Lizzie Ball is an internationally placed violinist, vocalist, leader, concert producer and educator, known for her interaction with a variety of musical styles, whilst keeping a strong presence in the classical music world.  Born in 1981 in Sheffield, Lizzie began her musical education at a local comprehensive school with a strong music department. She read Music at St. Johns College, Cambridge University, as an Instrumental Scholar, and did further study with maestros Yossi Zivoni and David Takeno at the Royal College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Lizzie’s interest in other styles of music started early on, her father’s talent as a jazz pianist was in the background, as well as her mother’s love of everything from opera to rock and roll, and she always loved to play and listen to all kinds of songs. As a teenager growing up near Sheffield, she would be found on both concert hall stages as well as jamming with local Sheffield indie bands at the Leadmill nightclub (home to the first gigs of Pulp, Arctic Monkeys and beyond) until the wee small hours.

Lizzie is the founder and creator of Classical Kicks. Formed in 2012, Classical Kicks presents a refreshing approach to classical music performance. Lizzie produces concerts of like-minded versatile musicians who share her grounded and down-to-earth attitude. So far Classical Kicks has achieved a 4 year residency at Ronnie Scott’s, a touring band version of Classical Kicks with multiple programmes and shows, including a family show, children’s workshops, and a even a club classics meets classical instruments collaboration with DJ and Bestival Founder Rob da Bank.

As a solo artist, Lizzie has gained recognition for her collaborations with Nigel Kennedy (as leader of his Orchestra of Life, for more than 8 years), Jeff Beck (as a featured frontline member of his band), Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys (as a guest vocalist with his band) as well as Grammy-nominated classical choir New York Polyphony and the James Pearson Trio (resident band and Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott’s). Performance highlights include Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival at Madison Square Garden New York, BBC Proms with the Palestine Strings, Wigmore Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Greek Theatre LA, and numerous international tours. Lizzie is also an in demand session violinist and has performed on numerous film, TV and pop recordings. She has also appeared on live Radio and TV in over 15 countries with her own groups and shows.

Lizzie is a long time collaborator with her great friend and colleague Morgan Szymanski and is a proud ambassador of his PRISMA education workshop venture, which provides music workshops across Mexico for children in need. She is currently working on a brand new show with Morgan, which explores the life and times of Frida Kahlo, from a musical perspective.

Callum Au is a professional trombonist, composer, orchestrator, and arranger. Based in London, Callum has worked with some of the UK’s top big bands and orchestras, and has fast made a name for himself as one of the UK’s finest young musicians.

Callum was privileged to be taught in his youth by veteran trumpet player Terry Reaney, pianist Brian Harrison, and top UK jazz trombonist Mark Nightingale. He was a member of Bill Ashton’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra from 2005 – 2010, during which time he played lead trombone and was one of the band’s principal arrangers.

Callum works as a trombonist and principal arrangers at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, alongside illustrious bandleader and clarinettist Pete Long). In this post, he has worked with many of the world’s top professional jazz and commercial artists, including Joss Stone, Seth MacFarlane, Jason Robert Brown, Liane Carroll, Tim Minchin, Peter Erskine, and two thirds of the Spice Girls!

Callum is active as a freelance trombonist and has worked with many of the top ensembles in the UK, including the John Wilson Orchestra, Echoes of Ellington, and in the pit of several West End shows. In 2014 he performed at the BBC Proms Battle of the Big Bands in the James Pearson Big Band, where he also contributed several of the arrangements.

As a freelance composer and arranger, Callum has written or arranged music for a huge variety of ensembles and artists, including the BBC Big Band, Jamie Cullum, the RTE Concert Orchestra, Clare Teal, and the Swingle Singers. Callum is in high demand for his orchestration skills, and has arranged music for severed major touring shows including “Lorna Luft: The Songbook of Judy Garland’, ‘The UK Salutes Frank’, and ‘From Rags to Ritzes: the Irving Berlin Story’. Callum has also arranged and orchestrated a variety of TV, film, and library music, including the film ‘A Royal Night Out’ starring Emily Watson & Rupert Everett.

In 2014, Callum was selected as one of seven up-and-coming arrangers from around the world to participate in the Metropole Orchestra Arrangers’ Workshop, where he worked with composer/ conductor Vince Mendoza, and vocalist Gregory’ Porter. Since then, Callum has been invited to work with the Latvian Radio Big Band, in a project arranging the music of J.S. Bach for big band, featuring accordion soloist Ksenija Sidorova.

Callum is the orchestral manager and musical director of the Callum Au Big Band, which features some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK. The band released its debut album ‘Something’s Coming* in 2012, which featured as its centrepiece a suite of music based on the musical ‘West Side Story’. The band has also worked on an arrangement of George Gershwin’s masterpiece ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, which premiered at Ronnie Scott’s in 2014 and featured pianist James Pearson. Callum also performs with his jazz quintet, co-led by baritone saxophonist Richard Shepherd, and inspired by the Brookmeyer/Mulligan group.

Callum is the trombonist and principal arranger for the ‘Close To You’ ensemble, a collaboration between the acclaimed Tippett Quartet and the James Pearson Quintet. A unique chamber ensemble featuring both jazz and classical elements, this hand-picked group explores the canon of the Great American Songbook, working with top vocalists Matthew Ford, Claire Martin, and Anna-Jane Casey.

In Autumn 2014, Callum was appointed as the guest MD of the Leeds College of Music Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, where he directed the band through his West Side Story Suite for a term. Callum has also directed workshops with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and his arrangements are played in many schools and colleges around the w’orld.

In his free time, Callum likes tropical fish, Asian food, Star Trek, and strategy games.

Serbian born classical accordionist Miloš Milivojević began his musical education in Kragujevac. Winning numerous prizes in Germany, France, Italy and Denmark, he moved to London in 2002 and was awarded a full scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music. In 2004, Miloš was selected to perform as soloist at the Foundation Awards Ceremony before HRH The Princess Royal at the University of London Senate House. In 2007 Miloš became the first accordionist ever to win the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) Club Prize open to all instrumentalists and in 2008 was selected to represent the RAM and subsequently won the prestigious Derek Butler London Prize at the Wigmore Hall – contested by students from all four of the London conservatoires. Following successful completion of his studies, Miloš was awarded a Distinction and the Vice Principal’s Special Prize.

Miloš has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at many prestigious classical and world music festivals across the UK, Russia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, Serbia, Montenegro, Spain, the Canary Islands, Malta, Australia and New Zealand. Performance credits include Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Sidney Opera House, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Purcell Room. Milos is regular member of the London Tango Quintet, Kosmos Ensemble, AccordDuo and the Balkan group Paprika. He performs with violinists David Juritz, Harriet Mackenzie and classical guitarist Craig Ogden. In 2014 has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of his contribution to music. In 2015 he performed a tango live on Strictly Come Dancing Show and in 2016, Opera North selected Miloš to be both soloist and Musical Director for the production of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love.

Sophia Rahman has recorded concertos with the Scottish Ensemble, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and twenty-five chamber discs for companies including Linn records, cpo, Guild, Naxos, ASV, Dutton/Epoch, Meridian and Resonus.
She has acted as a class pianist for IMS/Prussia Cove for Kim Kashkashian, Atar Arad, Hartmut Rohde and, for the last six years, Steven Isserlis. Since 1994 she has acted as official accompanist for the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, and has also appeared for the Barbirolli International Oboe Competition and the Samling Foundation, as well as the 2013/14 inaugural Australian Cello Awards. She was a class pianist for the last few years of masterclasses given by William Pleeth at the Britten Pears School.
Together with colleagues Robert Plane (clarinet) and Philip Dukes (viola), she was Artist- in-Residence at Queen’s University, Belfast for eight years, where she developed her love of teaching. She is currently a guest-coach on the string Masters programme at the University of Limerick.
Alongside her touring schedule she has given masterclasses at conservatoires throughout the UK and in Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Finland (coaching chamber music at Sibelius Junior Academy), Estonia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. She is also a member of Trittico with John Anderson (oboe) and Nancy Ruffer (flute). She has appeared in recital with Steven Isserlis, Thomas Riebl, distinguished wind players such as Karl Leister and Alex Klein, and also works regularly with her partner, the violinist, violist and conductor Andres Kaljuste.
Sophia Rahman studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Peter Norris, with additional guidance from Vlado Perlemuter and Louis Kentner.
She took a first-class honours degree in English from King’s College, London and completed her piano studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Alexander Kelly and Malcolm Martineau.
She was the winner of the Royal Overseas League’s Accompanist Award and the Liza Fuchsova Memorial Prize for a chamber music pianist in consecutive years.

Sami Junnonen (b. 1977 in Tampere, Finland) has established a versatile international career by performing as a flute soloist with a wide repertoire from early music to contemporary works. Junnonen collaborates frequently with some of the most significant composers of our time. His 2012 Debut Recital at the Helsinki Music Centre received outstanding reviews.

Junnonen has been academically trained at the Sibelius Academy, the Conservatoire national musique et danse de Lyon, the Royal Danish Academy of Music, and various masterclasses. He holds a Master of Music with Distinction from the Sibelius Academy, completed in 2008.

Junnonen performs on 24-carat and 14-carat gold flutes, handcrafted by the Muramatsu Flute MFG. Co., Ltd.

“Junnonen keeps impressing his audience with his great talent, technically sovereign, and his intensity and longing for musical expression. He keeps exploring the repertoire and possibilities on the flute, and is showing a remarkable mastery of his instrument throughout the whole range of expression, dynamics, pitch, rhythms.”

Emmanuel Pahud
Soloist and Principal Flute, Berliner Philharmoniker

Alexander Goehr, composer and teacher, was born in Berlin on 10 August 1932, son of the conductor Walter Goehr, and was brought to England in 1933. He studied with Richard Hall at the Royal Manchester College of Music (where together with Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies and John Ogdon he formed the New Music Manchester Group) and with Olivier Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod in Paris. In the early 60’s he worked for the BBC and formed the Music Theatre Ensemble, the first ensemble devoted to what has become an established musical form. From the late 1960’s onwards he taught at the New England Conservatory Boston, Yale, Leeds and in 1975 was appointed to the chair of the University of Cambridge, where he remains Emeritus Professor. He has also taught in China and has twice been Composer-in-residence at Tanglewood.

He has written five operas: Arden Must Die, Hamburg 1967; Behold the Sun, Deutsche Oper 1985; Arianna, lost opera by Monteverdi, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1995; Kantan & Damask Drum, Theater Dortmund September 1999; Promised End, derived from King Lear, London 2010; and a music theatre Triptych (1968-70).

His orchestral works include four symphonies, concerti for piano, violin, viola and cello and other orchestral compositions, which have been commissioned and performed by major organisations and leading conductors. He has a particularly close working relationship with Oliver Knussen, who has premiered and recorded several works. Many of his works have been commissioned by the BBC and feature regularly at the Proms.

The year of Goehr’s appointment at Cambridge coincided with a turning point in his output with the composition of a white-note setting of Psalm IV. The simple, bright modal sonority of this piece marked a final departure from post-war serialism and a commitment to a more transparent soundworld. Goehr found a way of controlling harmonic pace by fusing his own modal harmonic idiom with the long abandoned practice of figured bass thus achieving a highly idiosyncratic fusion of past and present.

The output of the ensuing twenty years testifies to Goehr’s desire to use this new idiom to explore ideas and genres that had already become constant features of his work, such as the exploration of symphonic form (Sinfonia (1979), Symphony with Chaconne (1985-86),Eve Dreams in Paradise (1987-88), Colossos or Panic (1991-92). However these years’ output is also characterised by a number of ambitious vocal scores. A common feature of many of the vocal compositions of these years is the choice of subjects that function as allegories for reflection upon socio-political themes: The Death of Moses (1992); the cantata Babylon the Great is Fallen (1979) and the opera Behold the Sun (1985). But there are also non-political works: the cantata Sing, Ariel (1989-90), that recalls Messiaen’s stylized birdsong and sets a kaleidoscope of English poetry, and the opera Arianna (1995), written on a Rinuccini libretto for a lost opera by Monteverdi, is an exploration of the soundworld of Italian Renaissance.

After productions of his opera Kantan & Damask Drum (1997-98) in Dortmund and London, Goehr devoted himself almost exclusively to chamber music. Through the chamber music medium Goehr gains an unprecedented rhythmic and harmonic immediacy, while his music remains ever permeable by the music and imagery of other times and places. A series of quintets for different combinations began with Five Objects Darkly (1996) and grew with aPiano Quintet (2000); around Stravinsky for violin and wind (2002); a Clarinet Quintet(2007); and most recently, from 2008, Since Brass nor Stone for string quartet and percussion (2008), a memorial to Pavel Haas. The set of piano pieces Symmetries Disorder Reach (2007) is a barely disguised baroque suite; Marching to Carcassonne (2003) flirts with neoclassicism and Stravinsky, and Manere for violin and clarinet (2008), based on a fragment of medieval plainchant, is a typical foray into the art of musical ornament.

Goehr returned to the operatic medium with the opera Promised End (2008-09), based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, performed in 2010 by English Touring Opera. And there has been more orchestral music: TurmMusik (2009-10), with Nigel Robson and the BBC Philharmonic conducted by HK Gruber, and When Adam Fell (2011-12), commissioned by the BBC to celebrate his 80th birthday, with the BBC Symphony conducted by Oliver Knussen. His most recent work, To these sad steps (20011-12), to texts by Gabriel Levin, was premiered by Christopher Gillett and BCMG conducted by Oliver Knussen in September 2012.

The creation of violinist and vocalist Lizzie Ball, Classical Kicks is a unique night of classical music performance which has an exclusive quarterly residency at the world renowned Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in Soho, London. Hailed by Classical Music Magazine as “genre-bending”, Classical Kicks strives to bring the most talented, exciting and also diverse classical artists into the intimate and special space that is Ronnie’s Bar, and to maintain the best quality of musicians and musicianship, but most importantly within a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Classical Kicks also has an adapted touring version of its own unique brand of classical music which last year (2013) debuted to some great UK festivals including Henley, Music in the Garden for Dame Cleo Laine, and a performance for the English Speaking Union. Classical Kicks Records was formed in 2013 as a means to provide further promotion for exciting young artists and new ways of performing classical music, and released its first EP in the same year. Classical Kicks now runs a brand new series running throughout 2015 at St. James Studio, which explores themes from opera and song to jazz and whiskey, in a more ensemble focussed bespoke manner, whilst Ronnies mash up of different ensembles and bands continues to be the flagship residency. CK Records hopes to release a record compilation of CK artists in 2016.

Previous artists who have performed include Thomas Gould (violin), Martynas Levickis (accordion), Aquinas Piano Trio, Barbara Barradas (soprano), Njabulo Madlala (bartione), Morgan Szymanski (guitar) and Machaca, G Project (cello and percussion), Filip Kowalski (viola), Bernard Gregor-Smith (cello), James Pearson (pianist and Artistic Director at Ronnie Scotts), Blue Topaz Trio, Navarra Quartet, Sideris Wind Quintet, Una Palliser (viola/vocals), Classico Latino, Eclectica, Thomas Kemp (Violin), Adrian Bradbury (cello) and many more….

Kevin Bowyer was born in Southend-on-Sea in January 1961 and studied with Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, David Sanger, Virginia Black and Paul Steinitz. In his early career he won first prizes in five international organ competitions and his 1987 world premiere of Kaikhosru Sorabji’s two hour solo Symphony for Organ, considered “impossible” ever since its publication in 1925, helped to cement his reputation as a player of contemporary music and music of extreme technical complexity. In June 2010 he premiered Sorabji’s Second Symphony for Organ (1929-32) in Glasgow and Amsterdam – at nearly 8 hours duration, the longest notated organ work of all. He recently completed a critical edition of Sorabi’s complete organ works, a thousand-page project that occupied him almost full time for six years (2008-14).

At home Kevin has played solo and concerto concerts in most of the major venues and festivals. Tours abroad have taken him throughout Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. He has released a great number of solo CDs, many of which have won awards. These include many landmark recordings of contemporary music as well as the complete organ music of J S Bach (on 29 CDs) and music by Alkan, Brahms, Schumann, Reubke, Hindemith, Schoenberg, Messiaen, Alain, etc. Jonathan Wearn, writing in MusicWeb International, described him as “one of the world’s hardiest and most formidable virtuosos…” and Gramophone magazine described him as “unique”. He also enjoys playing light music and jazz.

Kevin is a popular teacher and has lectured and given masterclasses in many countries. He is Organist to the University of Glasgow, where he plays for many of the 150 annual weddings. Couples are encouraged to have “absolutely anything they want” played on the organ. He has never turned down any request.

Morgan Szymanski has been highlighted as ‘One to Watch’ by both Gramophone Magazine and the BBC Music Magazine. A featured artist on the cover of Classical Guitar Magazine, Morgan Szymanski was also selected as a finalist for the ‘Outstanding Young Artist Award’ by MIDEM Classique/IAMA. Born in Mexico City in 1979, Morgan Szymanski started playing the guitar at the age of six. A top prize-winner at international competitions, in 2002 Morgan won first prize at the National Guitar Competition in Mexico. Performances as a soloist and with orchestras have taken him to concert halls and festivals worldwide.

In recent years Morgan has given recitals at major UK venues and festivals including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, King’s Place, The Sage Gateshead, Royal Opera House and London International Guitar Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, Orchestra of the Swan, Southbank Sinfonia, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Sinfonia, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Cervantes Choir and the Coro de Madrigalistas de Bellas Artes in Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Morgan’s devotion to chamber music has led to collaborations with artists such as John Williams, Celso Machado and Carlos Bonell (guitar), Mark Padmore (tenor), Alison Balsom (trumpet), Lizzie Ball (violin), Harriet Mackenzie (violin), Marcelo Nisinman (bandoneon), Adam Walker and Alejandro Escuer (flute), the Sacconi, Doric, Amici, Carducci, Cremona, Carlos Chávez and Odeion Quartets. Regularly broadcast live on TV and radio worldwide, Morgan can often be heard on BBC Radio 3.  Morgan is much in demand as a teacher and has given masterclasses at top conservatoires worldwide including the Royal College of Music, Royal Welsh College of Music (Cardiff) and Trinity College of Music, as well as conservatoires in China and Mexico. He is also the Founder of PRISMA a non-profit venture which provides arts workshops for children in need in Mexico.

Irish born Una Palliser is a violinist, violist and singer based in London. She is a 1st class honours graduate of the Royal Academy of Music London, during which time she was the recipient of the Wolfson Trust Award, Royal Philharmonia Martin Musical Scholarship, was member of EUYO and string finalist in RTE Musician of the Future.

Una’s fluency in a number of styles, in addition to classical playing, led to an invite by Shakira to perform as solo violinist on her world tour, where she doubled as backing vocalist. She also appeared as soloist with the Manchester Camerata Orchestra, Slovenian Symbolic Orchestra, toured with Take That, Moby, Gnarls Barkley, George Michael, Elbow, Michael Buble, Amanda Palmer, and a regular soloist with Leona Lewis, Bollywood composer AR Rahman and American blues artist Otis Taylor. Una also regularly featured with BBC World Music Award winners Terrafolk.

As a session musician, Una has appeared on numerous film/TV soundtracks, and with artists including The Killers, Dionne Warwick, Jeff Beck, Paloma Faith, Ghostpoet and Bueno Vista Social Club. Her singing was recently featured on BBC’s ‘My Mother And Other Strangers’, ‘Redwater’ and the Specsaver’s ‘Sheepdog’ advert. Her voice and violin playing is currently featured in Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman in London’s West End, having previously performed in Taming of The Shrew, Macbeth and The Inn At Lydda in at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Gabriella Swallow has emerged as one of the most versatile and exciting cellists of her generation. She studied at The Royal College of Music with Jerome Pernoo. She was awarded the coveted Tagore Gold Medal and performed the Hugh Wood Cello Concerto in her final year. As a soloist, Gabriella went on to make her South Bank debut with the London Sinfonietta in the world premiere of ‘About Water’ by Mark-Anthony Turnage. In the same year she performed Paul Max Edlin’s Cello Concerto with the South Bank Sinfonia, which firmly launched her place as a leading performer of contemporary music. This has led her to commission and work with many of the major living Composers of today.

In 2013 she made her Wigmore Hall debut with the soprano Ruby Hughes and in the same season performed at the La Jolla SummerFest in San Diego, the Aldeburgh Festival with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the Cambridge Jazz Festival as a member of the Gwilym Simcock Quintet.

Gabriella is the string curator of Music Orbit’s string night ‘Strung Out’ and performs frequently at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club ‘Classical Kicks’ night curated by violinist Lizzie Ball and at Gabriel Prokofiev’s Nonclassical club nights. As a recording artist, she has recorded all the chamber music of Hugh Wood for Toccata Classics with the London Archduke Piano Trio, which was released to critical acclaim in 2009. 2012 saw the release of ‘Ivr d’amour’, a disc of Massenet Songs where she appeared with soprano Sally Silver and celebrated pianist Richard Bonynge for the Guild label and also soprano Lucy Shaufer’s debut disc ‘Carpentersville’ for ABC Classics where Gabriella features as a soloist. This CD was launched with a concert at The Aldeburgh Festival 2013.

In 2010 she co founded the duo ‘G Project’ with percussionist Genevieve Wilkins. They made their debut with a sellout concert at the Forge in Camden and continue to perform regularly in the UK and Europe. Alongside her classical career she regularly crosses over in the fields of jazz and pop and is a sought after session musician appearing on many movie and television scores. She has recorded with many of the leading Jazz musicians on the UK scene including Ian Shaw, Barb Jungr, Liane Carroll, Guy Barker, Laurence Cottle, Pedro Segundo, Graeme Flowers, Jannette Mason and Claire Martin OBE. She has performed and recorded with Skunk Anansie, Sade, Dionne Warwick, Charlotte Church and has been a member of Judith Owen’s band since 2007.

This year she continues her collaboration with Gwilym Simcock’s Quintet, whose members include the violinist Thomas Gould, on a UK tour beginning at King’s Place, London. Gabriella is also a passionate broadcaster and arts commentator and has been a regular guest on BBC 4’s coverage of The Proms, Radio 3’s In Tune and Music Matter. She has been a guest speaker at the Bath Literary Festival and The Battle of Ideas.

Gabriella plays a cello by Charles Harris Senior built in 1820 and an electric cello by Starfish Designs.

Violinist, Tom Pigott-Smith was a Scholar at the Royal College of Music where he studied under Itzhak Rashkovsky winning all the major prizes. On leaving, Tom went on to win the Myra Hess Award, enabling him to make his Debut at the Wigmore Hall to critical acclaim. He has since played at countless Music Festivals as recitalist not only in standard repertoire but giving World Premieres by composers including Huw Watkins (Tom’s duo partner for several years), Judith Bingham, Jean Sibelius and Anthony Payne whose Storm Chorale was commissioned for and dedicated to him.

Tom continues to perform regularly, leading several ensembles including Continuum and Chamber Domaine with whom he has recently performed Bach Double and Sibelius’ Suite for Violin and Orchestra at the West Malling Festival As well as regular chamber music including leading Errollyn Wallen’s Ensemble X in recordings and live,
Tom often sits guest principal in major orchestras (recently RPO on tour with Zuckerman and several operas at ENO) Tom has twice guest led the Heritage Orchestra at the Barbican, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra and regularly leads the RPCO. He has also been lucky enough to lead orchestras live for Shirley Bassey, Squeeze, Kylie, Jeff Beck, Sparks and many others. Please see below for more detail.

In 2006 Tom translated several of Pablo Neruda’s poems which he then set to arrangements of music by Astor Piazzolla for the concert which reopened the Union Chapel, Islington. The poems were read by Charles Dance and the music performed by Tom’s group Soundstage. The programme has been performed several times with
success. Tom is currently working on an evening of Sassoon poetry with excerpts from his war journals and contemporaneous music for a concert at the Brighton Festival in May 2018.

Tom continues to enjoy a very wide ranging career in all spheres of musical life.

PRESS:

“Full of passion… I’m sure he’ll make a great impact” (London Debut, Wigmore Hall) The Strad

“The violinist, Tom Pigott-Smith, was relaxed and assured, especially in his sublime slow movement. His crisp
account of the finale concluded an outstanding interpretation…” (Beethoven Violin Concerto, St. Georges Brandon
Hill) Bristol Evening Post

“A wonderful performance” (Sibelius Concerto, Israel) Shlomo Mintz

“One of the most talented young violinists I have ever heard ” Itzhak Rashkovsky, RCM

“A fearsome test of technique which seemed to offer no problems to the soloist” (Sibelius Concerto, Isle of White) IW press

“The playing was exquisite and full of eloquence… Credit is due to all concerned” (Piazzolla/ Neruda, Union Chapel) Classical Source

PRIZES AT RCM:

The Leonard Hirsch Prize (for performance of a Paganini caprice), WH Reed Prize, Dove Prize.

OTHER PRIZES:

Myra Hess Award.
Two major awards from the Ian Fleming Charitable Trust
A Martin Musical Scholarship
2 Jerwood Scholarships
3 Countess Of Munster Musical Trust Awards &place on their recital scheme.
The Emily English Award of £5,000 which is made to “the most outstanding violinist” heard by the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund panel.

VENUES/FESTIVALS:
Wigmore Hall debut in 2000. Recital/concerto appearances: Stratford Festival Warwick and Leamington Festival, Frome Festival, Lake District Summer Music Festival, Bath Festival, Lebanon, Cyprus, The Isle of White, Tel Aviv, Halifax, Prague, Vienna, Bonn, Budapest, Dorking Halls, Fairfield Halls, St. Johns Smith Square, St. Martin in the Fields, the Warehouse, St.George’s Branden Hill. Duo partner Huw Watkins (piano). Broadcast (recital repertoire) on BBC Radios 2 and 3.

ORCHESTRAL:

Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra – Guest Leader
Chamber Domaine  – Leader/Director/Soloist
Continuum Ensemble – Guest Leader (Kings Place Concert Series of music composed by those who had
suffered persecution under the Nazis)
ENO – Guest Principal 2nd (Powder Her Face, Thebans, Pearl Fishers)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Guest Principal 2nd (Tour with Pinchas Zuckerman)
Hong Kong Philharmonic – Guest Leader/Director
Heritage Orchestra – Guest Leader
Syd Lawrence Orchestra – Guest Leader
Glyndebourne Touring Opera – Principal
Ballet Rambert/London Musici – Guest principal 2nd
Orchestre du Monde Guest Principal

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Orchestral Leader for: Shirley Bassey (Live on Strictly Come Dancing), Squeeze, Kylie, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Doctor Who Live, Susan Boyle, X Factor (TV sessions), Calabro, Sparks.

RECENT CHAMBER MUSIC/SOLO WORK:

Mendelsohn Octet with The Sacconi Quartet; Poulenc Sonata, Greig Sonata and works by Kreisler at St. Martin in the Fields. Sibelius Suite for violin and orchestra op.117, Bach Double violin concerto with Chamber Domain (soloist)
Leading Errolyn Wallen’s Ensemble X at the Frontiers Festival in works by Errolyn Wallen, Jeremy Peyton-Jones, Henry Purcell and Joe Cutler. Leading Continuum Ensemble in Chamber Orchestra and Quartet performances at
Kings Place, London (2015). Leading performances of contemporary chamber music by Huw Watkins, Judith
Bingham and Mark Simpson (Music at Malling) Leading Chamber Domain in works by Mahler, Britten, Mozart, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky in London (Wigmore Hall) and Kent. Vaughan Williams Songs for violin and voice with Jane Manning at Lake District Summer Music Festival.

FREELANCE WORK:

Sessions: Andy Brown, Cool Music, Hilary Skewes, Roz Colls, English Session Orchestra, leading for Isobel Griffiths Ltd on TV, pop and film sessions.

EDUCATION WORK:

Britten Sinfonia: several projects working with deprived young people in Norwich. Directed string students over several weeks, helping them to write and perform their own material and record their work. Chamber Domaine: working with 12-15 year olds from inner city London Schools with no extracurricular music provision. Culminated in Wigmore Lunchtime Concerts (which the participants attended) of Britten Chamber music and compositions by some of the students. Chroma Ensemble: touring Primary Schools in East Anglia playing and talking with children about the meaning of music and helping them to engage with music.

Mark Simpson was born in Liverpool in 1988. In 2006, aged 17, Mark became the first ever winner of both the BBC Young Musician and BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer of the Year Competitions. He went on to read Music at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, graduating with first class honours, before undertaking postgraduate studies in composition with Julian Anderson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has studied clarinet with both Nicholas Cox and Mark Van der Wiel and plays Peter Eaton clarinets.

Now emerged as a major new voice, both as a composer and clarinettist, in 2012 Mark was selected for representation by YCAT and joined the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Scheme.  He went on to embark on a full publishing relationship with Boosey & Hawkes, and in 2014 won a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Award. He was also the recipient of the 2010 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Award, which led to the premiere of a new ensemble work, Lethe, at the Royal Festival Hall, London. In 2015 Mark was appointed Composer in Association with the BBC Philharmonic, a position he will hold for four years.

Mark’s recent commissions include Israfel for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and The Immortal, a 35-minute oratorio commissioned with support from Sky Arts Futures Fund and IdeasTap that was premiered by the BBC Philharmonic and Exaudi under Juanjo Mena at the 2015 Manchester International Festival. Of the work, Times critic Richard Morrison said “Mark Simpson’s oratorio The Immortal is the most thrilling new choral work I have heard for years. At 26, what a prospect he is”.

Other recent commissions include sparks, which was premiered at the Last Night of the Proms by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jiří Bělohlávek; Exile for the National Youth Choirs at the Royal Albert Hall; Salvator Mundi for the Choir of Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford; Geysir for Britten Sinfonia and Night Music for cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, first performed at the Wigmore Hall, London.  His orchestral work a mirror-fragment…received its London premiere with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in April 2013.

A fellow of the Jerwood Opera Writing fellowship scheme, Mark is currently working with writer Melanie Challenger on Pleasure, a new opera to be premiered by Opera North with performances in Leeds, Liverpool, Aldeburgh and London in 2016. Forthcoming composing projects also include the first of a series of orchestral commissions for the BBC Philharmonic as part of his residency and a new work for the Gould Piano Trio’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 2017, supported through Beyond Borders and the PRS for Music Foundation.

As a clarinettist Mark is passionate exponent of new music, having performed and recorded Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and John Adams’s Gnarly Buttons with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has performed the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto at the 2015 BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis, and has also appeared as concerto soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra and Northern Chamber Orchestra, among others, with conductors including Vasily Petrenko, Gianandrea Noseda, Baldur Brönnimann and Yan Pascal Tortelier.

Since his critically acclaimed concerto debut at the age of ten, the award-winning English’cellist Richard Harwood has performed concerti and chamber music in major venues including London’s Royal Albert Hall, all of the South Bank Centre venues, Wigmore Hall, Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Thomaskirche (Leipzig), Auditorium du Louvre (Paris) and Alice Tully Hall / Lincoln Center (New York).

As concerto soloist, Richard has collaborated with conductors such as John Wilson, Okko Kamu, Marko Letonja, Douglas Bostock, En Shao, Shuntaro Sato, David Parry and Yehudi Menuhin, and with numerous orchestras including The Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, RTÉ Concert, Auckland Philharmonia and the Ural Philharmonic.

As chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Jerusalem and Endellion Quartets, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Olivier Charlier, Benjamin Schmid, Alena Baeva, Ilya Gringolts, Pekka Kuusisto, Vilde Frang, Chen Halevi, Julian Bliss, Martin Roscoe, Finghin Collins, Ashley Wass, Gottlieb Wallisch and Julius Drake, among others.

Richard’s discography includes a critically acclaimed debut disc for EMI Classics, recorded with pianist Christoph Berner, and Composing Without The Picture, a 2013 . solo album of concert works written by film composers, on Resonus. Richard’s recording of Christopher Gunning’s Cello Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was released in June 2016. In addition, Richard can be seen and heard in Phil Grabsky’s 2009 documentary In Search of Beethoven.

Richard began his studies with Joan Dickson, before continuing with other eminent teachers such as Steven Doane, David Waterman, Heinrich Schiff (University of Music and Dramatic Art, Vienna) and Ralph Kirshbaum (Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester). He complemented his studies by taking master classes and lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich, Janos Starker, Steven Isserlis, Boris Pergamenschikow, Miklós Perényi, Bernard Greenhouse, Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartet), William Pleeth, Zara Nelsova and Ferenc Rados.

Richard plays a ‘cello by Francesco Rugeri, dated 1692.

Adrian read Veterinary Science and Music at Churchill College, Cambridge before further study at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and in Berlin.
He has since developed an international career in chamber music as the cellist in Composers Ensemble (winners of the Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Award, 2002), Jane’s Minstrels, Trio Gemelli, Touchwood Piano Quartet and Chamber Domaine, involving regular appearances at major festivals all over Europe together with a busy recording and broadcasting schedule.
He also collaborates with neuroscientist Professor Alan Wing to carry out conservatoire-based research into string playing, and curated a series of Music and Brain events at the 2010 Aldeburgh Festival.
He is Cello Tutor for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and holds an Honorary Research Fellowship at the RAM as well as an Artistic By-Fellowship at Churchill College.

Steven Devine enjoys a busy career as a music director and keyboard player working with some of the finest musicians.

Since 2007 Steven has been the harpsichordist with London Baroque in addition to his position as Co-Principal keyboard player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He is also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, Apollo and Pan, The Classical Opera Company and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made six solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has been received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. Volumes 1 and 2 of the complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) have both received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine and Steven’s new recording of Bach’s Italian Concerto has been voted Classic FM’s Connoisseur’s choice.

He made his London conducting debut in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall and is now a regular performer there – including making his Proms directing debut in August 2007 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has conducted the Mozart Festival Orchestra in every major concert hall in the UK and also across Switzerland. Steven is Music Director for New Chamber Opera in Oxford and with them has performanced repertoire from Cavalli to Rossini. For the Dartington Festival Opera he has conducted Handel’s Orlando and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

From 2016 Steven will be Curator of Early Music for the Norwegian Wind Ensemble and will complete his complete Rameau solo recording for Resonus Classics.

Thomas Kemp is a highly acclaimed musician and one of the most versatile and eclectic conductors of his generation, acclaimed for his innovative programming and passionate advocacy in concerts, opera, ballet and as an award winning recording artist. The Guardian recently commented “…an extraordinary performance… with a fluency that came over brilliantly under the baton of Thomas Kemp.” Thomas is the Music Director of the internationally acclaimed ensemble Chamber Domaine, which is at the forefront of ensembles focusing on 20th and 21st century music. He has directed Chamber Domaine in festivals and concert series in the UK, Europe and North America and has a distinguished discography with the ensemble including world premiere recordings of Britten, Bridge, Bliss, Turnage, Part, Gorecki, Rorem and Bingham. He is a recording artist for Resonus: forthcoming releases include recordings of Mozart and Sibelius.

He is Artistic Director of Music@Malling – an international festival that promotes the works of contemporary composers alongside masterworks from the Classical and Romantic periods. The festival is held each September in historic venues in and around West Malling, Kent and has a year around outreach programme that engages hundreds of young people in creative activities from across the county. Music@Malling was featured in The Best
Classical Concerts of 2015 in The Artsdesk.

Thomas is regularly in demand as a guest conductor with orchestras and ensembles in the UK and Europe and is an
acclaimed exponent of late nineteenth and early 20th century repertoire. Forthcoming engagements in 2017/18 include tours of Asia and Europe with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducting the 1926 film version of Strauss – Der Rosenkavalier together with arrangements of Strauss songs made for silent film which receive their modern premieres. He will also be in residence at the Oxford Lieder Festival 2017 conducting Mahler and Strauss
with Dietrich Henschel, Toby Spence and Kate Royal.

In 2012, he made his operatic debut in a new production of Cosi fan tutte for Opera Holland Park with the City of London Sinfonia to widespread praise. “Cosi fan tutte was conducted with real shape and nuance by Thomas Kemp…Altogether this was the most original and idiomatic attempt on this ungraspable work London has seen in a long time.” Opera Now.

Thomas has performed at many leading festivals in the UK and overseas including the Edinburgh, Cheltenham, City of London, Huddersfield Contemporary, Wien Modern, The Proms, Vale of Glamorgan, Kuhmo and Brighton Festivals. He has broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, ORF (Austria), ABC (Australia), WNYC (USA), RNZ (New Zealand) and SR (Sweden). He has regularly performed at the Wigmore Hall, South Bank
Centre and as a guest artist for Bargemusic, New York.

From 1989-92, Thomas read music at St.Catharine’s College, Cambridge and went on to study violin and chamber music at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. From 2003-2007, he studied conducting at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm with Jorma Panula and Alan Gilbert winning a major award from the Swedish Academy.

Thomas has enjoyed an international career as a guest concertmaster and chamber musician with many renowned
orchestras and ensembles and has led many recording sessions for TV and film in London.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. From 2000-2014, he was a professor at the Royal Northern College of Music and has given masterclasses, coached and conducted orchestras and ensembles at leading conservatoires and universities worldwide.

Chamber Domaine is a trailblazing ensemble acclaimed for its virtuosity, distinctive programming and passionate advocacy of the music from the 20th and 21st Centuries. Chamber Domaine is project based and has a modular lineup of outstanding instrumentalists and vocalists ranging from duos to chamber orchestra. Under its Music Director, Thomas Kemp the ensemble aims to bring new work to new audiences placing the music of our time into its context, illuminated by music from across three centuries. Its innovative programming, collaborations, recording and outreach place the ensemble at the forefront of music-making today.
The New York Times praised the ensemble for “…intriguing programming and unabashed lushness”. The Guardian described a recent concert as “an extraordinary performance…with a fluency that came over brilliantly under the baton of Thomas Kemp.” The Times praised the ensemble: “Chamber Domaine brilliantly demonstrated the thrill of successfully climbing Mount Everest with exhilarating bravery and expressive force.” The Gramophone commented on a recent recording “…a wealth of timbral subtlety…utterly magical…a tremendous sense of vitality and
commitment.”

The ensemble has worked with many of the world’s leading composers including Mark-Anthony Turnage, Judith Bingham, Ned Rorem, Arvo Part, Mark Simpson, Henrik Gorecki, Piers Helliwell, Stuart MacRae, Huw Watkins, Judith Weir, Brian Ferneyhough, HK Gruber and David Horne giving many territorial and world premieres in concerts and recordings. The ensemble regularly collaborates with leading figures from across the arts world, including Sir Anish Kapoor, Edward Fox, Nicky Spence, Helen Lederer, Yeree Suh, Sara Fulgoni, Craig Ogden, Irina Takahashi and Anna Grevelius.

Chamber Domaine gave its highly praised South Bank and Wigmore Hall debuts in 1999 and has since performed at leading festivals and concert series in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America including Cheltenham, Brighton, Vale of Glamorgan, City of London and Edinburgh Festivals. The ensemble has also had groundbreaking residencies at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Imperial War Museum, Arnold Schonberg Centre, Vienna, Gresham College and Bargemusic, New York.

Chamber Domaine is the resident ensemble for Music@Malling and has a year around outreach programme engaging hundreds of children from across Kent in creative activities. This groundbreaking programme has included collaborations with national, regional and local organisations to create an artistic resource for the local area that is of outstanding quality.
Music@Malling was recently one of the classical events of the year in The Artsdesk. The ensemble has a distinguished and highly acclaimed discography with recordings winning international plaudits and regularly broadcasts worldwide. Chamber Domaine are recording artists with Resonus and releases for 2017/18 include works by Sibelius and Mozart.

Matthew Sharp studied cello with Boris Pergamenschikow in Cologne, voice with Ulla Blom in Stockholm and English at Trinity College, Cambridge. He has performed at major venues and festivals worldwide as solo cellist, baritone and actor. Matthew has appeared as solo performer with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Orchestra of the Swan, Arensky Chamber Orchestra, and Ural Philharmonic. Matthew has performed principal roles for Opera North, ROH2, Almeida Opera, Young Vic and National Theatre Studio.

Matthew has given solo performances at the Glastonbury and Latitude festivals, and has recorded for Sony, EMI, Decca, Naxos, Somm and Avie. Matthew has given over fifty world premieres – including the title role in Sir John Tavener’s The Fool and Errollyn Wallen’s Cello Concerto. As writer, composer and performer he collaborates regularly with leading artists from film, theatre and dance.

Simon Speare was born and brought up in Cornwall. He studied composition with Simon Holt at City University, London. His music has been widely performed by professional and amateur performers in the UK and abroad and broadcast on national radio and television. Head of Composition and Contemporary Music at the Royal College of Music Junior Department, he also teaches composition at The Purcell School. His students have won many national and international awards (including this year’s BBC Proms Inspire competition), and a number of his students have developed successful careers as composers. He has lectured and examined at Universities and Conservatoires and is an experienced leader of workshops, devising and leading education projects in schools for leading orchestras and education authorities. He was a lead composer on the award winning SPNM Sound Inventors project and has recently helped to develop the Go Compose project for Sound and Music, both aimed at pre-university aged composers. He was Composer in Association with London Concert Choir and Composer in Residence at the Centre for Young Musicians, London. He is currently collaborating with the author Tony Bradman on a music-theatre piece for children. He has devised and presented a contemporary music show on Resonance FM and been a judge for the British Composer Awards. Married with a son and daughter, he has often dabbled in rock and pop music and lives in East London.

James Pearson is one of the country’s most respected musicians. His work covers all genres of music, especially contemporary music, jazz and classical. He graduated from the Guildhall School, having completed his degree and the Advanced Solo Studies Course. Whilst at college he studied with Robert Saxton, Francis Shaw, Peter Bithell and James Gibb.

James has broadcast on all the major radio and television networks. Classic FM broadcast his concert of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano concerto, and BBC Radio 2 broadcast his performance of the Gershwin Piano Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue. He was the pianist in the Steve Martland Band. His work as a Jazz musician has taken him all over the world. Earlier this year, the James Pearson Trio was invited to play a four night run at New York’s Birland Jazz Club. His fine piano playing and arrangements can be heard on over 50 albums.

Amongst the many artists James has worked with are Dame Cleo Laine, Maria Ewing, Marian Montgomery, Petula Clark, Kevin Spacey, John Wilson, Elvin Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Buddy Greco, Johnny Griffin, Joseph Horowitz, Richard Rodney Bennett, Ray Davies, Jeff Beck and Paul McCartney.

Born in Plymouth but raised in the Highlands of Scotland, Adam Mackenzie began playing the bassoon in school, obtained a first class degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was runner-up in the prestigious Guildhall Gold Medal Competition.

Following his return from a year at the Accademia della Scala, Milan, Adam embarked on what has become a hugely varied career. Adam is the principal bassoon of Sinfonia ViVA and English Sinfonia and plays regularly as principal bassoon with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Alongside this orchestral work Adam is a diverse and adventurous soloist, performing concertos (recently Mozart’s G Major Violin Concerto arranged for bassoon), playing in hip-hop bands, improvisation ensembles, theatre groups and has just completed a tour of India with the world renowned sarod player Amjad Ali Khan.

He is fortunate to be able to combine this with his other musical passion, outreach and education work. As one of London’s busiest freelance workshop musicians and leaders, Adam works regularly with all the major London orchestral education departments. He is Director of Education for English Sinfonia and Head of Education for Brandenburg Sinfonia.