Musician Profiles

Glain Dafydd

Glain Dafydd Harp

Saturday 20 April 12.00pm

We extend a very warm welcome to Welsh harpist Glain Dafydd for our final concert this season.

Glain comes from North Wales and made her mark as a young performer winning the Texaco Young Musician of Wales and being a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician and Royal Over-Seas League competitions.

A regular winner at the National and Urdd Eisteddfodau in Wales, she came second in the Moscow International Harp Competition (junior category) and believes that these experiences to be formative ahead of a professional career in music. Another profile-raising opportunity was gained winning the Bryn Terfel Urdd Scholarship. Having been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra GB, Glain has toured with Sinfonia Cymru and appeared as guest soloist with the European Union Chamber Orchestra. She also toured the US as a guest harpist with the Penrhyn Male Voice Choir.

She has won numerous scholarships including the Nansi Richards Scholarship, the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, and has been supported by the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Livery Guild. Having studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris where she gained the `Diplome Supérieur d`Exécution`, she is currently studying MA at the Royal Academy of Music.

GLAIN DAFYD

Glain Dafydd's music career includes successes in competitions such as winning the 4ème Rencontres Internationales de la Harpe en Île-de-France, the Bryn Terfel Scholarship and the ‘City of Szeged Prize’ at the Szeged International Harp Competition, Hungary. A string finalist in both the BBC Young Musician and Royal Over-Seas League competitions, she won the second prize at the Moscow International Harp Competition junior category. Glain studied at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the Royal Academy of Music. As a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, Glain has performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, London Coliseum, Washington Cathedral, Thursford Christmas Spectacular, British Embassy in Paris and the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. She has also toured the UK and the US, and performed at festivals such as Harpissima, Suoni d’Arpa in Italy and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In June, she will perform at the L’Instrumentarium Harpes in Paris and in Moret-sur-Loing. Glain is a Live Music Now artist, performing in hospitals, care homes and special educational needs schools. She teaches at Queen’s College London and St George’s College Weybridge, and is co-director of Hampstead Harp Centre.

Mae gyrfa Glain Dafydd yn cynnwys llwyddiannau mewn cystadlaethau megis y 4ème Rencontres Internationales de la Harpe en Île-de-France, Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel a ‘Gwobr Dinas Szeged’ yng Nghystadleuaeth Ryngwladol Szeged, Hwngari. Cyrhaeddodd y rownd derfynol yng nghystadlaethau’r BBC Young Musician a’r Royal Over-Seas League, a daeth yn ail yng nghystadleuaeth ieuenctid Gŵyl Delynau Ryngwladol Mosco. Astudiodd yn yr École Normale de Musique de Paris ac yn yr Academi Gerdd Frenhinol. Fel unawdydd a chwaraewraig siambr a cherddorfaol, mae Glain wedi perfformio mewn neuaddau megis Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, London Coliseum, Cadeirlan Washington, Thursford Christmas Spectacular, Llysgenhadaeth Prydeinig ym Mharis a Bridgewater Hall ym Manceinion. Mae hi hefyd wedi teithio o gwmpas y Deyrnas Unedig a’r Unol Dalaethau, ac wedi perfformio mewn gwyliau megis Harpissima, Suoni d’Arpa yn yr Eidal ac yng Ngŵyl Fringe Caeredin. Fis Mehefin, bydd yn perfformio yn L’Instrumentarium Harpes ym Mharis ac ym Moret-sur-Loing. Mae Glain yn artist gyda Live Music Now ac mae hi’n perfformio mewn ysbytai, cartrefi henoed ac ysgolion anghenion addysgol arbennig. Mae hi’n dysgu yn Queen’s College London ac yn St George’s College Weybridge, ac mae hi’n gyd-gyfarwyddwraig Hampstead Harp Centre.

Joana Rodrigues is a Portuguese violinist. She recently graduated from the Orchestral Artistry postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with First-Class Honours, where she studied with Stephanie Gonley, Ofer Falk, Simon Fischer and Pavlo Beznosiuk. As an orchestral musician, Joana enjoys a busy freelance schedule playing with London Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, working with world-renowned conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda, François-Xavier Roth, Natalia Stutzmann and Simon Rattle. Joana is a member of the Knox Ensemble since 2022, a chamber music group that performs in various venues across London, such as Mansion House, the British Museum and the Barbican. In 2022, Joana attended the Summer Music Academy Hudinsburg Castle Course led by Johannes Klummp, where she performed a vast array of chamber and symphonic works. She has received masterclasses and lessons with András Keller, RobertLevin, Levon Chillingirian, Zsolt-Tihamèr Visontay. As a soloist, Joana has performed with the Angel Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil and she frequently performs recitals in the UK. She is currently a fellow for the Philharmonia MMSF Instrumental Fellowship Programme 2023/2024.

Ells Thomas

Welsh pianist Ellis Thomas is rapidly establishing a reputation as a versatile and thoughtful pianist and chamber musician. Acclaimed as a ‘sincere and committed’ musician, offering performances ‘with real understanding’ (Julian Jacobson, BPSE), Ellis is equally at-home with core repertoire as with contemporary and lesser-known works.

Ellis has already performed extensively at venues around the UK and is regularly invited to perform at music festivals around England and Wales. In recent years he has performed abroad, including in Spain, Germany and Italy, and has also seen his performances and interviews broadcast on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Cymru, and S4C television.

Ellis has been awarded prizes at competitions including the 2021 Düsseldorf Robert Schumann International Piano Competition and has won first prizes at the Wales International Piano Festival, Gregynog Young Musician and the RIBI National Young Musician, and the Wales National Eisteddfod, amongst others. He has received masterclasses and lessons with professors such as Boris Berman, Imogen Cooper, Pascal Rogé, Yevgeny Sudbin, Till Felner, Péter Nagy, and Steven Osborne.

Ellis works frequently as a collaborative pianist, and regularly performs as part of several chamber groups and ensembles. He is a collaborative pianist and faculty member for the International Music Academy of Solsona in Spain, and has recently completed performances of Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano at venues around England and Wales. Ellis also holds the Philharmonia Orchestra’s MMSF Piano Fellowship for the 2023-24 season.

Ellis is interested in exploring new connections between music and other arts; he recently worked with artist Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom for an exhibition for Kettle’s Yard Gallery in Cambridge, providing improvisations for a series of short films.

Ellis graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2022 with First-Class Honours, where he achieved the highest mark in a final recital performance. Prior to this, Ellis studied at the Royal Northern College of Music’s Junior department for six years with Manola Hatfield. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where he is studying with Tessa Nicholson. Alongside a generous scholarship from the Academy, Ellis is grateful for support from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation, the Ryan Davies Memorial Fund, the Kathleen Trust, and Talent Unlimited.

Updated June 2023

MICHAEL PANDYA Winner of the Pianist Prize at the 2019 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition, Michael Pandya is an increasingly sought-after pianist specialising in song and chamber music.

A former young artist at the Bayerische Staatsoper, he has appeared in performance alongside many high-calibre musicians including Graham Johnson, Željko Lučić, Jonathan Lemalu, Robin Tritschler, Michael Nagy, Freddie de Tommaso, Harriet Burns, William Thomas and Sarah Gilford, and has performed all across the UK, in Europe and in the USA.

Michael has also been awarded accompaniment prizes at the Gerald Moore Award, Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards.

Highlights of recent seasons include performances at the Wigmore Hall, Bayerische Staatsoper, Fundaçion Juan March Madrid, KlavierFestRuhr, Jübiläums Festival Munich, Oxford Lieder Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Royal Overseas-League London, Hinchingbrooke Bösendorfer Series, the Barbican Hall, Leeds Lieder Festival, and several live performances on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. Michael is a Samling Artist, as well as being a regular pianist for the Samling Academy. He has given recitals for the Park Lane Group, the Concordia Foundation and City Music Foundation, and has received the Graham Johnson Fellowship at SongFest, Los Angeles.

Also an experienced vocal coach and repetiteur, Michael works as a pianist and coach at the Royal College of Music, as well as being regularly employed by the International Meistersinger Akademie and the Georg Solti Accademia. In Spring 2023 he will conduct from the harpsichord a concert given by Young Artists at the Bayerische Staatsoper. He also worked as a repetiteur for New Chamber Opera for two years, directing, coaching and conducting numerous productions.

In 2022 Michael was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. Formerly Michael studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Academy of Music and University of Oxford. Teachers have included Graham Johnson, Julius Drake, Michael Dussek, James Baillieu, Ian Brown, Caroline Palmer and Sholto Kynoch

JOHN lEUAN JONES. Welsh operatic baritone John Ieuan Jones graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2019, where he studied with Matthew Best. His studies were kindly supported by the Drapers’ Company, the D’Oyly Carte Trust, George Henry Peters Scholarship and the Gwilym Gwalchmai Jones Award. He now studies with Russell Smythe and Caroline Dowdle.

Ieuan has been fortunate to have won several awards and scholarships, including the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the Help Musicians UK Sybil Tutton Award, first prize in the RNCM James Martin Onken Song Prize and runner up in the prestigious Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Prize. The Eisteddfod has played a big part in Ieuan's career, and he has been successful at a National level, winning both main prizes for singing, the Blue Ribband Osbourne Roberts Scholarship and the W. Towyn Roberts Memorial Scholarship.

His operatic roles include Boyar Sheloga/Bomley in Ivan the Terrible, Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo and Male 1 in The Life and Death of Alexander Litvinenko with Grange Park Opera, the title role in Brundibar by Krasa with Welsh National Opera, Antonio (cover) in Le Nozze di Figaro at Longborough Festival Opera, Masetto in Don Giovanni with The Merry Opera Company, the title role in Der Diktator by Krenek with Oxford Alternative Orchestra and Marcello in La Boheme with Outreach Opera. in 2022, Ieuan performed in the one man, one act opera Il Maestro di Cappella with the Haffner Orchestra and in 2023 will sing Marcello again with Cardiff based company, Oper Synergy.

As an in demand concert singer, Ieuan has performed internationally as a guest soloist, having performed throughout the UK, in Europe and the USA. Highlights include being the guest soloist at the London Welsh Festival of Male Voices at the Royal Albert Hall, an opera gala at the Bridgewater Hall, sharing the stage with Sir Bryn Terfel in the opening concert of the National Eisteddfod at the Millennium Centre and an opera gala at St David's Hall Cardiff. Internationally, Ieuan has performed in France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and in 2018 sang in the North America Festival of Wales in Washington DC. In 2022, Ieuan sang in a series on concerts in Philadelphia including in the Greek Hall at Macy's and in the Perelman Theatre. This year, Ieuan will be travelling to Canada to perform at the Ontario Welsh Festival.

Ieuan also works in theatre having played the Count in a national tour of new musical, The Marriage of Kim K by Leo & Hyde, Leon Czolgosz in Sondheim's Assassins and in 2022, made his National Theatre debut in The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams, directed by Dominic Cooke. Ieuan is a familiar face on Welsh television channel S4C, as a performer and presenter.

Ieuan is passionate about education and spreading the joy of music and theatre to the younger generation. His work includes creating, performing and directing workshops and shows for children and was recently a keynote speaker at the Association of School and College Leaders, talking about his career and the impact the arts has on the lives of young people. During the pandemic, Ieuan completed his PGCE in secondary music and uses his experience and knowledge in his outreach work.

Michael has also been awarded accompaniment prizes at the Gerald Moore Award, Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards.

BRAIMAH KANNEH-MASON[24] VIOLIN

Braimah Kanneh-Mason is a dynamic and versatile young violinist. He has performed throughout the UK, Europe, USA and the Caribbean. An avid chamber musician, Braimah is a member of the Kanneh-Mason Piano Trio and Kaleidoscope Collective. He has performed at venues and festivals such as the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Kings Place, Highgate International Chamber Music Festival, Leicester International Chamber Music Festival and collaborated with artists such as Nicola Benedetti, Tom Poster and Priya Mitchell. Braimah is a passionate advocate for equal opportunity and diversity in music education and is a Junior Ambassador for Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST). He has been a mentor at Sistema England, Junior Music Works and a violin tutor for consecutive years at the Antigua Music Camp. He is currently an artist in residence at Brighton College.

Braimah is currently studying with Barnabás Kelemen and Eszter Perenyi at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music where he was a scholarship student with Mateja Marinkovic and Jack Liebeck, winning the Harold Craxton Prize, the John McAslan Prize and the Dame Ruth Railton Chamber Music Prize.

Braimah currently performs on a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, kindly lent to him by the Beare’s International Violin Society.

KONYA KANNEH-MASON[22] PIANO & VIOLIN

Konya Kanneh-Mason is 22 years old and held The Gilling Family Scholarship at The Royal Academy of Music, studying piano with Tessa Nicholson and Florian Mitrea. She also plays violin. Konya has performed in concerts around the UK and in the Caribbean, including at The BAFTAs, 2018 and at the 2021 BBC Proms at The Royal Albert Hall with her family, performing Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals and Revel by Daniel Kidane.

She has played solo recitals around the UK, and concerti including Mozart K414 and K488, Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2, Schumann Piano Concerto and Mozart’s Triple Piano Concerto No 7 (K242) with two of her sisters. In August 2022 she toured Australia with the Kanneh-Masons and in 2023, she will perform with them in the USA. Konya has appeared with her siblings on numerous television and radio programmes, including the BAFTAs, Britain’s Got Talent, The One Show, the BBC4 documentary, Young, Gifted and Classical, the CBS documentary for Sunday Morning, USA, and the Imagine documentary for BBC1, This House is Full of Music. She has also performed on BBC Radio 3 In Tune, The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), and Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1).

Konya has recorded on the Decca Classics album, Carnival.

Konya is very grateful to Frank White of Ladystone Violins, the Nottingham Soroptimist Trust, the Nottingham Education Trust, to Mr and Mrs John Brydon, and to the Gilling family.

MARIATU KANNEH-MASON[13] CELLO & PIANO

Mariatu is thirteen years old and attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham. She studies cello with Ben Davies, and piano with Fiona Harris at Junior Royal Academy of Music. She has Grade 8 distinction on the cello and on piano and she is working towards her piano diploma.

She has performed with the Kanneh-Masons in a series of concerts around the U.K. and in Antigua and Barbuda. With the Kanneh-Masons, Mariatu performed at The Royal Albert Hall for the 2021 BBC Proms, and with her siblings for The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in March 2017, in a Kanneh-Mason concert at St Johns Smith Square in 2018 and at Cheltenham Literary Festival 2020. In August 2022 she toured Australia with the Kanneh-Masons and will do so again in the USA in 2023.

Mariatu has appeared on several television and radio programmes with her siblings, including BBC World Service, Al Jazeera TV, Channel 4, BBC 1 The One Show and the BBC4 documentary, Young, Gifted and Classical. She has featured, with the Kanneh-Masons, in a documentary for Sunday Morning CBS Television(USA), Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1), The BBC Proms (BBC2 and BBC4), and the Imagine documentary for BBC1, This House is Full of Music. She has also recorded for the Decca Classics album, Carnival.

AMINATA KANNEH-MASON[17] VIOLIN & PIANO

Aminata is seventeen years old and attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham. She currently studies violin with Joshua Fisher, having previously attended The Primary and Junior Royal Academy of Music for six years, where she studied violin and
piano.

Aminata gained Grade 8 distinction on the violin and Grade 8 on the piano aged 11 and 12. She has singing lessons with Matt Burton and drama, theatre and acting direction with Ellis Jones.

At the BBC Proms 2021, Aminata performed Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns) and Revel (Kidane) with the Kanneh-Masons at The Royal Albert Hall. She is a member of Chineke! Junior Orchestra and has played with the orchestra in venues
such as The Royal Festival Hall, Southbank.

Aminata has performed throughout the UK, and in the Caribbean, playing solo and chamber music. As a concerto soloist, she has played Mozart Violin Concerto in G with The Orchestra of the Restoration and Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 with Djanogly Orchestra in 2019. In August 2022 she toured Australia with the Kanneh-Masons and will then tour the USA with them in 2023.

Aminata has appeared on several television and radio programmes with her siblings, including the BBC4 documentary, Young, Gifted and Classical, The One

Show, (BBC1), The BBC Proms (BBC2 and BBC4), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), and Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1). She is featured, with The Kanneh-Masons, in a USA documentary, Sunday Morning, by CBS Television and the Imagine documentary for BBC1, This House is Full of Music. She has also recorded on the album, Carnival, for Decca Classics.

Aminata is very grateful to The Nottingham Soroptimist Trust and to the Nottingham Education Trust for their support.

Thomas Mathias

Thomas Mathias is a violinist from Aberystwyth, Wales, currently studying at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, USA, with the legendary pedagogue Mauricio Fuks. Recently named a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Julius Isserlis’ Scholarship for overseas’ study, Thomas is a Master’s graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious ABRSM scholarship along with a DipRAM for outstanding performance. Prior to the Academy, Thomas studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, winning the major violin prizes during his time there. Thomas is also a past winner of the Urdd National Eisteddfod Instrumental Competition. Past teachers include So-Ock Kim, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Leland Chen, Deirdre Ward, and Isobelle McGuinness.

Thomas has played at festivals such as the Heifetz International Music Institute (USA), Cambridge International Violin Academy, and the Orford Academy, Canada. He has played in masterclasses with James Ehnes, Kolja Blacher, Ilya Kaler, Ning Feng, and Elmar Oliveira.

Thomas has been broadcast live as a soloist on S4C and BBC Radio Cymru on many occasions, and has given recitals across the UK, Europe, and North America. Orchestrally, Thomas has performed with orchestras across the UK, including the BBC Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Sinfonia Cymru, and the London Symphony Orchestra Academy, as well as in America, with the Richmond Symphony. Thomas co-led the International Lutoslawski Youth Orchestra (Poland) in 2016. Performances have taken him to The Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms, Buckingham Palace, and across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. In 2018, Thomas was invited to Granada Studios to be part of the soundtrack for the BBC’s broadcast of the FA Cup Final.

Thomas has performed chamber music alongside Lawrence Power, Tom Poster, Maya Iwabuchi, and members of the Berlin Philharmonic. The Mathias Trio were featured artists in the Masterclass Media Foundation’s production with Leonard Elschenbroich, which was also shown in The Strad magazine.

An interest in contemporary music led to performances of Emily Howard’s ‘The Music of Proof’, in a high profile collaboration with mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy, at the RNCM Concert Hall and Manchester Science Museum. The Mathias Quartet also gave the UK premiere of Louis Andriessen’s arrangement of Bach’s B minor Prelude, and Thomas has been an active part of the Royal Academy of Music’s Manson Ensemble.

Thomas is also a member of the acclaimed Classical-Film crossover duo, 8Strings, with award-winning composer, Stuart Bramwell. Their first video, an arrangement of the ‘Game of Thrones’ score, has been featured in an article by Classic FM as one of the greatest covers of the Game of Thrones theme.

'Poliphonia’ selected Thomas to represent them as a Young Artist, leading to concerts promoting relatively unknown works of the Americas. Thomas is also an arranger of Welsh music, with his acclaimed version of Myfanwy broadcast on S4C in 2019.

Thomas will be appearing at the Hawai’i Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2022, teaching and performing alongside a range of international artists.

Thomas plays a 2018 copy of Menuhin’s ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri del Gesù violin, made by Glen Collins. Thomas is grateful for the support of the Royal Philharmonic Society, ABRSM, Jacobs School of Music, the Countess of Munster Trust, the Ryan Davies Memorial Fund, and Aberystwyth Masonic Lodge.

Not to be reproduced without permission

Meliora Collective is a freshly established flexible ensemble, comprising of an array of dynamic, creative and spirited young artists. They are in the unique position of performing as a dectet, formed of five wind players alongside five string players, whilst also presenting concerts with more intimate chamber groupings.

Born out of a love of chamber music, Meliora Collective strives to celebrate the shared joy of music making, both with audiences and amongst themselves. Founding members, Meera and Steph dreamt up this ensemble in the midst of the pandemic, following many years of friendship and a long-held desire to launch a flexi ensemble of this nature.

The versatility afforded by this set-up allows for intriguing programming, spanning a range of styles and incorporating concert favourites alongside less familiar but equally enchanting repertoire. Meliora Collective enjoys presenting highly inventive arrangements, ranging from Piazzolla to Dvorak. This year, they received an award from the Oleg Prokofiev Trust.

As recent graduates of conservatoires including the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Northern College of Music, each of the musicians brings a strong musical identity to the ensemble. The ethos of shared responsibility and collaborative music making is integral to the ensemble and this paves the way for a bright future.

www.melioracollective.co.uk

Dominic Degavino - Biography

Pianist Dominic Degavino has performed concerts in venues across the United Kingdom and beyond, including solo performances at the Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre, London as a Park Lane Group artist, at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Lichfield and Edinburgh festivals, among others. Concerto appearances include performances with the Manchester Camerata and RNCM Symphony Orchestra.

Having completed both school and undergraduate studies in Manchester with Helen Krizos, at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, he recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Charles Owen and Noriko Ogawa.

Dominic has achieved considerable competition success, including winning the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, 3rd Prize at the Concours International de Piano d'Epinal in France, and keyboard section prizes of both the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition and the 2017 Royal Over-Seas League Arts Competition. In 2020 he was accepted onto the Tillett Trust DEBUT recital scheme, and he is currently also a member of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust recital scheme. He has taken part in masterclasses with eminent pianists such as Lang Lang, Richard Goode, Imogen Cooper, Peter Frankl and John O'Conor.

Alongside work as a soloist, he is a passionate chamber musician, accompanist, and jazz player, performing extensively and winning prizes with a wide array of ensembles, including the Mithras Trio (current BBC New Generation Artists) and with flautist Meera Maharaj.

www.dominicdegavino.co.uk

Pianist Dylan Perez is a highly sought after recitalist, chamber musician, and coach specialising in vocal repertoire. He graduated in 2016 with Distinction from the Artist Masters programme at the Guildhall School where he studied with Pamela Lidiard and Julius Drake. Prior to relocating to London, he studied at the University of Michigan with Louis Nagel and Martin Katz.

Recently, he was awarded the Gerald Moore Prize for accompanists. He was also awarded the Paul Hamburger Prize for Accompaniment in association with a performance of Die schöne Müllerin, directed by Graham Johnson.

In April 2016, he was a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier awards at Wigmore Hall where he, along with his duo partner mezzo soprano Bianca Andrew, received the Loveday Song Prize. He was a finalist in the competition again in 2017, and performed with Francesca Chiejina, Daniel Shelvey, and Eduard Mas Bacardit.

Along with duo partner Iúnó Connolly, Dylan was a semi-finalist in the 2017 Das Lied International Song Competition in Heidelberg, Germany.

In May, he performed alongside the Prince Consort at the Wigmore Hall, playing Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer and Stephen Hough’s Other Love Songs.

Dylan has performed in Pre-LSO concerts at the Barbican Hall and was featured in a BBC Proms Extra concert, broadcast live on Radio 3 from Imperial College. Recently, he was featured on a Radio 3 recital, performing songs by Richard Rodney Bennett with baritone Benson Wilson.

He is an alumnus of the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden bei Wien, Austria, where he performed in masterclasses for Julius Drake, Rudolf Jansen, Helmut Deutsch, and Elly Ameling. Dylan is also a Britten-Pears Young Artist and studied there with Christoph Pregardien, Julius Drake, and Richard Stokes.

Dylan is the founder of re-sung, a London based song recital series that focuses on the connection between text and music, with special interest on creating new interpretations of masterworks and championing contemporary song.

He has attended SongFest on the Martin Katz Fellowship and the Aspen Music Festival as a student of Ann Schein. He was a participant in The Song Continues masterclass series at Carnegie Hall with Marilyn Horne, Jessye Norman, and Dalton Baldwin, and was subsequently invited to be a pianist for their residency in Paris.

Dylan has also played in masterclasses with Renee Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Dame Felicity Lott, and with Roger Vignoles, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Christian Gerhaher at Wigmore Hall.

Passionate about the voice, Dylan is closely associated with Prof. Janice Chapman at the Guildhall School where he plays for her lessons, learns about the mechanics of vocal technique, and amasses vast knowledge for coaching young and mature singers.

He continues on the Artist Diploma course at the Guildhall School and studies with Eugene Asti, Andrew West, and Iain Burnside. Dylan is grateful for the support of the Norman Gee Foundation and the Guildhall School Trust.

Photo: © bertiewatsonphotography.com

The Globe Ensemble

The Globe Ensemble is Britain’s premier harp, flute and viola trio, featuring award-winning Valeria Kurbatova,Renate Sokolovska and Emma Purslow

Valeria Kurbatova

London harpist Valeria Kurbatova started her musical career at the age of 8 when she began studying the harp at the Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow.

She had her debut at the age of nine at the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire. Since then Valeria has performed as a soloist and in ensemble groups in numerous concerts, at a vast range of concert halls: The Conservatory’s Concert Halls, Rachmaninov’s Concert Halls, The International House of Music, The Barvikha Concert Hall, and The Gnessin’s Hall. London concert halls and venues she has played include: Kensington Palace, Wigmore Hall, Victoria & Albert Museum, The Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, The Forge, The National Gallery, The Houses of Parliament, The Natural History Museum, Westroad Hall (Cambridge) and The Royal College of Music Concert Halls.

Valeria has won awards at a number of different International harp and music competitions: Scholarships from "New Names Foundation", "The Young Talent" award from the Spivakov International Foundation, 1st prize at the International Harp Competition in Moscow, Young Talent award at the Moscow Music Festival, 4th prize at the International Cardiff Harp Competition, "Best student of the year" award in 2011 (among all music conservatoires in Russia), finalist of the Croydon Concerto competition followed by "Young Soloist" award and the Jellinek Prize, 1st prize at the Royal College of Music harp competitions in 2012 and 2014. In 2012 Valeria was also selected as a ‘Rising Star’ by The Royal College of Music

In 2012 Valeria and her duo partner Luce Zurita (Elegiac Duo) were finalists of the Croydon Concerto Competition 2012 where they performed Mozart flute and harp concerto with the Croydon Symphony Orchestra. They have since been appearing as soloists with various orchestras for the past 2 years and played a series of recitals at the Meridiennes Festival in Rouen, France in April 2014.

In 2014 they premiered a double-concerto by Richardson dedicated to them and a piece by Andrea di Paolo ‘In Quite for Morton F.’

In 2013 Valeria became the principal harpist of the London Electronic Orchestra founded by Kate Simko. The project has had success since the very first show. This year alone they have played the opening set at the iTunes Festival, Bestival, Boiler Room in Ibiza, The Forge and at The National Gallery in London.

An active chamber musician, Valeria formed Globe Ensemble featuring Luce Zurita (flute), Shiry Rashkovsky (viola) and herself. Next season sees the ensemble tour across the UK and will incorporate music of Romantic, Impressionist and Contemporary styles. Valeria also collaborates in many other different ensembles and projects.

Valeria can play alongside a range of different instruments and is available for concerts, private events and promotions. Please use the form on the bookings page for all booking enquiries or to contact Valeria for any other enquiries.

Renate Sokolovska is a highly sought-after London-based flautist with a wealth of diverse experience, ranging from Royal Festival Hall and Purcell Room solo recitals, to working with London Sinfonietta under George Benjamin, The Britten-Pears Orchestra under Marin Alsop and performing at Buckingham Palace under John Wilson alongside Maxim Vengerov for the Prince of Wales.

Born in Siberia, Renate grew up in Latvia before moving to the UK to study at Purcell School with Anna Pope. She was subsequently awarded a scholarship by the Royal Academy of Music where she studied with William Bennett, Kate Hill, Karen Jones and baroque flute with Lisa Beznosiuk.

Renate plays regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, including recent engagements at the Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, St James's Church Piccadilly, Cadogan Hall, West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge and Moscow’s Myaskovsky Hall. As a recent recipient of the Jellinek Award, she will perform Darrell Davison’s new flute concerto in early 2018.

As co-founder of the St. James Quintet (prizes including Royal Overseas League, MMSF, Leverhulme Fellows, Park Lane Group and Concordia) Renate performed for The Queen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Harrison Birtwistle. Most recently she co-founded the Flute and Harp ensemble Solovey Duo (performance highlights including Proms on the Roof and several collaborations with The Royal Academy of Arts).

As well as performances with London Sinfonietta and The Britten-Pears Orchestra, Renate has played under Bernard Haitink and alongside musicians of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. As a freelance orchestral player, Renate has performed with The London Contemporary Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia Orchestra, Mahler International Orchestra and London International Chamber Orchestra among others. She has taken part in side-by-side schemes with The London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and was invited to join the Orchestra of Age of Enlightenment Experience Scheme.

Currently studying for a Masters in Performance at The Royal College of Music, Renate is generously supported by Lark Insurance Company, The Tillett Trust, The Drake Calleja Trust, Talent Unlimited and The Clemence Charitable Trust.

Renate Sokolovska is a highly sought-after London-based flautist with a wealth of diverse experience, ranging from Royal Festival Hall and Purcell Room solo recitals, to working with London Sinfonietta under George Benjamin, The Britten-Pears Orchestra under Marin Alsop and performing at Buckingham Palace under John Wilson alongside Maxim Vengerov for the Prince of Wales.

Emma Purslow.

Passionate about bringing live performance to everyone, Emma Purslow is a violinist and violist working as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and orchestral player in the UK and abroad. She is currently based in London following the recent completion of her studies at the Royal College of Music studying with Daniel Rowland and Sasha Rozhdestvensky, generously supported by the David Butler Trust and the Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Award.

Emma currently leads the Street Orchestra of London; described by the Guardian as “truly uplifting” this 40 piece ensemble aims to bring live orchestral performance to those unable to access it. Emma recently represented them as a guest speaker at the Association of British Orchestras Conference 2017. She is currently on trial with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and also works with various orchestras around the UK, including the Little Orchestra, Trafalgar Sinfonia, the Faust Ensemble, the Melos Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Swan, leading the Kantanti Ensemble and co leading the Women of the World Orchestra. In her time at the Royal College of Music Emma led all the major RCM ensembles, including the RCM Symphony Orchestra in a performance for Steve Reich, the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the RCM Opera Orchestra in Albert Herring, and privileged to be part of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Shoulder to Shoulder Scheme 2015-16.

Emma is an enthusiastic chamber musician, and her ensemble the Vasara String Quartet have appeared in multiple venues throughout the UK and abroad. These include appearances at the Wigmore Hall, the Elgar Rooms at the Royal Albert Hall, and Kings Place, and they have also performed at venues including Leith Hill Place and the British Ambassadors Residency in Paris. In 2014 they collaborated with Marc Danel of the renowned Quatuor Danel in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet at Wigmore Hall. Emma has also played with the award-winning Ruisi Quartet in the prestigious ‘ChamberStudio’ Masterclasses at Kings Place. Slightly alternative venues have included the Hammersmith Apollo alongside violinist Jack Liebeck and Professor Brian Cox, Kensington Palace and the National Portrait Gallery. In her time at the RCM Emma was awarded RCM String Quartet of the Year 2012 and the Britten Intercollegiate Prize 2013. Following her time as a Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellow she now has the privilege of regularly coaching talented young chamber musicians at Pro Corda. Recent chamber events include the Roman River Festival where Emma appeared alongside esteemed musicians including Clio Gould, Rebecca Gilliver and members of the Navarra Quartet, and a celebration of Canadian contemporary music at the Royal Over-Seas League.

Emma has recently appeared in solo recital in venues including The Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall, St James Piccadilly and Lincoln’s Inn. She is a member of the Dovedale duo, a long standing musical friendship with pianist Eleanor Kornas and together they have performed notably as the New Generation Young Artists at the Stift International Festival in Holland, and in Cividale Del Fruili, Italy. Recent concerto appearances include Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2 with the Hereford Symphony Orchestra and Street Orchestra of London, and Emma is looking forward to performing in recital at the Leeds International Concert Series.

Outside of her classical musical activities Emma can often be found performing with Rwandan singer and international peace advocate Jean-Paul Samputu, and has also appeared in a short film by Bohemia Junction which featured at both the Cannes and the British Independent Film Festival, as well as winning Best Short Film at the Rajasthan Film Festival 2017.

Emma plays on a Guastalla violin generously on loan from the Harrison Frank Foundation, and a Ceruti viola kindly on loan from the Hepburn Foundation.

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The Alberni String Quartet

The Alberni String Quartet has been considered one of Britain’s foremost chamber ensembles for over half a century. Since its founding in 1961 it has performed across the world to critical acclaim, with the New York Times describing it, after a Carnegie Hall recital, as "one of the finest half dozen quartets in the world today". Its members worked with Benjamin Britten on performances of his first two quartets and were entrusted by him with the honour of giving the first UK performances of Shostakovich’s 8th and 9th quartets. In 1987 the Albernis became the first Western quartet to tour China since the Cultural Revolution. A former Quartet in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music in London, a position they took over from the Amadeus Quartet, the quartet’s members have been, and remain to this day, firmly at the forefront of musical education in Britain.

The Alberni’s long and distinguished history has allowed an incomparable wealth of experience and maturity to be passed down through the players as its line-up has evolved with the passing of time. Karin Leishman and Matthew Souter are long-standing members and the quartet is now undergoing another of its periodic episodes of change and rejuvenation with the appointment of the distinguished British cellist Richard May. They are equally delighted that tonight they will be joined by the distinguished Czech violinist Iva Fleischhansova.

Karin Leishman

Karin Leishman is widely recognised as one of Britain’s foremost violinists and chamber musicians. She was an Exhibitioner at the Royal Academy of Music in London and whilst there won several major violin prizes. She also studied in Australia and The Netherlands and her teachers have included Carmel Kaine and the celebrated Russian violinist Viktor Lieberman. Karin Leishman also received much personal guidance and mentoring in chamber music from the members of the Amadeus Quartet. The famous British violinist Hugh Bean wrote of her after awarding her the first prize in a Royal Academy violin competition "an unfailing beauty of tone".

As well as being a long standing leader of the Alberni String Quartet Karin Leishman is also in demand as a recitalist and soloist. In this capacity she has performed and broadcast throughout the world. She has also guest- lead many distinguished ensembles and orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and she has also appeared as Assistant Concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Karin Leishman is a very experienced teacher, having taught both the solo violin and string quartet repertoires for many years and her rare qualities as a performer have led to her being offered on loan several fine violins including a 1727 Antonio Stradivari. She is a key member of the Wells Cathedral School string teaching faculty and Professor of Violin at Bristol University.

Iva Fleischhansová (Butler) - violin

Iva Fleischhansová studied in Prague at the Academy of Performing Arts with Nora Grumliková. In 1994 she went to the UK to do postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Lydia Mordkovich. Fired with enthusiasmfor period performance, she also studied with Pauline Nobes and Andrew Manze.

While in Prague, Iva was co-leader of the Suk Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Talich Chamber Orchestra. Since her settling in the UK she has worked with Manchester Camerata, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the London FestivalOrchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the London Classical Players, the Academyof Ancient Music, the Sixteen and others and toured with them extensively in Europe, America and Japan. She regularly performs with the renowned Czech pianist Tomáš Víšek, in a violin duo with her husband Mark Butler, theLuxEnsemble, the Bosch Quartet and has made recordings for BBC films and for Czech Radio.

Matthew Souter

"In complete command of his instrument" and "very musical in the finest way...", so wrote the world-famous conductor Antal Dorati about Matthew Souter when putting him forward for the principal viola position in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at just 22 years of age. Leonard Bernstein and Claudio Abbado likewise took a personal interest in his early career; Abbado described him as "an outstanding viola player" and it was with the help of these and many other similarly distinguished musicians that he has gone on to enjoy a fine career himself as a concert artist.

As a soloist he has performed across the world both as a recitalist and with professional orchestras from the UK, Europe, Russia and South East Asia. He has recorded and broadcast as a soloist on the BBC, NHK, Deutsche Rundfunk networks and on CD for Signum Classics, Regent Records and Hyperion.

Matthew has guest-lead the viola sections in virtually all of Britain’s most celebrated orchestras such as the Academy St Martin-in-the-Fields, English Chamber Orchestra and The London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been a regular guest at international chamber music festivals in the UK, Europe and South East Asia, often collaborating with world-famous artists.

For the past 20 years Matthew Souter has been a member of The Alberni String Quartet, one of Britain’s most distinguished ensembles and described in the Washington Post as "reflecting the best of British musical tradition". Matthew Souter has been a Professor at The Royal Academy of Music in London for 18 years where he has attracted many exceptionally talented violists from across the world, and indeed violin students as well, wishing to work with him, many of whom have gone on to have highly distinguished careers themselves. He has been fortunate in his career to have been lent some outstanding instruments including a 1585 Gaspar da Salo and an Antonio Stradivari of 1695. Matthew works for the Music Dept of Wells Cathedral School, one of Europe''s foremost Specialist music schools.

Richard May

As one of the UK’s foremost cellists of his generation, Richard May has pursued an international career as soloist and chamber musician, performing many of the major cello concertos with such orchestras as the Basel Symphony, Ulster and BBC Philharmonic, and has performed worldwide, including at the Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Barbican and South Bank Centre, and at festivals in Salzburg, Berlin, London and Aldeburgh. He has performed live on television and radio, both nationally and internationally, and has collaborated regularly with such artists as Nigel Kennedy, Brodsky Quartet and Craig Ogden.

Following on from winning the BBC TV Young Musician of the Year String Category, his London debut recital at the Purcell Room included the world premiere of Five Duos for Cello and Piano by Colin Matthews. A recital of Bach Solo Suites in Switzerland gained critical acclaim for "absolute perfection and virtuosity".

Richard studied in London with Florence Hooton, winning a scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music, and privately with William Pleeth, then later with Thomas Demenga at the Basel Konservatorium. He also won awards to study intensively at Banff, Yale, Prussia Cove, and La Chaux-de-Fonds, with Paul Tortelier, Aldo Parisot, Ralph Kirshbaum and Andras Schiff. Past prizes include the National Federation of Music Societies Award and the EMI Jacqueline du Pre Competition, when The Times wrote of the Shostakovich Sonata "simply one of the most gripping performances I have heard".

Richard was cellist of the Angell Piano Trio for nearly 20 years, who were Ensemble-in-Residence at Aldeburgh and performed throughout the world, frequently for radio. Richard has recorded for Chandos, ASV, Priory, Sanctuary and Lorelt labels.

He is Professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and teaches at Wells Cathedral School, and regularly gives masterclasses and coaches on courses throughout Europe. He is a founder and Artistic Director of Encore Music Projects International Summer School. Richard was made an Associate of The Royal Academy of Music in 2000, in recognition of his significant contribution to the music profession, and plays an Old English cello of 1789, by William Forster.

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Alexander Panfilov is a Russian-born pianist who studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and at the RNCM where he won the gold medal for the best performance. He has performed at world's prestigious concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall New York, Wigmore Hall London, Musikverein Vienna, Tonhalle Zurich and broadcast on BBC radio 3. He has won first prize in numerous international competitions.

Noriko Ogawa internationally respected pianist, recording artist, presenter, educator and artistic adviser to MUZA Kawasaki Symphony Hall. Winner of the third prize in the 1987 Leeds International Piano Competition. Now London based she is a professor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama Noriko. She founded Jamie’s Concerts a series for autistic children and parents and is a Cultural Ambassador for the National Autistic Society.

Ms Ogawa opens our 2018/2019 season in October.

BRAIMAH KANNEH-MASON[24] VIOLIN

Braimah currently performs on a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, kindly lent to him by the Beare’s International Violin Society.