Artists' Biographies

(in alphabetical order)

Timothy Barratt

Wendy Eathorne, Michael Goldthorpe,

Peter Hewitt, Charlotte Hill, Martin Johnson,

Sam Kenyon, Alice Kingahm, Iain Ledingham, Harold Lester,

Roimata Templeton, Michael Wagg, Gina Watson,

Rupert Widdows, Peter Wilson

Timothy Barratt - piano & harmonium

Justin Bissell - piano & harmonium

John Bradbury - violin

John Bradbury was born in Manchester. At the Royal Manchester College of Music he studied with Andre Wolf, Manoug Parikian, Georgy Pauk and Alexandre Moskowsky. Soon after leaving college he was appointed leader of the BBC Midland Light Orchestra, conducted by Gilbert Vinter. In 1970 he was awarded a FRMCM shortly after his appointment as Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Louis Fremaux. Since his appointment as Leader of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 1978, John Bradbury has been a freelance soloist as well as leader of the Wren Orchestra of London, The Brighton Philharmonic and the Bath City Orchestra. He was appointed Director of Johann Strauss Gala presentations for Raymond Gubbay Ltd in 1986.

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Wendy Eathorne - soprano

Wendy Eathorne who was born in Cornwall, studied at the Royal Academy of Music with May Blyth, Flora Neilson, and later with Dame Eva Turner. On leaving the Academy she went straight into the West End Musical Robert and Elizabeth, gaining valuable stage experience before singing many soubrette roles with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and The Royal Opera Covent Garden. She then continued her busy career in concerts, broadcasts, including the Proms, and gramophone recordings under such celebrated conductors as Rattle, Boulez, Haitink and Boult. More recently Wendy has been on the staff of Trinity College of Music, where for five years she was Head of Vocal Studies, and was able to produce and develop the present comprehensive singing course there.

Michael Goldthorpe - tenor

Michael Goldthorpe was born in York and studied at Trinity College Cambridge, King's College London, and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama London. He has made many records and has appeared on radio and television throughout Western Europe, America and the Far East. He made his debut with The Royal Opera Company Covent Garden in 1980 in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, a performance which has just been released on video. Following a life-long interest in light music, he was in 1994 awarded a Wingate Scholarship to research, catalogue, record and perform 19th century popular ballads. This led to the formation of The Bold Balladiers, which made its first London appearance at the South Bank Centre (Purcell Room) in September 1996 and was subsequently featured on BBC Radios 2 and 3.

Peter Hewitt - piano and harmonium

Peter Hewitt studied piano at Trinity College of Music with Antony Peebles when he distinguished himself in many concerts and competitions in and outside college. Since graduating from Trinity in 1992, Peter has performed extensively as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. During 1997 his many performances included Schubert and Brahms centenary concerts and a recording of Antony le Fleming's Nocturnes. During 1998 he will give recitals throughout the UK. His next recording for the LITmus label will be a CD of Beethoven sonatas. Peter's repertoire encompasses mainstream works from Bach to Prokofieff, but he also maintains an interest in the works of contemporary composers and has given several world premiere performances. He has recorded for the BBC and made commercial recordings for LITmus, Tremuda and Meridian.

Charlotte Hill - flute

Born in 1979, Charlotte began her musical studies at the age of six learning to play the piano and at the age of nine began studying the flute with Jack Ellory. She completed her BMus degree at Trinity College of Music, London in 2001 studying the flute under Wissam Boustany. She has had lessons and masterclasses with renowned soloists Carol Wincence, Jeanne Baxtresser, Jeff Khaner, Elena Duran and Jacques Zoon. As a soloist Charlotte has performed throughout Britain and abroad. Her performances include solo flute and duet performance, St John Smith's Square and a performance of her piano composition at the Wigmore Hall. She was awarded the Ann Casal Award for Woodwind by Trinity College of Music in 1997 and the Unwin Cup for Woking Musician of the Year 1996 & 1997.Charlotte presently performs with The Bold Balladiers and several ensemble groups. Currently Charlotte is completing the first year of her MA in Music Therapy at the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre, London.

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Martin Johnson - cello

Martin Johnson comes from Yarm in Cleveland. He has played with several youth orchestras, including the National Children's Orchestra and the Northern Junior Philharmonia for which he was principal and soloist. His teachers include Anna Shuttleworth, Alexander Baillie and Andrew Shulman. He has twice been a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year and has toured Germany as soloist in the Lalo Cello Concerto. Martin was principal cellist in the Orchestra of the University of Sheffield where he read engineering. He currently plays with The Royal College of Music Symphony and Universal Films Orchestras. His extensive repertoire includes concertos by Elgar, Dvorak, Shostakovitch, Saint-Saens and Schumann. He is also much in demand for chamber works from Beethoven to Britten.

Sam Kenyon - flute and piano

Sam Kenyon is a versatile musician with singing, acting, piano, percurssion and dancing among his many accomplishments. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music in the Musical Theatre Course after graduating from Emmanuel College Cambridge, and has appeared at Battersea Arts Centre in Wie lange noch? and Acis and Galatea to great critical acclaim. At the Royal Academy he appeared in Cowardy Custard, Friday Night is... and Scheherazade. He has also performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Sweeny Todd) and on television for Blue Peter. In July (1999) he will perform in Con Voce at the Almeida and will then tour in Demon Headmaster in August.

Alice Kingham, horn

Educated in Bath, Alice Kingham studied both natural and valve horn at The Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music London where her solo playing was awarded prestigious prizes. Her orchestral experience is wide ranging and has taken her to India, Europe, South Africa and The United States with, among others, the National Musicians Symphony Orchestra. Susan Dent, Julian Baker and Michael Thompson are some of the many distinguished teachers she has worked with. She currently divides her time in further study in Britain and France, in teaching and in playing. She has recently been appearing in the Stage Band in Don Giovanni at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden .

Iain Ledingham - piano and harmonium

Iain Ledingham who was born in Sheffield was Organ Scholar at Queen's College Cambridge before studying piano, harpsichord and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music London where he is now Director of Opera. He has played for many singers and instrumentalists in recitals for BBC Radio and in concerts in Britain and abroad. Iain worked on the staff of Glyndebourne Festival Opera for seven years playing continuo for many performances there, and has also worked as a continuo player with leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra and the English Concert. Besides playing he greatly enjoys choral and orchestral conducting and is Artistic Director of the annual Amersham Festival of Music.

Harold Lester - piano and harmonium

Born in London, Harold Lester studied music at Trinity College of Music, specialising in all aspects of keyboard work.

In each categorie he has gained notable success. As an orchestral pianist he has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, having been principal pianist with each for some time, playing the most extensive repertoire. As an accompanist he has worked with many singers in recitals and in particular with the late Cathy Berberian, with whom he toured the world for some ten years, performing the world premiere of Berio's Recital 1, with Alfred Deller, and playing in major music festivals, TV and radio performances. He has also been a duo with many notable instrumentalists such as Ida Haendel in addition to much chamber music. He has worked alongside contemporary composers including Berio, Stockhausen, Ligeti and Messiaen.

There have been several performances of Harold Lester's own compositions in recent years. He has worked extensively as an opera repetiteur for Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, Glyndebourne Opera, Opera Factory, Music Theatre London among many others. He is currently professor of harpsichord and baroque music at Kingston University.

Samantha Newbold - piano and harmonium

Samantha Newbold who comes from Gloucestershire has played the piano since the age of eight. At thirteen she took part in the Cheltenham Music Festival winning three solo classes, also gaining a special prize for outstanding performance in all classes.In 1997 she won the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year Competition, one of the prizes including a recital in the Cheltenham International Music Festival. After studing with Janice Williams, Samantha gained a place at the Royal College of Music in September 1994 where she studied with Yonty Solomon until her graduation. While at the Royal College she was awarded an exhibition and represted the college in a series of concerts and masterclasses in Switzerland. She is currently a holder of the Leverhume Junior Fellowship at the College. Her wide repertoire includes concertos by Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Mozart and Beethove, being accompanist on Classic FM, chamber performances in France and orchestral conerts in London's South Bank and Barbican Centres. She is a founding member of the Newbold Piano Quartet which has won numerous awards and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 in the Young Artists Forum.

Buffy North - violin

Buffy graduated from Trinity College of Music in 2000 and now enjoys a very varied freelance career. Recent projects have included tours and an album recording with the guitarist Colin Reid, performances with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra (big band), Nelson Riddle Orchestra Tours and recitals with the Aubrey String Trio. Recently, she has started recording with the Inkleine String Quartet for a new album for the guitarist Uli Jon Roth. Recent tours with the Inkleine Quartet have included New York and Washington D.C. Buffy has also played and appeared on televsion for a number of pop artists. This includes BBC's Top of the Pops and numerous programs broadcast for Channel Four as well as performing with Meatloaf for his video. She does various commercial recording sessions and has often performed live on BBC.

Sally Pendelbury - cello

Sally Pendelbury grew up in Manchester where she attended Chetham's School of Music. She went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music where she is now a professor of Chamber Music. Whilst studying at the Guildhall, she was a prize-winner in the Shell/LSO Music Scholarship and the Capital Radio Music Award. She continued her studies with Johannes Goritski in Germany and with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Sally was principal cello of the European Community Youth Orchestra for several years and then became a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. She has also played as guest principal cello in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, ECO, Premiere Ensemble, Bonn Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Moderne in Frankfurt. She is a founder member of the Vellinger String Quartet which has toured throughout Europe, the USA and Japan.

Alice Pratley - violin

Alice Pratley was born in London and was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls. From the age of three she studied violin with Marta Eitler and later won a scholarship to the Junior Department at the Royal Academy of Music, where she continued her study with Brian Underwood for the next eight years. During that time her other musical interest in singing, piano and composition won her many awards, and in 1994 she was the solo violinist in The Pierglass, the Harrow Youth Theatre's award winning production at the Edinburgh Festival.

At the Royal College of Music she studied with Frances Mason and Rodney Friend and was principal second violin of the RCM Sinfonietta and Symphony Orchestra. Since graduating from the RCM she has toured twice with The Bold Balladiers. She is also second violinist for the Echoes Theatre Productions which specialise in Holocaust education, and for the Accidental Productions Murder Mysteries. In January 1999 Alice joined Graffiti Classics, a string quartet sponsored by Live Music Now with particular interest in children and adults with special needs. They have toured Wales four times and made their debut at the Welsh Proms last July. They have also toured in Eire where they have twice been on television. Other tv appearances include The Big Breakfast, Gardeners' World, The Smash Hits Poll Party, The National Lottery and Top of the Pops.

Christina Shillito - cello

Christina Shillito studied with Florence Hooton at the Royal Academy of Music where she won all the major prizes. Early in her professional career she became Co-Principal cellist of the London Philharmonic, and has played as guest principal with others. She is presently freelance in London, mainly working with chamber orchestras, as well as giving solo recitals and concerts with chamber ensembles such as the string trio Pro Arte. Christina is Principal Cellist of the Docklands Sinfonietta and the Wren Orchestra of London. She performed the Kabalevsky Cello Concerto at St John's Smith Square with the Docklands Sinfonietta. She appeared at The Bold Balladiers first major concert in London, and also plays on the CD The Snowy Breasted Pearl for Chatsworth (FCM 1005)

Caroline Szram - cello

Aleksander Szram - piano & harmonium

Aleksander was born in Southampton to Polish parents, and has been playing the piano since the age of five. He was awarded the Wilner Scholarship to study at Trinity College of Music, where he received tuition from Douglas Finch, Mikhail Kazakevich and Yonty Solomon. At Trinity he won prizes for piano, chamber music, vocal accompaniment and composition, including first place in the John Halford and John Longmire Piano Competitions, the John Ireland Chamber Music Prize and the Leonard Smith Duo Prize for Strings and Piano. He gained a MMus Degree with Distinction. He is particularly interested in the performance of contemporary repertoire and has given world premières of works by Dai Fujikura, Harris Kittos, Anthony Green, and Danny Ledesma. Aleksander is an enthusiastic composer, having studied with John Thomas and Francis Pott. He is employed as an accompanist by TCM, the British Flute Society and RADA.

Roimata Templeton - soprano

Roimata Templeton was born in New Zealand and has degrees in English and Music from the University of Otago. She later studied at Trinity College of Music and the Royal College of Music, where she specialised in Music Theatre with Mary Hammond. Her accomplished acting and dancing skills have brought her deserved success on the stage. She has sung principal roles at The Royal Festival Hall Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Buckingham Palace West Side Story, Battersea Arts Centre Trouble in Tahiti, The Rape of Lucretia, and Acis and Galatea. She has appeared in many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, has given recitals in Britain, New Zealand and Europe, and has made commercial and radio recordings of Ordo Virtutum. A concert highlight was singing Dies Natalis in Gloucester Cathedral. In 1999 she was the world's first ever Superswing in Beauty and the Beast in Stuttgart, for which she appeared on TV. While in Germany she also cooked up a storm as Hildy in Bernstein's On the Town, and appeared as a "Musical Star" at a Gala in Cannes.

Silva McQueen - soprano

Silva trained at Kornelije Stankovic and Kosta Monojlovic Music Schools, The Belgrade Academy of Music, The National Theatre of Belgrade and Trinity College of Music, London, winning prizes and Certificates of Distinction in all of these. She has appeared on radio and television in Yugoslavia, has given a recital at the Yugoslavian Embassy in London, and taken major roles in Trinity College events in London. She recently gave a Central London recital at St Martin-in-the- Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, and has toured with The Bold Balladiers in England and Scotland.

Gina Watson - soprano

Rupert Widdows - flute

Rupert Widdows who lives on Guernsey began his musical training at the age of nine when he became a chorister and later head chorister of Southwell Minster. He has played with many orchestras including the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra and the Channel Islands Youth Orchestra. He has also toured to most of Central Europe and Scandinavia with the former. In a totally different style, Rupert won the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz competition for instrumental solo, ensemble and composition. In 1993 he became a member of the National Youth Wind Orchestra performing concerts throughout the UK and Europe. Rupert studied at Trinity College of Music with Michael Cox.

Peter Wilson, cello

Born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Peter was a Young Musician of Richmondshire and a Leo Stern and Anna Shuttleworth prize-winner. Since graduating from The Royal College of Music, London, he has followed a varied freelance career throughout Britain. This led to a period with the Kopinski String Quartet, which performed before Her Majesty The Queen in St James's Palace, London, appearances with various orchestras, and numerous teaching commitments. In addition to his musical interests, Peter is a keen sportsman, being an active swimmer, tennis player, squash player and footballer.

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