBC Proms, and a tour of Sweden and Denmark as guest principal horn. She has also performed at the Proms with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra under Sir Mark Elder, playing principal horn for the BBC commission by Charlotte Bray; At The Speed Of Stillness in performance and for a commercial recording. Other session work includes playing on the soundtracks of films including “Les Miserables” and “The Hobbit.”  She is a founding member of the Marylebone Wind Quintet and Total Brass and has worked professionally with the Nash Ensemble and London Winds.Elise’s studies are supported by the Musician’s Benevolent Fund and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.  

Anna Douglass holds a Sir Elton John scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson. She was the 2012 winner of the Dennis Brain Horn Prize, and also won the BBC Young Musician Brass Category in 2010.  In 2012 she won a departmental competition which resulted in her performing Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.  Anna has been performing around the country from a young age, including a recital in the Wigmore Hall when she was 16, and she was the invited soloist in the Battle Proms tour in 2011, performing Strauss’s 2nd Horn Concerto. She learned with Willi Watson, and then Liz Davis at Chetham's School of Music, during which time she progressed to playing Principal Horn with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. More recently, she has been playing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the 2012 Proms season and in recordings, as well as with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Anna is a Britten-Pears Young Artist and through the foundation has toured with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder in Europe, including playing principal horn for Britten’s Sinfonia Da Requiem at the BBC Proms as well as performing in concerts in Munich and the Concertgebauw- Amsterdam.  She has also played in the West End production of 'The Lion King,' and can be heard in the 2012 film 'The Raven.’

Francisco Gomez-Ruiz was born in San Asensio in 1986 and completed his studies at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Aragón. He is currently a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Michael Thompson, Richard Watkins, Martin Owen and Roger Montgomery. During the past year at the Academy he has played principal horn in many of the RAM ensembles, including the Manson Ensemble for a remake of Hitchcock’s “The Pleasure Garden”. Francisco was principal horn at the BBC Proms for the collaboration between the Juillard School and the Academy, in the summer of 2012.
He has performed with the National Orchestra of Spain, the National Orchestra of Catalunya and City of Barcelona, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Cadaques’ Orchestra and National Orchestra of Andorra. In 2008 he won the “INJUVE Prize Circuits of Music” and in 2010 the Ibercaja Improvement Scholarship. He has performed the two Cherubini Sonatas and the Beethoven Sonata in the Musica-Musica Festival in Bilbao, Mozart’s third Concerto with the Aragon’s Camerata and the Schumann’s Allegro und Adagio with the Barenboim-Said Academy Orchestra. He is currently on trial for the third horn position in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and was previously also on trial in the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Hugh Sisley was born in August 1991. From 1999 to 2009 he was taught by David Bentley at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he held the Paxman horn scholarship. In 2004 he was awarded a music scholarship to St Paul’s school. He subsequently began lessons with Richard Watkins.  In 2009 he was awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he was taught by Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson. While at the Royal Academy he was awarded a solo recital at the Wigmore Hall, he played 1st horn in a performance of Bruckner’s 9th symphony under Sir Simon Rattle and performed Peter Maxwell Davies’ Sea Eagle for solo horn in a concert attended by the composer. He is principal horn with the Britten Pears Orchestra and the Aldeburgh World Orchestra and he also plays with the Docklands Sinfonia under Spencer Down. He has played Strauss’ 1st horn concerto with the Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, Teleman’s horn concerto with the Brandenburg Sinfonia in St Martin’s in the Fields and Mozart’s 4th horn concerto with the Colchester Symphony Orchestra. Recently, he has performed the premier of Elgar Howarth’s concerto for horn, and has played principal horn with the London Sinfonietta.  Hugh is currently on trial for the third horn position with the London Symphony Orchestra and previously was on trial for the same position in the Philharmonia Orchestra.

3/2/13 : Greig Piano Concerto

Anna Markland 
studied at the Chetham's School of Music, the Oxford University, and the Royal Academy of Music. She attained an ARCM with honours at the age of 17, and gained national recognition in 1982 when she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. Two years later, in 1984, she won an instrumental scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford where she read Music. This was followed by two years' postgraduate study with Philip Fowke at the Royal Academy of Music.

The success BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition launched her on a performing career, which involved a busy schedule of recital and concerto engagements throughout the British Isles. At the age of 18 she performed at London's Royal Albert Hall, and had further performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to a busy performing schedule as a pianist, Anna Markland has earned a considerable reputation as teacher, adjudicator and (as Anna Crookes) singer. She now has dual careers as a pianist and also as a soprano. She is a founder member of the world-renowned I Fagiolini vocal group who regularly perform and record throughout Europe. 

 18/11/12 : R Strauss Four Last Song

Daniela Bechly was born and educated in Hamburg, and gained her Opera Diploma at the Hochschule für Musik. She won First Prize in the 1980 Hamburg Singing Contest, was a finalist in the Vienna Belvedere Competition in 1984 and Second Prizewinner in the Bordeaux Festival International des Jeunes Solistes. After moving to the UK, Daniela now lives with her family in Essex. Daniela made her debut with the Braunschweig Opera. Subsequent engagements have been with the Vienna Kammeroper, Krefeld-Mönchengladbach and the Deutsche Oper Berlin (four seasons) followed by a year as a guest artist at the Stadttheater Bern. Major operatic roles include Marguerite FAUST, Cherubino/Susanna LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Sandrina LA FINTA GIARDINIERA, Ännchen DER FREISCHÜTZ, Pamina DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, Anna DIE LUSTIGE WEIBER VON WINDSOR, Rezia L'INCONTRO IMPROVVISO, Gretel HÄNSEL UND GRETEL, Donna Elvira DON GIOVANNI, Cordelia LEAR (Reimann), Ghita DER ZWERG (Zemlinsky) and Kristina THE MAKROPULOS CASE. Further roles include Goose Girl KÖNIGSKINDER and Malvina DER VAMPYR at the Wexford Festival, Wellgunde GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Cherubino with Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf and Agathe DER FREISCHÜTZ at the Zwingenburg Festival, Neckar. Daniela Bechly’s recordings include Flowermaiden PARSIFAL under Daniel Barenboim for TELDEC, TELEMANN CANTATAS, SCHUBERT MASS IN B, DER KONTRABASS (Schedl) and four song cycles by Matthias Ronnefeld for DACAPO records. Concert engagements include ST MATTHEW PASSION with Sir Colin Davis, LES NUITS D’ÉTÉ in Bury St Edmunds, WESENDONCK LIEDER for Lavenham Sinfonia, a tour of California with the Rheinland Pfaelz Jugendorchester performing Strauss FOUR LAST SONGS, Verdi REQUIEM and Beethoven MISSA SOLEMNIS at the Harwich Festival, Recitals for Musica Viva in Mainz, LE VIN HERBE at the Cernier Festival, Switzerland, Poulenc GLORIA for the Essex Music Festival, Mozart CONCERT ARIAS and FRAUENLIEBEN UND LEBEN and a collaboration with the Trio Kairos Hamburg on Shostakovitch Op. 127, Beethoven and Haydn. Further concert repertoire includes MESSIAH, FOUR LAST SONGS, Mahler 4th Symphony, Haydn’s CREATION and Mozart REQUIEM. 

6/5/12 : Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor

LARA MELDA
 was awarded the coveted title of BBC Young Musician 2010 at the age of sixteen, performing Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.2 with Vasily Petrenko and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. She was immediately invited to record the same work with the BBC Concert Orchestra for broadcast on Radio 2. Other performances in the 2010/11 season have included an appearance in the Royal College of Music’s Lisztomania piano festival (broadcast live on the internet) and the Schumann 200 Festival at King’s Place, Istanbul Recitals series in Turkey, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad in Switzerland, and many other concerts for music societies throughout the UK.  Prior to her BBC Young Musician success Lara was a finalist in the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Weimar, Germany in 2009 and, as winner of the Purcell School’s Concerto Competition, performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor K466 with the Purcell Sinfonia in 2008. She also performed at London’s Wigmore Hall and, at the Royal Northern College of Music’s Scarlatti Festival, her performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. At the Royal College of Music she has performed in the Lisztomania, Mozart Sonatathon and Poles Apart piano festivals and has taken part in a filmed masterclass with Lang Lang. Lara is a pupil at the Purcell School and the Royal College of Music Junior Department and studies piano with Ian Jones. She began piano lessons with Emily Jeffrey at the age of six. Lara is also an accomplished viola player and enjoys playing chamber music on both piano and viola. She is in the viola section of the RCMJD Symphony Orchestra. 

5/2/12 : Film Music Concert

JOHN BESWICK
 
was Organ Scholar of Hertford College, Oxford, before postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (repetiteur) and the Royal College of Music (as Postgraduate Conducting Scholar). On leaving the R.C.M., John studied at the 1996 Dartington International Summer School and made his opera conducting debut with Rigoletto. Since then he has conducted opera throughout the UK, the USA and France for companies including London City Opera/Columbia Artists Inc., Crystal Clear Opera, Pimlico Opera, Opera Box, Swansea City Opera and British Youth Opera. He has also worked on the music staff for Grange Park Opera, UCL Opera and Icelandic National Opera. Concert engagements have included dates with Redhill Sinfonia, Oxford University Orchestra, Oxford Chamber Orchestra, Colne Philharmonic, Slough Philharmonic and the Orchestra and Chorus of University College, London. Recently John has specialised in conducting concerts of film music (perhaps inspired by his appearance as an extra in the Oscar winning film Shine) and, in 2009, gave the UK concert premier of Dan Jones’ music for the film Shadow of the Vampire. John has also conducted many shows, principally Les Miserables (West End), Miss Saigon (UK Tour), Avenue Q (West End) and Damon Albarn’s ‘pop’ opera Monkey: Journey to the West (‘Monkey’s World’ at the O2); he has also played keyboards on several others including Jersey Boys (West End), Legally Blonde (West End), The Full Monty(UK Tour) and Phantom Of The Opera (UK Tour). He has clocked up almost six months ‘inside’, having thrice worked as MD for Pimlico Opera’s famous prison projects, where the cast are largely made of prison inmates: Sondheim’s Assassins (HMP Coldingley), Chicago (HMP Bronzefield) and Les Miserables (HMP Wandsworth).  

6/11/11 : Beethoven Triple Concerto

Del Mar TrioDEL MAR TRIO formed in 2005 at the Royal Academy of Music and quickly gained recognition, winning the RAM’s Harry Isaacs and John Ireland Prizes. After a break to facilitate individual further study in the UK and abroad, it re-formed in September 2009 with violinist Francesca Barritt. The Trio has performed in venues and festivals throughout London and the UK, including St James’s, Piccadilly, St Olave’s Church in the City of London, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the Aylesbury Festival. Its repertoire is wide-ranging, spanning classical to contemporary, including works by Sally Beamish, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Debussy, Ireland, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich. The Trio members are all prize-winners from the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, and between them have studied with members of the Dussek Piano Trio, Pizarro Piano Trio, Chilingirian Quartet, Kuss Quartet, Fitzwilliam Quartet and Endellion Quartet. The Trio regularly receives coaching as part of ChamberStudio at King's Place - set up by Richard Ireland to offer coaching and support to up-and-coming chamber groups - and is grateful for the financial support they received from the ChamberStudio Scholarship Fund.  In addition to their work as the Trio, the members work together regularly in a number of other combinations - Susie and Morwenna have been successful duo partners since 2005, Susie and Francesca recently formed a duo, and Francesca and Morwenna regularly perform together as principals in the Orchestra of St Paul's and the Syred Sinfonia, including chamber concerts in the Purcell Room and Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music series.  Highlights for the Trio in 2011 include performances of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra in St Alban's and London, the Stamford Chamber Orchestra in Lincolnshire and the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra in Bristol. 

8/5/11 : Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 

Karl LutchmayerKarl Lutchmayer enjoys an international career as both a pianist and lecturer. He studied at the Royal College of Music where he won numerous prizes and scholarships, and later held the prestigious Constant & Kit Lambert Fellowship awarded by the Worshipful Company of Musicians - the only time in its history that it has been awarded to an instrumentalist. Karl has given recitals and concertos throughout the world, working with conductors including Lorin Maazel and Sir Andrew Davis, and performed at all the major London concert halls. He has broadcast on BBC Radio3 and Classic FM, and his regular recital series at the Warehouse has been received with critical acclaim. A regular chamber performer, particularly with his own ensemble, Dialogos, he is also a passionate advocate of contemporary music, and has given numerous premieres and had many works written for him. His research interests include the piano music and pianism of Busoni, The Creative Transcription Network and the history of piano recital programming. He currently teaches on the BMus and MMus courses at Trinity College of Music, and is a regular guest lecturer at the Manhattan and Julliard Schools in New York, and at the Wigmore Hall.

6/2/11 : R Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1

Tom MolloyThomas Molloy began playing the horn at the age of 8. He later attended the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for three years, performing under such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Colin Davis. Thomas graduated with First Class Honours from Durham University where he studied History. Whilst at Durham, Thomas conducted Durham University Symphony Orchestra, Durham Sinfonietta, Durham Contemporary Music Ensemble, and later the Alumni Orchestra. Thomas gave regular recitals in Durham and worked with the Northern Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead. Thomas is a keen chamber musician and his former wind quintet, the Sirocco Ensemble has performed in the Purcell Room and gave the London premiere of Malcolm Arnold’s Wind Quintet in the Royal Festival Hall. He has studied conducting with Peter Stark and Douglas Bostock as well as George Hurst on the Canford Summer School of Music Conducting Course. In 2009, he was awarded third prize at the Boswil International Conducting Course in Switzerland. Following a teacher training course at the Royal Northern College of Music, Thomas is now a brass and conducting teacher with Milton Keynes Music Service, where he conducts the Milton Keynes Youth Orchestra. He is a tutor to the horn section of Buckinghamshire County Youth Orchestra. In March 2010 he was invited to become a guest conductor of Ampthill Orchestra and Buckinghamshire Chamber Orchestra.

 7/11/10 : Elgar Sea Pictures

Mae HaydornMae Haydorn  a Swedish-German mezzo-alto, is a post-graduate scholarship student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama studying with Susan Waters and Rudolf Piernay. She completed her B.Mus (Hons) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, achieving a First Class Degree, generously supported by the GSMD and the Anglo-Swedish Society.  In November 2009 a Messiah performance marked Mae’s debut at Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra. In February she won first prize at the British Schubert Society’s Lied Duo Competition and she was selected for the Making Music Philip & Dorothy Green Award 2010.  Spring/summer 2010 Mae sang in Verdi’s Macbeth in the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus and appeared as a soloist with the Southbank Synfonia for a performance of Britten’s Phaedra .  Mae sings for Live Music Now! with her duo partner, pianist Diana Brekalo, working throughout the county to bring live music to the UK's welfare, educational, justice and health sectors. The duo were awarded a scholarship to study with eminent tenor Christoph Pregardien and have performed at the Internationales Musikfest in Stuttgart. In Spring 2009 they were prizewinners at the International Lied Student Duo Competition in the Netherlands. The duo create workshops and performances for children at the Wigmore Hall.  In January and February 2011 Mae is giving recitals with pianist Sholto Kynoch for Oxford Music and St. Martin in the Fields.  Mae is supported by the Anglo-Swedish Society.

14/3/10 : Bruch Scottish Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra

FRANCESCA BARRITT began playing the violin at the age of 9. She later attended the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, performing under such eminent conductors as Sir Roger Norrington, Yan Pascal Tortellier and Andrew Litton in some of England’s most prestigious venues. Francesca recently graduated with First Class Honours from the  Royal College of Music, where she studied with Professor Yossi Zivoni. While at the RCM, she was chosen to lead the Symphony and Opera Orchestras. Francesca has been the permanent leader of the Amadeus Orchestra since 2006 and has also performed as leader  of The Orion Symphony Orchestra, Syred Sinfonia, City Side Sinfonia, Orchestra of St. Pauls and Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra. Francesca works regularly with the New Professionals, European Union Chamber Orchestra and English Touring Opera. Francesca is a keen chamber musician, having received tuition from the Chillingirian Quartet, Melissa Phelps, and Micheal Dussek during her time at the RCM. In 2005 she took part in the renowned chamber music master classes at Prussia Cove, Cornwall. Francesca enjoys using her enthusiasm for chamber music in teaching and outreach contexts, taking part in school string workshops and chamber music projects and performing in hospitals and retirement homes. This year Francesca performs an extensive series of recitals in venues including St. James Piccadilly and  The National Gallery with her duo partner Robert Thompson as well as giving performances of Bruch, Mendelssohn and Sibelius Concertos. She will perform Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending with the Amadeus orchestra at this year's summer course.

16/5/10 : Beethoven Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No 3

Michael IeraceMichael Ierace is currently studying for his Masters degree in Piano Performance at the Royal College of Music in London with Andrew Ball. He is assisted by the prestigious Elder Overseas Scholarship offered by the University of Adelaide, the Ian Potter Foundation, the Else and Leonard Cross Scholarship and Evelyn Tarrant Award.  A former student of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, Michael received numerous awards throughout his studies including the David Galliver Memorial Award, a competition open to outstanding students within the Conservatorium. Notably, Michael won the National MBS Young Performers Award. Since moving to London in September 2007, he has received significant recognition for his efforts. Major success came as Michael was awarded the 'Coutts & Co. Award' for Keyboard in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, performing in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's Southbank Centre. He has since been invited to perform in Edinburgh's world-renowned Fringe Festival. 

15/11/09 : Rodrigo Concierto d’Aranjuez for Guitar& Orchestra

Christopher EveshamCHRISTOPHER EVESHAM was born in HaltonAustralia in 1982. He was given his first guitar at the age of four and at ten, he began to study with American guitarist John Dunn of the Mons conservatoire in Belgium. Later he studied with Andrew Barrett as an external student of Wells Cathedral school and in 1998 he won a DfEE scholarship to study there full time. In the year 2000 he reached the semi-finals of the BBC Young Musicians  competition and in the same year became a student of Carlos Bonell at the Royal College of Music. In 2004 he graduated and continues to live in London. Christopher performs regularly as a soloist. He has also played in various ensembles including the group 'tonic fold' and with flautist Laura Smith. He has played in diverse venues such as the 'Spitz' in London, various arts centres around the UK including the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton, the Ritz Acoustic Club in Burnham on Sea and a recent recital in Stuttgart, Germany. He has also performed as a soloist with an orchestra in AlbaItaly performing a new work by composer Gabriele Roberto. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras in London and elsewhere in the UK. Christopher recently performed Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Dulwich Symphony Orchestra. Christopher performs a wide variety of music and his programmes usually include a balance of older music transcribed for guitar, such as Bach and Scarlatti, and works by 20th century and contemporary composers, such as Britten, Walton, Brouwer, Piazzolla, Barrios, Turina, Rodrigo etc. His guitar was made for him in 2002 by Australian guitar makers Greg Smallman and sons.