Chris first began to play the horn at the age of 12 and won a scholarship to attend the Junior Royal Northern College of Music where he studied with Tom Redmond and Laurence Rogers. Whilst there he won the Zochonis Scholarship and the Brass playing Prize.

He won an entrance scholarship in 2006 to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins. In his time there he won the Nicholas Blake Prize and was Very Highly Commended in the Dennis Brain Horn Prize. Whilst at the Academy he performed a solo recital tour with the Royal Academy of Music’s Harp Ensemble.

Chris has played with many orchestras including the London Sinfonietta, London Contemporary Orchestra, Britten Pears Orchestra, RAM Soloists and RAM Symphony Orchestra.
He has participated in several side by side scheme’s with orchestra’s including the LPO, ENO, BBC Philharmonic and the Hallé. He also participated in the Academy’s prestigious side by side scheme with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Chris is a keen modern music enthusiast and has premiered many new works including a piece by Matthew King commissioned by the Wigmore Trust. He gave the UK premiere of a piece for wind quintet by Stockhausen. He also played 1st solo horn in a piece by Robert Peate with the RAM Concert Orchestra.
He has worked in commercial recordings for television for companies including McDonalds and Lighterlife and played in several recordings for BBC Radio 3.

Chris has performed several recitals throughout the UK and also recently participated in a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass with the West London Bach Players. He has performed Strauss’s 1st horn Concerto with both the Sheffield Chamber Orchestra and the Tallis Chamber Orchestra.

Ruth studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where, after obtaining a Master’s degree, she became a Junior Fellow. Having scholarships for both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, she also won a position on the Erasmus Exchange and spent one year studying in Hamburg, Germany.

Her orchestral experience includes the Guildford Philharmonic, LSO Discovery concerts, the International Mahler Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, Hamburg Musikhochschul Orchester, Orpheus Orchestra and the Endellion Festival. She is on the extras list for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

She has performed extensively with her wind trio in venues such as St Martin-in-the-fields, the Wigmore Hall, Colsdon Hall, Southwark Cathedral, UCL’s Senate House, the Tunnell Trust Chamber Music Course, Harrogate Festival, Waltham Abbey, The Forge in Camden and the Science Museum. With her wind quintet she performed live on BBC Radio 3 and played commissioned works and premieres of pieces for festivals in Holland and Belgium.

Alongside playing in orchestras and in chamber ensembles, Ruth enjoys teaching and education workshops in schools across London.

Sophie began learning the bassoon aged 11, and the following year won a government aided place to the Purcell School of Music.

She was a scholar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and also the Royal College of Music from which she graduated in July 2011 with an MPerf with distinction. She has studied with Julie Price, Andrea de Flammineis, Joost Bosdijk, Daniel Jemison, Meyrick Alexander, Robin O’Neil, John Orford, Gordon Laing and Martin Field. During her studies Sophie was on the prestigious BBC Orchestral Pathway scheme, culminating in a performance with the orchestra and Oliver Knussen for BBC Radio 3. She was invited to perform as Principal bassoon with the RCM Symphony Orchestra on many occasions, memorably with Bernard Haitink in Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony. In June-July 2010 she was chosen to represent the RCM at the Castleton Festival, USA, of which Lorin Maazel is Artistic Director.

Since graduating Sophie is enjoying an exciting and varied freelance career, most recently as an extra player with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and performing the Saint-Saëns Sonata at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

She is a member of the Goodman Quartet, an group of young musicians who share a passion for fusing standard repertoire with new and innovative projects, working with composers on commissions, and with their exciting inter-arts collaborative project “Music Off Canvas”. The ensemble has performed across London, and is on the prestigious Live Music Now! scheme. Sophie is passionate about outreach, and is planning a trip to Romania with the quartet to work with visually impaired children, in association with the Light into Europe Charity and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Sophie would like to thank the Countess of Munster Trust, Musician’s Benevolent Fund, Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, and the Jane Craxton Memorial Trust for their support of her studies.

We are grateful to the Guernsey Bursary Consortium for supporting Sophie in her year at Southbank Sinfonia

Tom’s initial studies were at Birmingham Conservatoire with Sally Harrop, Tim Lines, Michael Harris and Mark O’Brien. Whilst studying in Birmingham, Tom was a member of the CBSO youth orchestra and won a place on the CBSO orchestral training scheme.

Following graduation in 2008, Tom was selected for the Foyle Future First programme with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme comprised of a wide range of playing styles and repertoire with the orchestra, education and outreach projects, and one to one lessons with the principal clarinettist Robert Hill.

Since then, Tom has worked as a freelance player with several orchestras and ensembles in the Midlands most notably with Orchestra of the Swan. He has also been on tour with the band ‘James’, recorded broadcasts on BBC radio and also made an appearance on the Southbank show with Tasmin Little.

Tom is on the extra work list for the BBC Symphony Orchestra as a Bass Clarinettist. As a soloist Tom has performed Weber’s first clarinet concerto with the Eroica Camerata, and Mendelssohn Concert Pieces with Sinfonia of Birmingham and the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany. Alongside Tom’s orchestral commitments, Tom performs regularly in recitals with his wife who is a soprano. Tom continues to study privately with Joy Farrall and Robert Hill.

Katy began her Batchelor degree in 2004 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama studying with Barnaby Robson, Andrew Webster, Jennifer Maclaren and Laurent Ben Slimane. Highlights included Steven McNeff’s Clarinet Concerto, and in her final year was a finalist in the Needlemaker’s Solo Wind Competition. After graduating she went on to the Royal Academy of Music for her Masters Degree in performance studying with Angela Malsbury and Mark Van de Wiel, winning the Buffet Crampon Clarinet Prize in 2009.
Katy was a fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the year 2009-10.

Katy is also very involved in chamber music and is one third of the Renard Ensemble; a wind trio who formed since graduating from the Academy. As well as giving recitals, the group works with Live Music Now! in the UK. They are also this year’s joint winners of the Tunnell Trust Award Scheme.

In September 2011 Katy was offered one of only two places on the prestigious Gustav Mahler Akademie course, run by the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

Katy has worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia, with whom she is regularly invited to play principal bass clarinet. Recent performances with the Philharmonia include the Rite of Spring with Essa-Pekka Salonen in Dortmund, Elgar’s 1st Symphony under Martyn Brabbins and recently recording ‘The Planets’ by Holst for a new digital project run by the orchestra and Mahler’s 2nd Symphony for CD release.

She has also been on trial with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for their principal bass clarinet job.

Katy is also a keen runner and cyclist. She also enjoys travelling, cooking, going to art galleries and has an unhealthy love for good coffee.

Born in Essex in 1988, Odette began studying the piano, violin and recorder at the age of 6. She was awarded scholarships at both the Yehudi Menhuin and the Purcell schools of music, choosing to take her place at the Purcell School in 1998, studying the piano with Roshan Magub.

In 1999 Odette began studying the oboe with Melanie Ragge and soon realised her passion for the instrument. Throughout her school years, playing on music courses with the likes of the National Children’s Orchestra and National Youth Chamber Orchestra, it was clear that the oboe was as important to her as the piano. Orchestral performance was a favourite, but Odette had also found a love for chamber music and piano accompaniment, taking as many opportunities as possible.

In July 2010 Odette graduated with a BMus (hons) from the Royal Academy of Music after studying oboe with Celia Nicklin and Jill Crowther. Having also studied the piano with Graeme Humphrey and successfully auditioned, she had a choice to study a Masters degree on either the Oboe or Piano Accompaniment courses at London’s leading Conservatoires.

Odette gained a Distinction for her Mmus on the Guildhall School of Music Orchestral Training programme, and now enjoys varied freelance positions. As an oboist, Odette has performed at Buckingham Palace, Cadogan Hall and even Leadenhall Market, whereas accompanying has taken her to Holland, Chippenham and The Elgar Room at the Albert Hall. Odette also very much loves her regular work as a piano teacher, ballet class accompanist and pianist for the Mini Mozart classes for children 0-3 years.

When not immersed in the world of music, Odette enjoys to eat out, go to the theatre, swim, Zumba dance and sometimes imagine what life would be like as either a farmer, or property developer!

Jenny was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and grew up in Northumberland. She left England in 2005 to undertake her undergraduate degree in Trossingen, Germany, where she studied with Nicholas Daniel. She had a change of scene in her third year, which she spent learning with Jonathan Small at the RNCM before returning to Germany where she completed the academic elements of her course. In 2009 she won a full scholarship to the RCM, where she studied with Chris Cowie, Gareth Hulse, Christine Pendrill and Jane Marshall. Jenny is hugely grateful for the support given to her by the AHRC, the Christopher and Susan Gordon-Wells award, and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

Jenny is currently the oboist for the Foyle Future Firsts programme run by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Jenny has performed with; Northern Sinfonia, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the orchestra of English National Ballet. Jenny loves to teach, and is very happy in her job at the London Oratory School. She has taken part in lots of outreach projects with the LPO and finds working with children increasingly rewarding.

In her free time, Jenny likes to read the newspaper and have friends over for dinner.

Lisa began her studies in viola in 2005 after winning a scholarship to study at the Sydney Conservatorium Open Academy. Since then she has studied with Felicity Tsai, Caroline Henbest, and Roger Benedict, and has participated in masterclasses for Nobuko Imai, Jean-Eric Soucy, and Andra Darzins.

Lisa has had extensive orchestral and chamber music experience, performing with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Sinfonia, as violinist and principal violist of Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble, solo violist for the Sydney Conservatorium’s production of Albert Herring, solo violist for Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Spring Awakening, and as principal violist of Sydney Youth Orchestra. Lisa was a founding member of Sydney Camerata, and has performed in many smaller chamber ensembles. Lisa is in high demand as a tutor, and has worked with Sydney Youth Orchestra, North Sydney Youth Orchestra and currently works as a tutor and private teacher at SCEGS in North Sydney and at the NSW Public School Arts Unit. She completed her Bachelor of Music in 2010 through the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Lisa enjoys creating her own recipes in the kitchen, and is currently reading her way through Shakespeare’s plays.

Australian flautist Lina Andonovska divides her time between the UK and Australia, having completed projects funded by the Australian Council for the Arts and the Ian Potter Foundation to study and perform in London in 2011. Lina was an Australian National Academy of Music scholarship holder in 2010. Prior to that she attained a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at the Australian National University.

As a passionate performer of new music, Lina has worked with world-renowned composers Louis Andriessen, Brett Dean, Andrew Ford, Anthony Pateras and Larry Sitsky. In addition to an active chamber music and solo career, Lina frequently plays with Australia’s major orchestras including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and most recently the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the UK. She has performed concerti with Orchestra Victoria and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Lina held a fellowship with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing and recording under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In addition to her love of classical music performance, Lina’s open-mindedness and versatility as a musician enable her to feel comfortably at ease when performing in an impressive range of musical styles. Equally at home with improvisation and the printed page, Lina has performed at Byron Bay Bluesfest alongside a line-up including Bob Dylan and Jethro Tull, Woodford Folk Festival and the Dreaming Festival, a celebration of Indigenous art and culture.

Early in 2011 Lina travelled to East Timor where she assisted in a community outreach project that brought different music-making skills to children living in remote rural communities.

Lina has studied with Michael Cox, Wissam Boustany, Margaret Crawford, Virginia Taylor and Vernon Hill.

In her spare time, Lina is an avid flamenco dancer.

Jakub Cywinski was born in Tarnow, Poland in 1983. He began learning the double bass at the age of fourteen. In 2009, he graduated from the Music Academy in Wroclaw where he studied with Tadeusz Gorny. In 2010 he received the Constant & Kit Lambert scholarship, which enabled him to undertake his masters degree at the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Thomas Martin. During his studies at the College, he collaborated and performed with composers.

Jakub has undertaken freelance work with many Polish orchestras, as well as working in the UK with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He also took part in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Sting Experience scheme.