Misbourne
Symphony
Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Jacklin Leader: Alan Morris
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| Richard Jacklin | Conductor |
 | Having conducted his first orchestral performance at the age of 16, Richard received his LTCL from Trinity College of Music on bassoon, subsequently continuing his studies in conducting at the Royal College of Music with Neil Thomson, a pupil of Norman Del Mar. Richard also studied conducting at Oxford University and at masterclasses given by Kenneth Kiesler, Diego Masson, John Carewe (tutor of Simon Rattle), George Hurst, Tim Reynish and at the Dartington International Summer School. He was recently invited to the International Masterclass for Orchestral Conducting in Leipzig, during which time he conducted the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester in Berlin and the Westsächsisches Symphonieorchester in Leipzig. Richard’s conducting career spans almost 20 years, performing more than 380 works by 110 composers. Richard has conducted the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) since 1996 and was appointed Principal Conductor in 1998. |
| Alan Morris | Leader and soloist | Alan started to learn the violin at school, at the age of eight. In his youth he was a regular member of the Oxford County Orchestra under the tutelage of Muir Matheson. Alan then moved on to study the violin with Vera Kantrovitch at Trinity College of Music. During this time he won the Mozart Violin Prize, and the Arved Kurtz Prize for Violin. Alan gained valuable experience working with a wide range of orchestras, including Wells Sinfonietta, English National Ballet and the Philharmonia of Bristol. In the South West of England he worked as leader of the Avon Concertante String Orchestra, and The Avon String Quartet; posts he enjoyed for a period of more than ten years. In addition to free-lance work, and his position as leader of the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra, Alan currently plays with the West Forest Sinfonia, and leads both The Chalfont, and Humoresque String Quartets. He has particularly enjoyed appearing as a soloist with the Misbourne orchestra in a variety of works, including The Lark Ascending, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, and Beethoven’s Romance in F major. |
| Daniel Hogan | Composer | Daniel Hogan is 14 and attends Chesham Grammar School. Daniel plays the piano and cello and started composing when he was 11. He is now studying composition and piano at the Junior Department at the Royal Academy of Music. He has composed a variety of orchestral and chamber works including a symphony. Daniel is particularly influenced by Richard Strauss, Elgar and Mahler. |
| Claire McConnell | Soloist - Cello | Claire McConnell studied with Derek Simpson at Kings College London and the Royal Academy of Music, later receiving coaching from Lionel Handy and Nigel Blomiley. Claire has performed cello concertos by Elgar, Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn and the double concerto for Violin and Cello by Brahms. An active chamber music, Claire has performed in venues throughout the UK including London’s South Bank Centre venues, Wigmore Hall, the Barbican and Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. Since graduating Claire has played on a freelance basis with many of the professional orchestras and chamber music ensembles through the UK. A committed teacher, Claire is also actively involved in coaching cellists and string ensembles. Claire plays a beautiful old English cello by Charles and Samuel Thompson, 1760 and lives locally in Buckinghamshire with her husband and two young children. |
| Viv McLean | Soloist - Piano | Winner of the First Prize at the 2002 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, Viv McLean has performed at all the major venues in the UK as well as in France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Malta, Israel, Cyprus, Japan, Australia and the USA. His concerto work includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, London Concert Orchestra, Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Musicians' Symphony Orchestra. He has performed chamber music with leading groups such as the Ysaye String Quartet and the Leopold String Trio and collaborated with musicians such as Natalie Clein, Marianne Thorsen, David le Page, Daniel Hope, Eijin Nimura, Mia Cooper, Sarah Nemtanu, Lawrence Power, Phillip Dukes, Lise Berthaud, Matthew Sharp, Kate Gould, Alasdair Strange, Guy Johnston, Sarah Williamson, Isa Katarina Gericke, Jeanette Ager, Nora Gubisch, Richard Dubugnon, Wayne Marshall, Christopher Warren- Green, Owain Arwell Hughes, David Charles Abell and Marvin Hamlisch. He has performed in festivals including the Cheltenham International Festival and Harrogate Festival in the UK, the International Beethoven Festival, the Mecklenburg Festival and the Kultur Kreis Festival in Germany, the Melle Festival and Festival de Saintes in France, the Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden in Norway and the Musik vid Kattegatt Festival in Sweden. Viv studied at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music with Hamish Milne where he held the Hodgson Fellowship and received financial assistance from the Hattori Foundation and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He was made an associate of the Royal Academy in 2005. He made his Wigmore Hall recital debut through winning the Friends of the Royal Academy Wigmore Award. Whilst studying at the Academy, Viv was the piano winner at the Royal Overseas-League Music Competition and was selected as one of three winners of the National Federation of Music Societies' Young Artists Competition, leading to various recitals and concerto appearances throughout Great Britain. Viv has recorded regularly for BBC Radio 3 since making his recital debut through the BBC Radio 3 Young Artists Forum scheme and has also recorded recitals for Classic FM, WDR Radio in Germany, Radio France, ABC Radio in Australia, NRK Radio in Norway, Polish Radio and for the Sky Arts television channel. His commercial releases include recordings for such labels as Sony Classical Japan and Naxos, as well as for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's own label. Future plans include concerts in France, Norway, Japan and the UK. |
| Eleanor Parry | Soloist - Violin | Eleanor began to learn the violin at the age of two. She studied with the late Howard Davies at Newnham College, Cambridge, and at the Royal Academy of Music in London where she won the John Mundy prize for her graduation recital. She has also received coaching from Mauricio Fuks, Siegmund Nissel, Norbert Brainin and Thomas Brandis and participated in the Academy’s String Scheme with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Eleanor enjoys a career combining performing and teaching. She played concertos with the London Concertante and chamber music in the Crush Room Recitals at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She teaches violin at King’s College School in Wimbledon. Eleanor is also involved with the Philharmonia education scheme, often used as the violinist to play solo works during the ‘Symphony Days’ workshop scheme. |
| Susanna Hurrell | Soloist - Soprano | Susanna Hurrell was born in London to a musical family and joined the undergraduate programme at the Royal College of Music in 2005. After graduating with first class honours she gained a place to study with Patricia Rozario at the RCM International Opera School where she is currently supported by an HR Taylor trust award and a Miriam Licette scholarship. She is pleased to have been awarded a place at the National Opera Studio where she will continue her studies in September. During her time at college Susanna has won the English Song competition and second prize in the Lieder competition, and has taken part in many acclaimed performances such as Bruckner's Te Deum with Bernard Haitink and Mozart's C Minor Mass with Sir Charles Mackerras She has also sung the soprano solos in Bach's Easter Oratorio and Schoenberg's string quartet no.2. Susanna has already embarked upon a varied solo career where her notable performances include Haydn's Nelson Mass and Bach's Magnificat at St John's, Smith Square, Handel's Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Faure's Requiem recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall by EMI classics. On the operatic stage her roles include Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Serpetta in Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera (Opera de Baugé), the Maid in The Crocodile (Grimeborn Festival), Papagena in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (RCMIOS), Euridice in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld (RCMIOS), the title role in G&S's Patience (RCMIOS), and for the London Handel Festival, Rodelinda (Rodelinda), Rossane (Alessandro), and Amarilli (Il Pastor Fido). Later this year she looks forward to performing the role of Rose in Kurt Weill's Street Scene with The Opera Group. Susanna enjoys a successful collaboration with the pianist Sebastian Wybrew who recently took the accompanists' prize while she won first prize in the John Kerr English Song competition. They both feature on the CD: 'An English Trumpeter' with trumpeter Simon Cheney, in 'Songs for Sorrow', a set of five songs by the contemporary composer Gordon Carr. She also recently won the Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award enabling her to perform orchestral songs of her choice with the Southbank Sinfonia at the Linbury Studio theatre, Royal Opera House. |
| Ben Johnson | Soloist - Tenor | Ben Johnson studied at the Royal College of Music graduating with First Class Honours and at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He won the First Prize at the 2008 Kathleen Ferrier awards, the first out-right male winner for 13 years and achieved much success at the RCM including winning the Lieder Prize, English Song Prize and the singer’s prize at the Gerald Moore Award as well as a prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. In September 2010 he joined the prestigious Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme. Ben is in demand as an oratorio soloist around the UK and Europe. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Harry Bicket, Peter Schreier, Andrew Parrott and Neil Thompson. Recent engagements have included Wozzeck in concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Royal Festival Hall and the Théâtre de Champs Elysée, Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera under Francesco Corti, Haydn Harmoniemesse at the Aldeburgh Festival, Evangelist St Matthew Passion with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway under Nicholas Kraemer. He has also sung Handel’s Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall and at the Hexagon in Reading, Bach’s B minor Mass at the Three Choirs Festival, and Handel’s Samson with Harry Bicket in his BBC Proms debut in 2009. On the operatic stage, Ben recently made his debut with the Opéra de Lyon and sang a critically acclaimed Novice Billy Budd in a new production conducted by Sir Mark Elder at Glyndebourne. Other recent engagements have included his debut with the Scottish Opera as Tonik in Smetena's The Two Widows, Aceste Ascanio in Alba at Kings Place with the Classical Opera Company, and covering roles in ENO’s Dido & Aeneas and Glyndebourne’s The Fairy Queen. A committed recitalist, he enjoys a partnership with pianist James Southall and recent highlights have included a recital with Roger Vignoles at the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, a Schubert programme with Iain Burnside at Kings Place Hall, an appearance at the Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson, and recitals at the Herten Mendelssohn Festival, Essen with Graham Johnson and at Aldeburgh with Malcolm Martineau. During the 2010-11 season, Ben sings Mozart concert arias with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Jirí Belohlávek in a studio concert for Radio 3, which will be broadcast in early 2011. He will perform Haydn’s Paukenmesse under Frans Brüggen and Britten’s Nicolas Cantata, both at De Doelen in Rotterdam as part of the Gergiev Festival. He will cover the role of Don Ottavio in a new production of Don Giovanni at ENO and makes his debut with the Academy of Ancient Music singing Bach in Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional and London’s Cadogan Hall. Other performances include Mozart’s Requiem with the Philharmonia, recitals at Aldeburgh and at London’s Wigmore Hall, several performances and recordings with the BBC orchestras as part of the New Generation Artist scheme, and Elgar with the Philharmonia under Sir Andrew Davies at the Three Choirs Festival. For the last two years Ben has studied with the tenor Tim Evans-Jones, with whom he continues to work. |
Past Soloists - 2010/2011 Season | |
| Claire Batchelor | Composer | Chesham-based Claire started out as a performer. She studied music performance, theory, business, recording, production and composition, especially composition for media. Since graduating, she has released a mini album, performed all over the UK, collaborated with Worthing Chamber Orchestra, written music for films, television, cinema advertising and even a school musical. |
| Tim Hodson | Soloist - Flute | A member of MSO, Tim grew up in the local area, and studied flute under Pauline Griffiths, John Francis, Susan Milan, and David Butt. A former principal flautist with the National Youth Orchestra and an Instrumental Award holder at Selwyn College, Cambridge, Tim participates in a variety of different musical activities and styles. |
| Takane Funatsu | Soloist - Violin | Takane Funatsu was born in Japan and started playing the violin aged four. Moving to England in 1991 she attended the Advanced Solo Studies course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama winning a scholarship to study with David Takeno. Her first solo performance in London was at the Barbican playing Lutoslawski’s ‘Chain II’. In 1994 Takane won a principal’s scholarship to work with the London Symphony Orchestra, followed by three months study at the Banff Arts Centre in Canada. She has worked in Britain, Europe, Canada, USA, Israel and Japan as a soloist and chamber musician, often leading and directing. A principal in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 1997-2000, Takane now co-leads Glyndebourne Touring Opera. |
| Nicola Tait | Soloist - Cello | Nicola Tait studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Lionel Handy, winning prizes for both solo and chamber music and then graduating with a postgraduate scholarship to study in Germany with Gortzki and then Pleeth. In 1995 she gave her first solo broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and began playing with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Nicola was cellist in the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, performing and giving master classes worldwide. Her regular solo performances include many of the major concertos. She has performed the complete Bach solo suites in Scotland, London and Germany and given solo recitals in Switzerland and the USA. Nicola also plays with the Amaryllis Piano Trio and teaches at Merchant Taylors' School. |
| Hillary Evans | Soloist - Oboe | A member of MSO, Hillary grew up locally. She studied music at Leeds University while travelling regularly to Trinity College, London for oboe tuition with Stephen Nagy. This was followed by postgraduate teaching studies. Since then she has been active in this area as a performer, and as both a primary class and peripatetic woodwind teacher. Hillary has performed the Hummel, Donizetti and Mozart concerti as well as numerous baroque, classical and twentieth century concerti. |
| Jane Plessner | Soloist - Clarinet |
| A member of MSO for over 20 years, Jane began playing the clarinet aged nine, studying with Georgina Dobree, Antony Pay and Angela Fussell. While attending the Universities of Liverpool and Surrey she played with orchestras and chamber groups both within the universities and locally. Jane has performed at music clubs throughout the country. She plays with local orchestras, for choral and operatic societies and has performed concertos by Mozart, Weber and Spohr. | |
| Lucy White | Soloist - Viola |
| Lucy won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied with Marie Wilson. She taught violin and viola and was then a freelance viola and violin player with London orchestras and a solo viol d’amore player with the English Chamber Orchestra and the Steinitz Players. Lucy also performed chamber music as a member of the Davey String Quartet. | |
| Catherine Tarling | Soloist - Violin |
| A member of MSO, Catherine began learning the violin aged eight. Following a scholarship to the Nottinghamshire Music Support Service she studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Philippe Graffin. Catherine plays in numerous semi-professional and amateur orchestras in the local area, the Midlands and in London and has played in the major venues around the world. | |
Past Soloists - 2009/2010 Season | |
| Ruby Aspinall | Soloist - Harp | Ruby began her musical career as a Leverhulme Scholar at the Purcell School of Music aged nine. While there she was awarded First Prize for the Young Composer's Award of Wales. Her harp composition 'Night Dances' has since been performed in competitions in the UK and internationally. Ruby then studied at Trinity College of Music. Her teachers have included Sioned Williams, Gabriella Dal'Ollio and Charlotte Seale. As a soloist and chamber musician Ruby has performed at St John's Smith Square, Snape Maltings, the Purcell room and Chichester Festival and has toured in Holland and Belgium. Her orchestral work includes English National Opera, BBC Wales and The New Professionals. She has recorded for BBC Radio 3 and was featured Playing in the film 'Maid of Honour'. Ruby regularly works with her duo Amadio for the Live Music Now! and Lost Chord community schemes. |
| Candice Hamel | Soloist - Flute | Candice Hamel is a graduate of Trinity College of Music, London and The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, Holland. Her teachers have included Wissam Boustany, Karen Jones, Emily Beynon and Rien de Reede. Candice has given many solo recitals around the UK and Ireland performing in The National Concert Hall of Ireland, The National Gallery of Ireland, The Harty Room, Belfast, Cheltenham Town Hall and Lauderdale House, London. As an orchestral musician she has played with the Philharmonia, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, City of London Sinfonia and Guildford Philharmonic. Candice works for Wandsworth Music Services as a flute tutor and also teaches privately. She is one of the flute professors on Paul Edmund Davies; flute course each summer in Harrogate. |
| Adam Summerhayes | Soloist - Violin | Since his grandfather stealthily introduced a tiny violin into Adam’s childhood bedroom, he has been obsessed with violin music of all sorts; from authentic Baroque performance to the most contemporary works and from bluegrass to Bulgarian copanitza. His wide ranging enthusiasms have drawn international critical acclaim for concerto premieres, numerous CD recordings and recital and chamber music performances. He has performed in Holland, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Russia and Croatia as well as throughout the UK – including frequent performances in the Purcell Room and many world premieres of chamber works. Adam directs London Concertante, performs and records with Summerhayes Piano Trio and with ZUM – a unique group featuring Adam’s own brand of folk fiddling and many of his own compositions in a fusion of tango, gypsy, celtic, jazz and many other influences. As well as his critically acclaimed recordings with the trio, recent discs with London Concertante include the Mendelssohn octet and a disc of Astor Piazolla coupled with some of Adam's own music |
Past Soloists and Composers - 2008/2009 Season | |
| Hannah Mitchell | Soloist - Trumpet | Hannah began to play the cornet at the age of 4 only moving to trumpet when she started studying at the University of Edinburgh. Here she was tutored by Peter Franks and began to play for many of the city's orchestras including Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra, Edinburgh Grand Opera and Edinburgh Symphony Baroque. During this time she was also lucky enough to be able to perform with the highly acclaimed Scottish Sinfonia and at various productions at the Edinburgh Fringe. Whilst in Scotland Hannah had many opportunities to perform solos including Horowitz's trumpet concerto and Halsey Stevens' trumpet sonata in a recital at the Edinburgh Society of Musicians. |
| Elspeth Dutch | Soloist - Horn | Elspeth began learning the horn with Simon de Souza at the age of 9. When 14 she was awarded a scholarship with the Berkshire Young Musicians Trust and at 17 made her London concerto debut at St. John's, Smith Square. She then studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Richard Bissill, Hugh Seenan and Jeff Bryant. While at the Guildhall she was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. In her final year she won the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers Brass Prize and upon graduating was awarded the Philip Jones Brass Award. While a student, Elspeth worked with the London Symphony Orchestra and was on trial for principal horn with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In 2002 she was appointed principal horn with the CBSO and since then has performed with the orchestra around the world. Increasingly in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Elspeth has performed in the UK and abroad with the CBSO, Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Swan, the Adderbury Ensemble, the Sinfonia of Birmingham and the Rhein-Main Classic Orchestra. Elspeth regularly guests with the Philharmonia and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2005 was a panel member for the Leeds Conductors' Competition. She has been a horn professor at Birmingham Conservatoire since 2003, and has recently given masterclasses at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music and Junior Royal Academy. |
Past Soloists and Composers - 2007/2008 Season | |
| Anna Stokes | Soloist - Flute | Anna Stokes graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2004 where she studied with Susan Milan and Stewart McIlwham. Previously she studied with Anna Pope at the Purcell School of Music. She is currently instructed by Paul Edmund-Davies and Celia Chambers. Anna regularly performs as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player. In 2007 she performed with pianist Rhodri Clarke in the Qatar Foundation Concert Series in Doha. She recently won a place on the London Philharmonic Orchestra's "Future Firsts" Scheme. Anna received a Solti Foundation Award in May 2006 and was selected to participate in the Sir James Galway International Masterclass course in Switzerland. Recent engagements include recitals with the Emanuel Ensemble which she founded, and her 'flute & piano duo' at the Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Leeds International Concert Series, Schubert Society of London and St James Piccadilly. |
| Zahava Lever | Soloist - Harp | Zahava Lever is 17 and studying A levels. She attends Trinity College of Music and plays harp and piano and sings. She plays in Trinity College Junior Symphony Orchestra and was previously a member of the National Children's Orchestra, Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra and the Junior Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. She has toured Europe widely as principal harpist of the Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra and has taken part in many music competitions, recently receiving third place in the International Welsh Harp Festival. |
| Natasha Michael | Composer | Natasha Michael is 15 and attends Chesham High School. She studies viola, piano and composition at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. Natasha has been a member of the National Children's Orchestra for six years and is hoping to secure a place in the National Youth Orchestra next year as a composer or player. |
| Nils Greenhow | Composer | Nils Greenhow is 18 and studying A levels at the Royal Grammar School. He plays the cello and trumpet. Study for Strings was composed for the High Wycombe Music Centre Senior Strings to play in the National Festival of Music for Youth. Nils plans to study composition. |
Past Soloists - 2006/2007 Season | |
| Alexander Ardakov | Soloist - Piano | Alexander Ardakov was born in Kuibyshev in Russia. In 1971 he won the Kabalevsky Young Pianist Competition. He subsequently studied at the Moscow Conservatoire with Vera Gornostaeva, and was a prizewinner at the Viotti International Competition in 1984. Between 1981 and 1991 he performed as a soloist and chamber musician with the Moscow State Philharmonia throughout the USSR and produced numerous recordings with the USSR Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the Melodia recording company. Since 1991, Alexander has combined performing with teaching and is a Professor of Piano at Trinity College of Music. Alexander has performed for the BBC and Classic FM, and has released many CDs including Rachmaninov's second piano concerto with the royal Philharmonic Orchestra. |
| Peter Hanson | Soloist - Violin | Peter Hanson has played all over the world, initially with the Hanson Quartet, which he founded in the early eighties, and latterly with the Eroica Quartet, which he formed with colleagues from the world of period instrument performance. From 1991 he travelled the world with Trevor Pinnock playing baroque concertos as the soloist/leader of the English Concert. He then started to devote more time to music from the late 18th and 19th centuries, and was invited to lead Sir John Eliot Gardiner's Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique. He has been involved as a baroque violinist with various groups such as the Hanover Band and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Peter has also been guest leader with the Halle Orchestra under Rostropovich, and with the Mahler Orchestra under Daniel Harding. |
| Fiona Gillett | Soloist - Cello | As a freelance cellist, Fiona has toured with Sir Cliff Richard, Les Miserables and with the British Philharmonic Orchestra to Abu Dhabi. She also performs with the Eleos Ensemble, which she manages. Fiona frequently tours around Europe on short-term missions with chamber groups from the All Souls Orchestra, Langham Place, London, the Adoramus Orchestra and with the Chrysalis Arts Trust. Fiona is also an examiner for the Associated Board of the royal Schools of Music. |
| Mandy Morell | Soloist - Viola | In her teens Mandy had the opportunity to play in the St. Matthew Passion and the Dream of Gerontius conducted by Sir David Willcocks, while studying privately with Erich Gruenberg. She enjoyed much chamber and orchestral playing while studying Classics at Oxford, and has led string quartets continually. After moving to Chesham, Mandy began to teach from home while raising a family and it was at the request of a pupil - Kyrjusha Makharinski- that she took up the viola. Mandy is a member of the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra. |
| Phil Wayman | Soloist - Saxophone | Phil Wayman began his musical training in Nottingham with the South Notts music school, and whilst playing with the Nottinghamshire County Band he took up the saxophone. Since joining the Royal Air Force in 1984, in addition to his regular appearances with the central band of the RAF, he has also played with groups such as the Kosei Wind Orchestra in Japan and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Phil has been featured as a soloist in many of the top concert halls around the world including the Symphony Hall, Birmingham. |
Past Soloists - 2005/2006 Season | |
| Elena Fialho | Soloist - Piano |
| Elena is a former pupil of Dr. Challoner's High School, and has been playing the piano since the age of five. Elena has attended the junior department of the royal Academy of Music for eight years, where she studies piano with Tessa Nicholson. Elena is principal flute in the Bucks County Youth Orchestra, with whom she has performed in venues including the Albert Hall and La Madeleine in Paris. She enjoys continued success in many of the local music festivals and is also building a reputation as a skilled accompanist and piano teacher. Recent public performances have included a master class with the world-renowned pianists Stephen Hough and Piers Lane. Elena hopes to take up a place to read Music at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. She has played piano with the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra on two previous occasions and is greatly looking forward to her concerto in May. | |
| Paul Meaden | Soloist - French Horn | Paul has honed his horn playing skills with the Uxbridge based RAF band, with which he has played many times. He has played with the Misbourne Orchestra on several occasions, and we are delighted that he is to be our soloist. There will be a fuller biography of Paul's musical background in the concert programme. |
Past Soloists - 2004/2005 Season | |
Past Soloists - 2003/2004 Season | |
| Kathryn Oxley | Soloist - Soprano | Kathryn studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, and was awarded an M. Mus in July 2001. Whilst there she won the Glasgow Jewish Choral Prize, and performed many operatic roles including Mercedes (Carmen) and Cherubino (Marriage of Figaro). Oratorio engagements include the Magnificat in Dunblane cathedral, Haydn's Creation at Glasgow University, and the Messiah at Queens Hall Edinburgh and Lacey Green in Bucks. Recent performing experiences include Papagena in the Magic Flute for Aylesbury Opera, and as soloist in the Coronation Jubilee Concert at St. Mary's, Amersham. |
| John Maynard | Soloist - Horn | John is Principal Horn of the Aylesbury Orchestra and Bridgewater Band, and also plays with other local orchestras. He left Trinity College of Music in 1977, and played with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. John teaches at the Aylesbury Music Centre and coaches the Bucks County Youth Orchestra horn section. |
| Thomas Molloy | Soloist - Horn | Thomas started the French horn at the age of eight. Now aged seventeen, he is a county music scholar at Aylesbury Music Centre where he studies French horn with John Maynard and piano with Cindy Ho. Thomas is Principal Horn of the Bucks County Youth Orchestra, and is enjoying his second year as a member of the National Youth Orchestra. |
| Craig Stratton | Soloist - Violin |
| Craig was born in Okinawa, Japan in 1970 and began learning the violin at the age of eight. He graduated at Kingston University and went on to receive both his postgraduate certificate and licentiate performance diplomas at Trinity College of Music. The following year he received his Fellowship diploma under the tuition of Diana Cummings and Itsak Rashkowsky. Craig studied in Prague for two years with Professor Ivan Straus. Craig currently leads the Eclectic Quartet, and plays with the Elgar Chamber Orchestra and the New Mozart Ensemble with whom he has performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Previous repertoire performed with orchestra includes Beethoven's Romance, Mendelssohn and Mozart concertos, Bach's double concerto and Dvorak's Romance and Mazurek. He has also appeared in 'Bridget Jones' and as an alien in 'The Phantom Menace'! Craig is a past leader of the Misbourne Orchestra. | |
| Carolyn Sewell | Soloist - Bassoon | Carolyn studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Alan Pendlebury, and went on to win a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music with Martin Gatt on the postgraduate orchestral course. Since graduating from college Carolyn has played with a number of professional orchestras, including European Opera, Manchester Camerata,, and the Liverpool Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. She has also played in orchestras with soloists including Nigel Kennedy and Evelyn Glennie. Carolyn now combines freelance playing with her education work in schools, and works full time as Woodwind and Brass Co-ordinator for Ealing Music Service. |
Past Soloists - 2002/2003 Season | |
| Simon Howat | Soloist - Piano | Simon grew up and is now based in South Buckinghamshire. He was awarded a county music scholarship to the High Wycombe Music Centre, subsequently going on to study music at Christ's College, Cambridge, and piano accompaniment as a post-graduate at the Guildhall School of Music in London. There he was taught by Paul Hamburger, and took part in a number of masterclasses with Graham Johnson. Simon has given numerous performances both as a soloist and an accompanist, has recorded for Classic FM as part of the Audi Young Musician competition, and has performed several times at the Wycombe Swan. His last performance with the Misbourne Orchestra in November 1999 was a highly acclaimed performance of Grieg's piano concerto. |
| Stuart Bonner | Soloist - Piano | Stuart Bonner studied at Trinity College of Music in London, and won the Elizabeth Schumann prize for piano accompaniment, which included an appearance at the Wigmore Hall. Later he travelled to Hong Kong to teach, and otherwise had the opportunity to play much chamber music and to direct various choral and instrumental groups with appearances on radio and television. He returned to England to teach at the American Community School in Hillingdon for eleven years, and for the past five has been Director of Music at Godstowe Preparatory School in High Wycombe. Since his return to England he has conducted two orchestras, a number of choral societies in various shows, and has played concertos by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. Stuart also plays the French Horn and has been a member of the Misbourne Orchestra for several years. |
Past Soloists - 2001/2002 Season | |
| Kirjusha Makharinsky | Soloist - Piano |
| Russian born, Kirjusha has lived in England since he was seven years old. Aged 16, a pupil at Dr. Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, he will attend Eton College for his sixth form studies, starting in September 2001. Kirjusha studies piano with Alexander Ardakov, and was the winner of both the Chiltern Young Musician and the Wycombe Orpheus Competitions in 2000. He has performed in gala concerts at St. John's Smith Square and Oxford Town Hall, and performed in a very well received recital at the Amersham Festival in May 2001. Kirjusha also plays the viola and is a member of the School Orchestra, and the Chiltern Youth Chamber Orchestra. | |
| Jennifer Fisher | Soloist - Mezzo Soprano |
| Jennifer Fisher, sister of Rachel, completed her Postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in June 2000. Whilst there, she took part in many opera scenes, studying roles such as Dorabella (Cosi fan tutti, Mozart), Orfeo (Orfeo, Monteverdi), and Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia, Britten). She also performed the role of Cherubino with Cambridge University Opera, that same year, as well as performing as alto soloist in various oratorios such as Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and Mendelssohn's Elijah. She continues to give recitals recitals around the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Mexico. Forthcoming engagments include the role of Young Widow, in Janacek's opera Osud, at Garsington Opera 2002. | |
| Peter Reid | Soloist - Trumpet |
| Peter studied music at Auckland University before moving to London in 1990 to further his trumpet studies at the Trinity College of Music. Since 1993 Peter has worked as a freelance orchestral and baroque trumpet player, based in London, with tours as far afield as Dublin and Warsaw. Recent concerts as soloist include performances of Vivaldi's Double Trumpet concerto, the Messiah, the Trumpet Concerto by Haydn, and Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto. | |
| Dominic Cotton | Soloist - Trumpet |
| Dominic studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire, the Munster Hochschule fur Musik and at the Trinity College of Music, London. He feelances in London, playing both modern and baroque trumpet. He has worked for the European Chamber Opera, the Brook Street Band, and spent 1999 touring Europe with the Philharmonia of the Nations. In addition, he keeps a busy schedule teaching, as well as working towards the development of a truly authentic baroque trumpet from original sources. | Penelope Lynex | Soloist - Cello |
| Penelope was a pupil of Paul Tortelier in Pris, having graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London, where she won all the cello prizes and was awarded the Suggia Scholarship. She also studied twice in Pablo Casals' masterclasses in Switzerland. Her Wigmore Hall debut in London was headlined "Brilliant Cello Recital" in The Times, and other reviews consistently mention her radiant tone, bowing technique, bravura and musicality. Penelope is a dedicated teacher whose wide teaching experience includes may years as a professor at the Junior Academy, Royal Academy of Music, London. She also gives masterclasses, adjudicates and directs courses. | |
Past Soloists - 2000/2001 Season | |
| Louise Dunsby | Soloist - Piano |
| Louise lives in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, and comes from a musical family. She studied at the Junior Royal College of Music for three years with contemporary music specialist Thalia Myers, and is now studying with Laura O'Gorman. Having been educated at High March School, Beaconsfield and Dr. Challoner's High School, Louise plans to study A level Sciences at the St. Paul's Girls School in September. Winner of the Chiltern Young Musician of the Year in 1999, and now aged 16, this will be Louise's first concerto performance. | |
| Rachel Fisher | Soloist - Mezzo Soprano |
| Rachel Fisher is from Derry in Northern Ireland. She has an extensive oratorio and recital repertoire that has taken her all over the UK and Ireland. she has recorded for BBC Radio 3 and RTE 3 and performed with the Ulster Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Rachel's operatic roles include Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) for OTC, Opera Project and Music Theatre Kernow and Second Lady (Magic Flute) for Opera Northern Ireland, also Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte) and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) for Amersham Festival Opera. Other roles include Idamante (Idomeneo) for Amersham Festival and Dartington International Summer school and Proserpina (L'Orfeo) for Kent Opera. Rachel has performed frequently in Glyndebourne Festival Chorus. | |
| Emily Bounds | Soloist - Cello |
| Emily started playing the cello at the age of nine, and at ten won a county music scholarship at the Amersham Music Centre. In 1998 she was awarded the Marguerite Swan Memorial Prize by the Associated Board, and later that year joined the junior department of the Royal College of Music. Now 16 years old, Emily will start her A level courses at Dr. Challoner's High School in September 2000. She has been a member of the National Children's Chamber Orchestra, and is currently in the Buchinghamshire County Youth Orchestra. She has played in the Festival Hall, St. John's Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall and Chequers. Her performance with the Misbourne will be Emily's first concerto as a soloist. | |
We are affiliated to Making Music (the National Federation of Music Societies). The orchestra is a Registered Charity |
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