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Artists' Biographies

(in alphabetical order)


Victorian Concert Party


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Timothy Barratt

Justin Bissell, John Bradbury, Angela CaesarHollie Anne Clark

Wendy Eathorne, Michael Goldthorpe,

Peter Hewitt, Charlotte Hill, Mary Hill, 

Maxwell Hook, Martin Johnson, Jozef Janik

Sam Kenyon, Alice Kingahm, Iain Ledingham, Harold Lester,

Silva McQueen, Samantha Newbold, Buffy Rowe, Debbie Palmer,

Sally Pendlebury, Alice Pratley, Jane Rimer, Suzy Ruffles,

Kelly Sharp, Christina Shillito, Aleksander Szram, Caroline Szram,

Roimata Templeton, Michael Wagg, Gina Watson,

Rupert Widdows, Peter Wilson

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Timothy Barratt - piano & harmonium

Timothy Barratt

 
Timothy Barratt studied on a Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music where he was a major prizewinner, and with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris. He now combines performing with teaching at the R.A.M. and Dulwich College, where he is Head of Keyboard. He is an Associated Board Examiner and Moderator and is a Federation Adjudicator. Since his Wigmore Hall debut in 1981 he has played at all the major London venues and at many Festivals and Music Clubs. Accompanying masterclasses at Aldeburgh led to a special interest in accompanying, and artists he has partnered include Dame Felicity Lott, Ilse Wolf, Jack Brymer, Haaken Hardenberger and Robert White, with whom he has made many Radio and Television broadcasts.

 

Justin Bissell - piano & harmonium

Justin Bissell
 
Justin Bissell trained at Trinity College of Music and now lectures in piano and musicianship at its Junior Department. He has performed with the Royal Artillery Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Trio Diverse (QE2), and has been an accompanist at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Royal Academy of Music. As musical director he has worked on Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar, Radio Times, Crazy For You, Diamond, and Next Door's Baby. Justin has arranged and orchestrated for numerous Sunday concerts at the London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane and composed original music for Diamond (King's Head).

 

John Bradbury - violin


John Bradbury
 

John Bradbury was born in Manchester. At the Royal Manchester College of Music he studied with Andre Wolf, Manoug Parikian, Georgy Pauk and Alexandre Moskowsky. Soon after leaving college he was appointed leader of the BBC Midland Light Orchestra, conducted by Gilbert Vinter. In 1970 he was awarded a FRMCM shortly after his appointment as Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Louis Fremaux. Since his appointment as Leader of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 1978, John Bradbury has been a freelance soloist as well as leader of the Wren Orchestra of London, The Brighton Philharmonic and the Bath City Orchestra. He was appointed Director of Johann Strauss Gala presentations for Raymond Gubbay Ltd in 1986.

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Angela Caesar - soprano

Angela Caesar, soprano

ANGELA CAESAR was born in Manchester. She studied voice at Trinity College of Music, London and at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. Angela has worked with the Baltimore Opera, Royal Opera House, the English National Opera, , and many of the regional opera companies performing roles such as Alice Ford in Falstaff, Gianetta in L'Elisir d'Amore and Suor Angelica. She has been a featured soloist in television and radio performances of Carmina Burana, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Pergolesi Stabat Mater and appeared in the film of Porgy and Bess. She has performed recitals at musical festivals such as Chichester, Covent Garden and The City of London. She performs regularly at the Open University in Milton Keynes as a recitalist and soloist in works such as Brahms Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Her collaborations with jazz and classical music include a recording with saxophonist Chris Bowden, performances with Michael Garrick, Jessye Norman and the UK tour of “All Rise” featuring Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra.In the U.S.A., Angela made her debut at Carnegie Hall, New York as the first prize winner of the Centre for Contemporary Opera's International Opera Competition.

 Angela has performed in, A Nitro at the Opera at the Linbury Studio in the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and for BBC 4, Kismet at the Arcola Theatre, the opera premiere of Another America: Fire at Sadler's Wells, for PUSH 04 and Coleridge -Taylor's Dream Lovers at the National Opera Studio.Angela performed with English Touring Opera in their production of Rusalka and cabaret production J’attendrai, Grace Kumalo, in Lost in the Stars for BBC Radio 3 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Radio 4 production on the Fiske Jubilee Singers, soloist and part of the Street Chorus for Bernstein’s Mass at the Royal Festival Hall and in the world premiere of Anna Nicole the Opera. Recent roles include Carlotta Giudicelli for the 25th Anniversary, Phantom of the Opera, UK Tour and Serena (cover) in the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, musical production of Porgy and Bess.

Hollie Anne Clark - soprano

Hollie
                Anne Clark, soprano

Hollie-Anne is a first class honours music graduate currently residing in London where she regularly undertakes professional solo and choral engagements. Recent engagements include singing with the Hanover square chamber orchestra, Opera memorial in Sarastro's, Drury Lane and Voices for Hospices in Hampshire. Previous Operatic roles include; Geraldine ('A Hand of Bridge'), 2nd Woman ('Dido and Aneas'), Flora ('La Traviata') for Brent Opera and currently Frasquita ('Carmen') also for Brent Opera. Hollie's discography includes an opera trio recording from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte for the Dorchester Hotel Group. She is also a member of the female vocal quartet Voci Eterne Hollie-Anne is also the conductor of several youth choirs in South West London, and recently conducted a massed youth choir in the Royal Festival Hall, for 'Brighter sounds'. She is affiliated with The Association of British Choral Directors and her other conducting experiences include the Roehampton singers and masterclasses with Peter Stark.

 

Wendy Eathorne - soprano



Wendy Eathorne

Wendy Eathorne who was born in Cornwall, studied at the Royal Academy of Music with May Blyth, Flora Neilson, and later with Dame Eva Turner. On leaving the Academy she went straight into the West End Musical Robert and Elizabeth, gaining valuable stage experience before singing many soubrette roles with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and The Royal Opera Covent Garden. She then continued her busy career in concerts, broadcasts, including the Proms, and gramophone recordings under such celebrated conductors as Rattle, Boulez, Haitink and Boult. More recently Wendy has been on the staff of Trinity College of Music, where for five years she was Head of Vocal Studies, and was able to produce and develop the present comprehensive singing course there.

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Michael Goldthorpe - tenor

Michael Goldthorpe, tenor

Michael Goldthorpe was born in York and studied at Trinity College Cambridge, King's College London, and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama London. He has made many records and has appeared on radio and television throughout Western Europe, America and the Far East. He made his debut with The Royal Opera Company Covent Garden in 1980 in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, a performance which has been released on video and DVD. Following a life-long interest in light music, he was in 1994 awarded a Wingate Scholarship to research, catalogue, record and perform 19th century popular ballads. This led to the formation of The Bold Balladiers, which made its first London appearance at the South Bank Centre (Purcell Room) in September 1996 and was subsequently featured on BBC Radios 2 and 3. Michael was for five years conductor of The New Music Makers of Hedge End and Musical Director of Lymington Choral Society from 2006 until 2020.

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Peter Hewitt - piano and harmonium


Peter Hewitt, piano

Peter Hewitt studied piano at Trinity College of Music with Antony Peebles when he distinguished himself in many concerts and competitions in and outside college. Since graduating from Trinity in 1992, Peter has performed extensively as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. During 1997 his many performances included Schubert and Brahms centenary concerts and a recording of Antony le Fleming's Nocturnes. During 1998 he will give recitals throughout the UK. His next recording for the LITmus label will be a CD of Beethoven sonatas. Peter's repertoire encompasses mainstream works from Bach to Prokofieff, but he also maintains an interest in the works of contemporary composers and has given several world premiere performances. He has recorded for the BBC and made commercial recordings for LITmus, Tremuda and Meridian.

Charlotte Hill - flute

Charlotte Hill, flute

Born in 1979, Charlotte began her musical studies at the age of six learning to play the piano and at the age of nine began studying the flute with Jack Ellory. She completed her BMus degree at Trinity College of Music, London in 2001 studying the flute under Wissam Boustany. She later trained as a music therapist at the Nordoff Robbins London Centre in 2003-2005. Since graduating she has worked with children and adults of all ages in various settings, including schools, care homes, hospitals and community projects. In March 2007 she joined the music therapy team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Recently she has beeen developing a newly commisssioned service by Kensington and Chelsea PCT and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) in targeting and supporting children and their families in early years' settings, including work in local children's cnetres.

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Mary Hill, piano

Mary Hill, piano



 
Maxwell Hook - actor



 
Maxwell is a freelance actor. In theatre, some of his credits include Burnt Out - Fairgame Theatre, The Boy Who Grew Flowers and Paper People - Kazzum, The Night of the Milkyway Railroad, And then they came for me - the World of Anne Frank" - P4M, The Happy Prince - Image Musical Theatre, as well as performing a one man show entitled Visions of Tjukurpa for his own theatre company: Little MAN Theatre. He has recently recorded an audio book of the Children's tale The Primate Puzzle written by Oliver Renier Nash and has worked on numerous short films. He has directed a number of youth theatre productions as well as touring shows abroad. He trained as an actor for three years at East 15 Acting School.
 

Jozef Janik - piano

Jozef Janik
Jozef grew up in Slovakia and moved to London in 2000 to attend the Royal Academy of Music taking a Post Graduate and a Masters in piano and studying with Patsy Toh and Graeme Humphrey. 

He is sought after as a soloist, an accompanist, and an educator. He works with a wide range of musicians and span both Classical and Jazz idioms; you can see him conducting Vivaldi’s Gloria one day and playing jazz at The Vortex the very next day. Highlights from the past few years include venues such as The Blue Note Jazz Club and the Royal Festival Hall. He also organises concerts and workshops as he loves being an educator. He currently teaches students at Ealing Junior Music School, Notting Hill and Ealing High School and St. Benedict’s School. Jozef has given concerts in Austria, Sweden, France, Japan, Tunisia and Norwich, and has performed piano concertos by Mozart, Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schumann and Bach. His upcoming concerts and projects include Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin – a feast for your ears AND eyes!




Martin Johnson - cello


Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson comes from Yarm in Cleveland. He has played with several youth orchestras, including the National Children's Orchestra and the Northern Junior Philharmonia for which he was principal and soloist. His teachers include Anna Shuttleworth, Alexander Baillie and Andrew Shulman. He has twice been a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year and has toured Germany as soloist in the Lalo Cello Concerto. Martin was principal cellist in the Orchestra of the University of Sheffield where he read engineering. He currently plays with The Royal College of Music Symphony and Universal Films Orchestras. His extensive repertoire includes concertos by Elgar, Dvorak, Shostakovitch, Saint-Saens and Schumann. He is also much in demand for chamber works from Beethoven to Britten.

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Sam Kenyon - flute and piano


image of Sam

Sam Kenyon is a versatile musician with singing, acting, piano, percurssion and dancing among his many accomplishments. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music in the Musical Theatre Course after graduating from Emmanuel College Cambridge, and has appeared at Battersea Arts Centre in Wie lange noch? and Acis and Galatea to great critical acclaim. At the Royal Academy he appeared in Cowardy Custard, Friday Night is... and Scheherazade. He has also performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Sweeny Todd) and on television for Blue Peter. In July (1999) he will perform in Con Voce at the Almeida and will then tour in Demon Headmaster in August.

Alice Kingham, horn

Alice Kingham, horn

Educated in Bath, Alice Kingham studied both natural and valve horn at The Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music London where her solo playing was awarded prestigious prizes. Her orchestral experience is wide ranging and has taken her to India, Europe, South Africa and The United States with, among others, the National Musicians Symphony Orchestra. Susan Dent, Julian Baker and Michael Thompson are some of the many distinguished teachers she has worked with. She currently divides her time in further study in Britain and France, in teaching and in playing. She has recently been appearing in the Stage Band in Don Giovanni at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden .

Iain Ledingham - piano and harmonium



Iain Ledingham

Iain Ledingham who was born in Sheffield was Organ Scholar at Queen's College Cambridge before studying piano, harpsichord and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music London where he is now Director of Opera. He has played for many singers and instrumentalists in recitals for BBC Radio and in concerts in Britain and abroad. Iain worked on the staff of Glyndebourne Festival Opera for seven years playing continuo for many performances there, and has also worked as a continuo player with leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra and the English Concert. Besides playing he greatly enjoys choral and orchestral conducting and is Artistic Director of the annual Amersham Festival of Music.


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Harold Lester - piano and harmonium


image of Harold
              Lester

Born in London, Harold Lester studied music at Trinity College of Music, specialising in all aspects of keyboard work.

In each categorie he has gained notable success. As an orchestral pianist he has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, having been principal pianist with each for some time, playing the most extensive repertoire. As an accompanist he has worked with many singers in recitals and in particular with the late Cathy Berberian, with whom he toured the world for some ten years, performing the world premiere of Berio's Recital 1, with Alfred Deller, and playing in major music festivals, TV and radio performances. He has also been a duo with many notable instrumentalists such as Ida Haendel in addition to much chamber music. He has worked alongside contemporary composers including Berio, Stockhausen, Ligeti and Messiaen.

There have been several performances of Harold Lester's own compositions in recent years. He has worked extensively as an opera repetiteur for Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, Glyndebourne Opera, Opera Factory, Music Theatre London among many others. He is currently professor of harpsichord and baroque music at Kingston University.


Samantha Newbold - piano and harmonium


image of Samantha

Samantha Newbold who comes from Gloucestershire has played the piano since the age of eight. At thirteen she took part in the Cheltenham Music Festival winning three solo classes, also gaining a special prize for outstanding performance in all classes.In 1997 she won the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year Competition, one of the prizes including a recital in the Cheltenham International Music Festival. After studing with Janice Williams, Samantha gained a place at the Royal College of Music in September 1994 where she studied with Yonty Solomon until her graduation. While at the Royal College she was awarded an exhibition and represted the college in a series of concerts and masterclasses in Switzerland. She is currently a holder of the Leverhume Junior Fellowship at the College. Her wide repertoire includes concertos by Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Mozart and Beethove, being accompanist on Classic FM, chamber performances in France and orchestral conerts in London's South Bank and Barbican Centres. She is a founding member of the Newbold Piano Quartet which has won numerous awards and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 in the Young Artists Forum.


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Buffy Rowe - violin

 

Buffy started the violin aged 4 with the London Suzuki Group and won a music scholarship to Downe House School aged 11.   After school, she studied with Howard Davis before then studying with Esta Boda Katona at Trinity College of Music.  Buffy graduated from Trinity College of Music in 2000 and has since enjoyed a varied freelance career. 

Buffy worked as a main panel examiner for ABRSM for many years and teaches both the violin and piano. 

Buffy has performed on numerous shows at the Royal National Theatre (assistant MD on productions of Henry IV parts one and two), toured and recorded with the guitarist Colin Reid and the Syd Lawrence Orchestra (big band), and has done extensive session work for the composers Stuart Hancock and Tom Howe (Great British Bake off) amongst others.  

Buffy’s quartet Carnaby Strings works regularly at both private and corporate events as well as giving recitals.  




Debbie Palmer - Soprano

.Debbie
              Palmer, soprano
 
Debbie Palmer graduated from Trinity College of Music in 2001 with a distinction in her Postgraduate Vocal Studies Diploma, under the tuition of Wendy Eathorne. Born and educated in Middlesbrough, Debbie was a founder member of Cleveland Youth Choir and went on to be chosen as a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. She also sang as a scholar with Leeds Cathedral choir whilst she attended Leeds University to study for BA (Hons) in Music. Since graduating from Trinity, Debbie has appeared as a soloist and an ensemble member with the British Youth Opera and also in the 2001 'Thursford Christmas Spectacular'. Debbie can regularly be heard performing as soprano soloist with many of the choral societies in the North East of England and also works with North East based classical guitarist John Forsyth to give recitals of music for guitar and voice, ranging from Dowland to Gershwin. Debbie could also be heard on radio 2 in January 2002 as a vocalists on one of the tracks in the 2002 Song for Europe final  

Sally Pendelbury - cello

Sally Pendelbury

Sally Pendelbury grew up in Manchester where she attended Chetham's School of Music. She went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music where she is now a professor of Chamber Music. Whilst studying at the Guildhall, she was a prize-winner in the Shell/LSO Music Scholarship and the Capital Radio Music Award. She continued her studies with Johannes Goritski in Germany and with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Sally was principal cello of the European Community Youth Orchestra for several years and then became a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. She has also played as guest principal cello in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, ECO, Premiere Ensemble, Bonn Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Moderne in Frankfurt. She is a founder member of the Vellinger String Quartet which has toured throughout Europe, the USA and Japan.


Alice Pratley - violin



 
Alice Pratley was born in London and started playing the violin at the age of three. She won a scholarship to the Junior Royal Academy of Music, where she won awards for singing, piano and composition. She continued her tuition at the Royal College of Music and held many principal positions in the RCM orchestras and 20th Century ensembles.

After graduating from the RCM, Alice worked with several UK orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra and in 1998 joined the singing, dancing, comedy String Quartet ’Graffiti Classics’. The group’s TV debut appearance on ‘The Late Late Show’ in 1999 led to frequent performances on Irish TV and they made their prom debut in St David’s Hall, Cardiff. In 2002, they were approached by Naxos to arrange and record a CD of music by the Norwegian composer, Thorbjorn Egner. This reached No.1 and subsequently in 2004 they performed in 29 countries worldwide.

 Since leaving Graffiti Classics in 2010, Alice has been in demand as a teacher and a session violinist, violist and singer. She has performed, recorded and arranged songs for a variety of international artists including Meatloaf, Shania Twain and Amy Winehouse and has also led the strings for Damon Albarn for nearly 20 years. She played violin on films including ‘Bridget Jones’ and was solo violinist for ITV’s ‘The Durrells’ and ‘Victoria’.

 Alice joined the Bold Balladiers in 1999.




Jane Rimer - cello


Jane Rimer, cello

 
Edinburgh born Jane Rimer studied cello from the age of four with Ruth Beauchamp and subsequently William Conway whilst at Edinburgh University. During that time, she performed in masterclasses with such cellists as Joan Dickson, Anna Shuttleworth, David Strange and Colin Carr. She was recently awarded a Suggia scholarship for a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where she studies with Colin Carr and Philip Sheppard. She enjoys solo and chamber work, having performed the Kenneth Leighton and Elgar cello concertos on several occasions (the latter on Tour to Leipzig) and is a founder member of the Métier piano trio, receiving tuition from Professor Alexander Pavlovic (founder member of the Belgrade piano trio), Sigmund Nissel and Josephe Seiger. She also maintains a high orchestral profile, having played in many ensembles including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (her final year as co-leader) performing under such prestigious conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Yan Pascal Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovich, and was selected from fifteen European countries to be a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, performing across Europe with its conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. When time permits Jane also enjoys her other passion in life as a qualified doctor.

 
Suzy Ruffles - piano  
   

   
Suzy Ruffles began studying the piano at the age of 4. She decided to undertake a postgraduate diploma in piano accompaniment at Trinity College of Music in 2005, studying under Eugene Asti and Christine Croshaw. Suzy performed in the inaugural recital of the Oxford Lieder Fringe Festival and in the following year in a masterclass with Roger Vignoles as part of the same festival. With flautist Charlotte Bettle and oboist Victoria Small, she formed the Britannic Ensemble, specialising in British chamber music, recently performing in Andover to critical acclaim. Suzy has worked for the Jackdaws Music Education Trust and continues to play for the Two Moors Festival in Devon. She has gained experience working as répétiteur for numerous productions of Meantime Opera. Suzy works as a staff accompanist at Trinity College of Music and is the accompanist for the Greenwich University Choir conducted by Nicholas Jenkins.  
   
Kelly Sharp - mezzo

Kelly Sharp,
              mezzo soprano
 
   
 Kelly Sharp studied music and theatre at the University of Huddersfield before training at Trinity College of Music, London. She then took part on The Knack, an English National Opera performance course. Since graduating, Kelly has toured extensively with various opera companies. Roles have included Louhi in Jonathan Dove's Swanhunter (Opera North 2009), Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville (Surrey Opera 2009), Beggar Women in Britten's Death in Venice (Aldeburgh/Bregenz 2007), Allure in Mason's Playing Away (Bregenz 2007) and the cover of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (Grange Park Opera 2006). On the concert and oratorio platform, Kelly has been the mezzo-soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah (Lymington Choral Society), Mendelssohn's Elijah (Theydon Bois Singers) and a concert performance of Sullivan's Iolanthe (Theydon Bois Singers). She was the vocal soloist for the song-cycle Women in Love by Tansy Davis (Aldeburgh Festival 2007, Faster than Sound). Kelly sings regularly in concert as a soloist with Opera North as well as singing in the extra chorus of Welsh National Opera..  
   

Christina Shillito - cello


Christina

Christina Shillito studied with Florence Hooton at the Royal Academy of Music where she won all the major prizes. Early in her professional career she became Co-Principal cellist of the London Philharmonic, and has played as guest principal with others. She is presently freelance in London, mainly working with chamber orchestras, as well as giving solo recitals and concerts with chamber ensembles such as the string trio Pro Arte. Christina is Principal Cellist of the Docklands Sinfonietta and the Wren Orchestra of London. She performed the Kabalevsky Cello Concerto at St John's Smith Square with the Docklands Sinfonietta. She appeared at The Bold Balladiers first major concert in London, and also plays on the CD The Snowy Breasted Pearl for Chatsworth (FCM 1005)


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Caroline Szram - cello

Caroline Szram, cello


Caroline was born in Suffolk, England and begun her cello studies with Gordon Pringle on a scholarship at Trinity College of Music Junior Department, London, where she was awarded the Friends of Junior Trinity Prize and performed at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. She went on to study for her BMus at the Senior Department with Naomi Butterworth, and was principal cellist of the Sinfonia, as well as being a member of the Britten-Pears Orchestra. After graduation she studied with Raphael Wallfisch for two years while enjoying an active career as a performer and teacher, and playing in masterclasses for Han-Na Chan and Stanimir Todorov. During this time she toured Spain as the concerto soloist with the Suffolk Youth Orchestra, performed the Elgar concerto at Snape Maltings as part of their Prom Series and played Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with the Southend Philharmonic. In 2006 she completed her Masters Degree at the University of British Columbia, where she studied on a full scholarship with Eric Wilson (modern cello) and Nan Mackie (baroque cello.) With her group the Lycydas Trio she recently premiered the Piano Trio by Frederic Rzewski, and their recording of the work has just been released on itunes. Caroline is a dedicated teacher and is especially proud of the wider opportunities string projects she leads in Tower Hamlets' schools.
 
   

Aleksander Szram - piano & harmonium

Aleksander Szram, keyboards

Aleksander was born in Southampton to Polish parents, and has been playing the piano since the age of five. He was awarded the Wilner Scholarship to study at Trinity College of Music, where he received tuition from Douglas Finch, Mikhail Kazakevich and Yonty Solomon. At Trinity he won prizes for piano, chamber music, vocal accompaniment and composition, including first place in the John Halford and John Longmire Piano Competitions, the John Ireland Chamber Music Prize and the Leonard Smith Duo Prize for Strings and Piano. He gained a MMus Degree with Distinction. He is particularly interested in the performance of contemporary repertoire and has given world premières of works by Dai Fujikura, Harris Kittos, Anthony Green, and Danny Ledesma. Aleksander is an enthusiastic composer, having studied with John Thomas and Francis Pott. He is employed as an accompanist by TCM, the British Flute Society and RADA.

 
   

Roimata Templeton - soprano

image of Roimata

Roimata Templeton was born in New Zealand and has degrees in English and Music from the University of Otago. She later studied at Trinity College of Music and the Royal College of Music, where she specialised in Music Theatre with Mary Hammond. Her accomplished acting and dancing skills have brought her deserved success on the stage. She has sung principal roles at The Royal Festival Hall Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Buckingham Palace West Side Story, Battersea Arts Centre Trouble in Tahiti, The Rape of Lucretia, and Acis and Galatea. She has appeared in many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, has given recitals in Britain, New Zealand and Europe, and has made commercial and radio recordings of Ordo Virtutum. A concert highlight was singing Dies Natalis in Gloucester Cathedral. In 1999 she was the world's first ever Superswing in Beauty and the Beast in Stuttgart, for which she appeared on TV. While in Germany she also cooked up a storm as Hildy in Bernstein's On the Town, and appeared as a "Musical Star" at a Gala in Cannes.

Silva McQueen - soprano

Silva
              McQueen

Silva studied singing at the Belgrade Music Academy with Aleksandra Ivanovic. She joined the Radio and Television of Serbia choir in Belgrade and completed a year’s course for opera singers at the National Theatre in Belgrade. She was awarded a full scholarship to Trinity College of Music where she completed her postgraduate studies with distinction, studying with Wendy Eathorne.

 

Silva has toured throughout Europe with Die Münchener Operabühne. She has enjoyed working with Jorma Panula as the soloist in Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony.  As a regular soloist with The Bold Balladiers she performs extensively throughout the UK. Other recent engagements have included solo soprano in Mozart’s Requiem Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Villa Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 and Haydn’s Pauken Mass. She has given numerous solo recitals and the venues that include St. Martin in the Fields London, SANU Belgrade, Guarnerius hall in Belgrade, NIMUS Festival in Nis and the Serbian Cultural Centre in Paris.



 
Michael Wagg - actor

Michael
                    Wagg, actor

 
Michael studied Drama at the University of Hull, before training as an actor at ArtsEd, London. His recent theatre work includes appearances as Alan Quine in the national tour of Michael Frayn's Donkeys' Years for Sonia Friedman Productions and Captain Beatty & Professor Faber in a new stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 on tour in Europe. He has toured nationally with Trestle Theatre Company, playing Sir Everard Home in The Smallest Person, and internationally with Tour de Force and the American Drama Group, Europe, playing Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-four and Gerald Croft in An Inspector Calls. Other theatre work includes Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew, The Beggar in The Beggars Opera, Duncan & The Porter in Macbeth. His radio work includes The Eliza Stories and Woman's Hour for BBC Radio 4, and The Arts Show for BBC Radio Scotland. Michael holds an MPhil research degree for a thesis on Shakespeare's Clowns.
 
   

Gina Watson - soprano

Gina Watson,
                soprano

 
 Gina completed her postgraduate studies at Trinity College of Music where she graduated with the highest award, a PGA Dip in Singing, and a Fellowship from Trinity College London in Performance (Voice) in June 2006. Companies Gina has performed with include Opera Holland Park, Runaway Opera, Wimbledon Light Operatic Society and The Bold Balladiers in London, Opera Anywhere in Oxford and Saltwood and Hythe and Folkestone Choral Societies in Kent. In addition to classical singing, Gina has also sung with folk fusion group Izbuha and electronic music producers Jardin and Ajanta Music. Gina is the singer on Ajanta Music's latest album, "Above the Cloudline", released in Autumn 2009. Forthcoming engagements include a summer opera season with Co-Opera Group in 2010 and ongoing solo engagements with Opera Anywhere in Oxford. Gina also continues to work with Ajanta Music on their latest album.  
   

Rupert Widdows - flute and piccolo

Rupert Widdows

Rupert Widdows began his musical training at the age of nine when he became a chorister and later head chorister of Southwell Minster. He studied at Trinity College of Music with Michael Cox. He has played with many orchestras and has also toured to most of Central Europe and Scandinavia with the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra. In a totally different style, Rupert won the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz competition for instrumental solo, ensemble and composition. He is a multi-instrumentalist specialising in flute and World flutes. He has featured in recordings for film and television playing bass flute to bansuri. As well as playing with orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta and RTE concert orchestra he has played in more than thirty West End shows. He was recently in Chichester Festival Theatre’s run-away success Crazy for You, playing flute, piccolo, clarinet and alto Sax.

 
   

Peter Wilson, cello

Peter Wilson, cello

 

Born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Peter was a Young Musician of Richmondshire and a Leo Stern and Anna Shuttleworth prize-winner. Since graduating from The Royal College of Music, London, he has followed a varied freelance career throughout Britain. This led to a period with the Kopinski String Quartet, which performed before Her Majesty The Queen in St James's Palace, London, appearances with various orchestras, and numerous teaching commitments. In addition to his musical interests, Peter is a keen sportsman, being an active swimmer, tennis player, squash player and footballer.

 


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