Tamsin Waley-Cohen

Tamsin Waley-Cohen performs as a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St John’s, London Concert Orchestra and London Chamber Orchestra, and under conductors including Andrew Litton, Jose Serebrier, Shlomo Mintz, Nicholas Cleobury, John Lubbock and Robert Max. She has played at Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Barbican, Liszt Academy Hall, Budapest and in venues across the UK and Europe.

In demand as a recitalist, her partners include pianists Gary Matthewman and Gregorio Nardi. She regularly plays with cellist Gemma Rosefield, and upcoming collaborations include projects with artists such as Andreas Haefliger and Johannes Moser. A versatile musician, her repertoire ranges from baroque through to contemporary music. She is also an avid chamber musician which has led to her forming the Honeymead Ensemble, which in its first three years has included Adrian Brendel, Guy Ben-Ziony, Leon McCauley, Richard Harwood, Sarah-Jane Bradley. She has participated in festivals, including Cheltenham, Academia San Felice, Florence Chamber Music, The Red Violin, The Two Moors, and Presteigne and this summer will make her American debut playing Mendelssohn Concerto in the Bowdoin Festival.

Tamsin was born in London in 1986. She became a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music where her professor was Itzhak Rashkovsky. At the RCM she won all available awards, including, twice, the concerto competition, and was their String Player of the Year. Numerous competition successes include winning the 2005 Royal Overseas League String Prize, and the 2007 J&A Beare Bach competition.

Tamsin has been a regular participant at the International Musicians’ Seminar at Prussia Cove since she was 16, where she has worked with distinguished musicians including Lorand Fenyves, Andras Keller, Martin Lovett, Mark Padmore and Gerhard Schulz. She has also participated in master classes given by Ida Haendel, Igor Ozim, and Ruggiero Ricci, the latter describing her as “the most exceptionally gifted young violinist I have ever encountered.”

Since early 2007 she has played the 1721 ex-Fenyves Stradivarius violin.

Gemma Rosefield

Winner of the prestigious Pierre Fournier Award at the Wigmore Hall in 2007, Gemma made her concerto debut at age 16, when she won First Prize in the European Music for Youth Competition in Oslo, Norway, playing a televised performance with the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Other successes include Kirckman and Making Music Awards, First Prize in the Royal Over-Seas League String Competition and the Premier Prix Maurice Ravel in France. She is supported by the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme, and is a Tillett Trust Young Artist.

Gemma has recently completed her studies with Ralph Kirshbaum at the R.N.C.M., where she has been awarded the coveted Gold Medal. She had previously graduated with First Class Honours at the R.A.M. as a pupil of David Strange, where she won the Vice-Principal’s Special Prize. She has also studied with Johannes Goritzki, Gary Hoffman, Bernard Greenhouse and Zara Nelsova.

Described by The Strad on her 2003 Wigmore Hall Debut as “a mesmerising musical treasure” by the London Evening Standard in 2005 as “a phenomenal talent”, and featured in the BBC Music Magazine as “one to watch” in 2007, Gemma has recently made her solo debut in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and in the Diligentia, The Hague in the New Masters International Recital Series. She has recently returned from Kenya, where she performed with the Nairobi Symphony Orchestra, and whilst there she gave several highly successful Public Masterclasses. Gemma has a deep interest in contemporary music, and works have been written for her by David Matthews, Cecilia McDowall, James Francis Brown, Rhian Samuel, Julian Dawes and Michael Kamen. Gemma has recently recorded CDs of the works of Rhian Samuel, and of James Francis Brown.

Gemma gave the highly successful 2008 Jacqueline du Pré Memorial Concert in March at Wigmore Hall, together with Leos Cepicky and Michael Dussek, with whom she appeared at the Belfast Festival, a concert broadcast on Radio 3. She has been invited to give the 2009 Jacqueline du Pré Memorial Concert at Wigmore Hall with the Wihan Quartet. Amongst other future plans, Gemma will be giving a Wigmore Hall Sunday Morning Coffee Concert in March 2009, and she will also be giving a series of recitals in the UK, Belgium, France, Mexico and Japan.

James Oxley

James Oxley has appeared at all the major concert halls in London, at Symphony Hall Birmingham and Philharmonic Hall Liverpool, and notable UK concert credits include Missa Solemnis with Heinrich Schiff and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Stravinsky Renard with Psappha at the BBC Proms, Haydn Creation and Mozart Great Mass with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Handel Alexander’s Feast with Northern Sinfonia and Nicholas McGegan. His engagements have taken him throughout Europe, especially to France where he has worked with Philippe Herreweghe, Hervé Niquet and Christophe Rousset.

Equally at home on the operatic stage he has sung the roles of Lensky and Belmonte at the Opera de Rennes, Lucano in Monteverdi’s Poppea at English National Opera, and Ferrando and Steersman Der Fliegende Holländer at the Opera de Rouen, with other operatic appearances at Garsington, Wexford, the Opera Comique in Paris and the Covent Garden and Spoleto Festivals.

He is a member of the group The Factory, an experimental theatre company in London.

Recent and future highlights include Sandy in Maxwell-Davies The Lighthouse with Psappha at the Buxton Festival, the title role in Bernstein Candide for the Opera de Rouen, Britten St Nicholas with the Northern Sinfonia, and Messiah with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Richard Sisson

Richard Sisson is a pianist and composer. Alongside a growing catalogue of concert works he has composed much music for the theatre. Most recently this has included the National Theatre’s production of Alan Bennett’s new play ‘The History Boys’. He also provided scores for West End productions of Nicholas Wright’s ‘Cressida’ with Sir Michael Gambon for The Almeida and Alan Bennett’s ‘The Lady in the Van’ with Dame Maggie Smith.

Recent concert work includes a chamber piece commissioned for members of The Britten Sinfonia as part of the Arts Council’s Year of the Artist initiative. The piece – ‘All in a Garden Green’ – for Oboe, Cello, Harp and Narrator was broadcast on Sky Digital as part of a live concert from Wigmore Hall. He composed ‘Song of The Carpenter’, a piece for the international percussion virtuoso Colin Currie, as part of an education project at The Luton Music Club. 2004 saw the premiere of ‘Battledore’ which was commissioned as part of ‘Breakout!’, Making Music Eastern’s Contemporary Music Project. It was presented by Stevenage Choral Society conducted by Robin Osterley with children’s choirs from Barnwell School and the Stevenage Music Centre.

He also devises and presents the SongBook series at London’s Wigmore Hall.
Since 1994 he has enjoyed an association with the Choir of the Year competition which is now being presented in conjunction with BBC Radio 3. Several choral commissions have resulted from this, including ‘BirdSongs’ for The Berkshire Youth Choir, winners in 1996, and, most recently, a set of part songs ‘Turtles Cannot Sing and Yet They Love’ for Choros Amici, winners in 2000. Once again he was invited to adjudicate in the 2004 competition.

He is the piano playing half of the cabaret double act ‘Kit and The Widow’ .Seasoned society performers who are in demand all over the world they are currently touring in their latest show ‘Twenty Years – Man & Boy’ . This autumn they will be joining forces once again with American comedienne Joan Rivers for a further nationwide tour. They are also presenting a second series of their BBC Radio 3 programme ‘Kit &The Widow – Cocktails’ which will include reports on cabaret from festivals in Greenwich, Adelaide , New York and Australia.

Adrian Butterfield

Adrian Butterfield is now established as one of the most versatile period-instrument musicians of his generation in the UK and abroad working as a conductor and violinist-director with both modern- and period-instrument orchestras, and as a concerto soloist, chamber musician and teacher. A former chorister of St. Paul’s Cathedral and a graduate of Trinity College Cambridge, he is Musical Director of the Tilford Bach Society and Associate Musical Director of the London Handel Festival and directs ensembles such as the London Handel Orchestra, the Hanover Band and the Theatre of Early Music, Montreal across Europe and North America.

He has appeared on numerous recordings and with most of the period-instrument orchestras in London. Recent solo recordings include C P E Bach sonatas with Laurence Cummings for ATMA, Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in E flat RV 254 for BIS and the Bach Concerto for oboe and violin with John Abberger for Analekta.

He leads two chamber ensembles in London. The London Handel Players perform regularly at festivals throughout Europe and have made several appearances at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. Their two recent recordings, the first of Handel’s op 5 trio sonatas and the second entitled Handel at Home, both for Somm, have been highly acclaimed. The Revolutionary String Quartet specializes in classical and romantic music on period instruments, has recorded quartets by Boccherini and Donizetti for CPO, broadcast repertoire from Telemann to Mendelssohn for the BBC and has performed in North America and across Europe.

Recent highlights include rare performances on period instruments of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Hanover Band at St. John’s, Smith Square in London, Bach Brandenburg Concertos in Ottawa, Thomas Linley’s Violin Concerto in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Mozart and Haydn symphonies with the Hanover Band, a Handel programme with soprano Carolyn Sampson and appearances at festivals in Romania, Italy and Denmark. He has recently conducted Handel’s Fireworks Music, Rameau’s Pigmalion and an all-Bach programme in collaboration with the Thomanenchor, Leipzig, all at the Royal College of Music.

He works regularly with the Southbank Sinfonia, is Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music in London and directs the RCM Baroque Orchestra.

Stephen Barlow

Stephen Barlow was a boy chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and then studied at King’s School‚ Canterbury. He won the Organ Scholarship to Trinity College‚ Cambridge‚ where he was Musical Director of the University Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir and founder of the University Bach Choir. There followed a period at Guildhall School of Music and Drama‚ where he studied under Vilem Tausky.

In 1977 he began a long association with Glyndebourne conducting The Rake’s Progress for GTO. He co-founded Opera 80 where he was Music Director between 1988 and 1991. During this period he was resident conductor at the English National Opera‚ conducted with Scottish Opera‚ Dublin Grand Opera‚ Opera Northern Ireland‚ Opera North and made his Royal Opera debut at Covent Garden conducting Turandot‚ where he later returned for Die Zauberflöte. He was Artistic Director of Opera Northern Ireland from 1996 to 1999. Productions include The Cunning Little Vixen at ENO‚ La Bohème at Grange Park‚ Idomeneo‚ The Barber of Seville‚ Fidelio and Madama Butterfly in Belfast‚ Albert Herring‚ Falstaff‚ The Marriage of Figaro and Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Garsington and Madam Butterfly with Opera North.

Stephen Barlow made his international debut in 1989 conducting The Rake’s Progress for Vancouver Opera‚ since when he has returned for Madam Butterfly and Tosca. His US debut followed in 1990 when he conducted Capriccio with the San Francisco Opera and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and then his Australian debut‚ in 1991‚ with Die Zauberflöte for Victoria State Opera. Subsequent foreign engagements include Elektra and Gounod’s Faust in Seville‚ The Cunning Little Vixen in Berlin‚ Capriccio and I Capuletti ed I Montecchi in Sicily‚ Rigoletto in Tirana‚ Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Riga‚ Madama Butterfly‚ Don Giovanni and Il Trovatore in Auckland‚ La Cenerentola and Turandot with Florida Grand Opera‚ Carmen in Melbourne‚ Turandot in Miami and Romeo et Juliette for the State Opera of South Australia.

In addition to his extensive operatic work‚ he has conducted most of the major UK orchestras and further afield‚ concert appearances have taken him to Aarhus‚ Adelaide‚ Amsterdam‚ Belgrade‚ Bilbao‚ Brisbane‚ Copenhagen‚ Detroit‚ Johannesburg‚ Lausanne‚ Lille and Perth. In 1997 he was appointed Music Director of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. Recent recordings include Joseph James’ Requiem with Sumy Jo and his own new children’s composition Rainbow Bear in collaboration with his wife‚ Joanna Lumley‚ as narrator.

Most recent projects include The Rake’s Progress with Reisopera in Holland‚ Faust and Nabucco in Australia‚ Bluebeard’s Castle with the Auckland Philharmonia‚ the premiere of his own opera King in Canterbury Cathedral‚ Falstaff‚ Rusalka and Norma and at Grange Park Opera‚ the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme Summer Concert at the Royal Opera House‚ Sweeney Todd with Bryn Terfel at the Royal Festival Hall‚ and Otello with Birmingham Opera Company. Plans include The Barber of Baghdad at Buxton Festival‚ Capriccio and a revival of Rusalka at Grange Park Opera and the première of his new Clarinet Concerto with Emma Johnson and the Ulster Orchestra‚ kindly supported by the Bowerman Charitable Trust.