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Michael Gurevich (violin) began studying the violin at five with Joan Wijzenbeek. Later on, he was admitted to the Amsterdam Conservatoire to study with Jan Repko. Awarded the Olive Zorian Bequest and many other prizes, Michael continued his studies with Jan Repko and Maciej Rakowski at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he graduated with 1st class honours and was awarded the Sir John Manduell Prize. Whilst at the RNCM, Michael won several solo and chamber music prizes, including the Roger Raphael Prize for chamber music and the Norman George Violin Scholarship. He has participated in masterclasses with Ivry Gitlis, Leonidas Kavakos and many other distinguished violinists. As well as having given many concerto performances, Michael performs frequently in chamber festivals such as the London String Quartet Week and the RNCM’s Chamber Festivals, and has performed on BBC Radio 3. He has received praise in several newspapers, most recently in the Sunday Times for the 2008 RNCM ChamberFest for “a superbly spirited rendering with zest and freshness.” At the RNCM, Michael studied chamber music extensively with the late Dr. Christopher Rowland and Alasdair Tait. As a member of the Rhodes Trio, Michael won all the RNCM’s major chamber music prizes and was also a winner in the Tunnell Trust’s Award Scheme. Recently, they won the Elias Fawcett Prize at the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Awards. The Rhodes Trio have studied with the Florestan Trio and the Ulysses Ensemble on the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme in Aldeburgh and in London, and were awarded a major scholarship to work with Andre Emelianoff at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the USA. Michael continues his studies with Prof. Rakowski at the RNCM on the postgraduate course with the generous support of the John Hosier Trust Music Trust, the Royal Northern College of Music, a Philharmonia Orchestra/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund Award and a Musicians Benevolent Fund’s MBF Music Education Award. Michael plays a brothers Amati violin, generously loaned to him by the RNCM and appears by kind permission of the RNCM’s Principal. Amanda Lake (violin) began learning the violin with Patricia Calnan at the age of four. Having studied with Marius Bedeschi for eight years, Amanda graduated from the Royal College of Music with a First, where she was a scholarship student of Dona Lee Croft. She is now undertaking further studies with Levon Chilingirian and Bela Katona. Amanda has appeared as a soloist with Camden Chamber Orchestra (Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 2), Windsor and Maidenhead Symphony Orchestra (Sibelius Violin Concerto), Blackheath String Orchestra (Mozart Concertos No 3 & 4), Pelly Concert Orchestra (Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending) and the Dal Segno Orchestra (Bach Concerto for Two Violins with Gonzalo Accosta). As the winner of Croydon Festival’s Concerto Competition in 2003, she performed Ravel’s Tzigane with the Lambeth Orchestra in March 2004 as well as appearing with Croydon Symphony Orchestra at the Fairfield Halls. Future performances include Vivaldi’s Spring with the New Mozart Orchestra. Amanda also leads the Alea Quartet, with whom she holds the Anna Shuttleworth Scholarship at Christ Church Canterbury University. The quartet are working towards a Masters degree under the tutelage of the Maggini Quartet. The Alea Quartet has appeared at Aberystywth MusicFest, Wycombe Arts Festival, the Sacconi Chamber Music Festival and the Harmos Festival in Portugal. Amanda was invited to lead the RCM Chamber Orchestra under Sir Roger Norrington. She was appointed leader of the Pelly Concert Orchestra in March 2008, and has guest led the Amadeus Orchestra and the Dmitri Ensemble. Amanda has worked as a freelance player with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lisbon. Christine Anderson (viola) was born in Glasgow in 1990. She began learning the violin at the age of eight with Claire Griffiths; four years later, she started attending the RSAMD Junior Academy, studying violin with Gillian Leitch and piano with Anne Crawford. At the age of sixteen, Christine transferred to principal study viola with Pat Field. Christine is currently a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and Camerata Scotland. In September 2008, she began her studies at RSAMD with an RSAMD Trust scholarship, learning viola with Catherine Marwood. Christine has participated in masterclasses with Lawrence Power, Nicola Benedetti and the Brodsky Quartet, and is currently a member of the Mira Quartet. Christine also enjoys choral singing, and was a member of the RSNO Junior Chorus for six years; she is now a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland. David Edmonds (cello) originates from Shoreham-by-sea and began studying the cello at the age of nine with Ray Lowery. Two years later he took a place at Chetham’s School of Music where he took lessons with David Smith, which then lead to accepting his place at the Royal Northern College of Music where he took lessons with Hannah Roberts. During his college years, he has participated in masterclasses with Colin Carr, David Geringas, Fred Sherry, and Ralph Kirshbaum, and has attended different festivals such as the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Lake District Summer Music. As a member of the award-winning Rhodes trio, David has won all the major RNCM chamber music prizes such as the Terence Weil Memorial Award, the Leonard Hirsch Prize, the Schubert Prize and the Musicales Prize. The trio have performed in festivals all over the country and in other parts of Europe and North America. Recently they were winners of the Tunnell Trust for Young Musicians and received the Elias Fawcett Award for an outstanding Ensemble at the Royal Overseas League. David performed at the 2008 Mendelssohn on Mull Festival and has also performed at the Windsor Festival, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and at the Newbury Spring Festival. He has appeared in the final of the RNCM’s prestigious Barbirolli Cello Prize twice and is occasionally invited to play with the Grieg Academy Chamber Orchestra in Norway. David is currently under the tuition of Gregor Horsch and has recently received financial aid towards his studies from the Haworth Trust, the Stanley Picker Trust and is a recipient of an MBF Educations Award. Emile de Roubaix (viola), born in Cape Town, South Africa, started taking violin lessons at the age of 10. After matriculating in 1998 he completed the B.Mus and B.Mus.Hons (cum laude) degrees in violin performance at the University of Stellenbosch, having studied with Louis van der Watt and Suzanne Martens (Swanepoel) respectively. During the latter course he was violinist of Trio Stellenbosch, which represented the US at the Universität für Darstellende Kunst und Musik in Graz, Austria, during their 30th International Week, and gave a series of concerts in Portugal. It was also during this course that he started studying the viola as 2nd instrument. In September 2005 he commenced his postgraduate studies as violist at the RNCM with Predrag Katanic. He also received baroque viola tuition from Annette Isserlis. He was violist of the ensemble that received the 2006 & 2007 RNCM Granada Prize for chamber music. He performed at the 2006 & 2007 Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festivals, Graham Oppenheimer’s 2007 Mozart festival in Lincoln (UK), and the 2008 Mendelssohn on Mull Festival in Scotland. He has performed and recorded with groups such as the Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the English Concert, the Avison Ensemble, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, working with conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Vladimir Jurowski, Thomas Zehetmair and Sir Simon Rattle. He was also violist of the Diamond String Quartet, which was selected as joint first prize winners of the 2006 RNCM Nossek Prize for string quartets, and has collaborated in concert with the Smith Quartet. In June 2007 he received the RNCM Thomas Barratt viola prize. He graduated from the RNCM with the MMus in Performance degree with distinction in December 2007. Feargus Egan (cello) was offered a place at the RSAMD Junior Academy aged where he studied with Betsy Taylor for 6 years. He played in a masterclass given by Robert Cohen and in his final year at the Junior Academy led the cello section of the First Orchestra. Having successfully auditioned before an RSAMD panel, Feargus performed the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra. He has also worked with Catherine Mackintosh, a leading exponent of Baroque chamber music. Since starting the BMus course at the RSAMD last year, Feargus has played frequently with the RSAMD Symphony orchestra and in several masterclasses with international RSAMD fellow Johannes Goritzki. A keen chamber musician, he most recently played in a chamber ensemble masterclass given by members of the Scottish Ensemble and participates in a lot of chamber music at the RSAMD. Ian Watson (violin) graduated with MMus (ABRSM Scholarship) with distinction at the RSAMD in 2008. His duo with guitarist-composer Marek Pasieczny has performed at festivals in Poland, South Africa and the UK, and since their debut in the Lutoslawski Hall (Laureate of ‘Nova Tradycya’ Competition, Warsaw ’08), they have received invitations to China as well. Ian was Associate Principal of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (RSA ’04-’06) and since moving to Glasgow, he freelances for the RSNO, BBC SSO, Scottish Ballet and the Ulster Orchestra. Josephine Robertson (violin) started playing the violin at the age of four, first being taught by Elizabeth Peploe and then Hector Scott in Edinburgh. In 2004 she was awarded the LRSM with distinction in violin performing. From 2005 to 2007 she was at Chetham`s school of music where she studied the violin with Wen Zhou Li. Now aged 19, Josephine is in her first year at Cambridge and is the leader of the University Orchestra. At the age of eight she became a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland and later led it for 3 years. In 2004 she was joint leader of the NCOS string ensemble that went to China to take part in the Children’s Cultural Festival. She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and Camerata Scotland. She has also played with the Scottish Ensemble in Tavener’s The Protecting Veil. Solo performances have included Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, Vivaldi and Bach double concertos and the Bach Concerto in G major. She has also performed as principal violinist in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and given recitals in Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle. In 2006 she won the Traves Trophy in the Edinburgh Competition Festival. In 2007 she took part in the Shostakovich Centennial Festival in Manchester and in 2008 she won the Kenneth Page Foundation Competition. She also won a fellowship to the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Institute in July 2008 in Washington D.C., where she led the orchestra and a quartet in performances at the Kennedy Centre. In August 2008 she led the Robertson Quartet at an international festival for young chamber music players in Singapore. Willem Mathlener (viola) started his musical studies in Pretoria, South Africa, where he received violin lessons from Hester Woliz-Udal, Annemarie Swanepoel and Denise Sutton. During that time he was a member of the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra as well as free lance musician for most of the professional orchestras in South Africa. In 2005 Willem was awarded the Associated Board International Scholarship to further his studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama studying under Peter Lissauer and viola under Catherine Marwood and Andrew Berridge. During this time he won several competitions, including 20th century chamber music for violin and piano, string quartet competitions with the Cosmopolitan String quartet and viola challenge prizes. Willem is currently in his final year of study and recently started playing for the BBC SSO and other orchestras in Britain. Tiago Neto (violin) was born in Lisbon, where he started learning the violin with Leonor Prado. While still a child he studied at the Fundação Musical dos Amigos das Crianças in Lisbon and continued his studies at Lisbon’s National Conservatory, where he finished with full marks in both solo and chamber music performance. He went on to study with Khatchatour Amirkhanian at the Lisbon Superior School of Music, where he also received chamber music coaching from Professor Olga Prats. In 2001 he finished his degree with the top mark for his solo and chamber music performances and Instrumental Project. During the course Tiago travelled to Sweden under the Erasmus scheme, where he studied with Professor Jennifer Wolf at Malmö Academy of Music. Since then Tiago has been a finalist and first prizewinner of the Portuguese Musical Youth Competition and of the Portuguese Radio Young Musician of the Year. Tiago also formed a Piano Trio named In Tempo, which has gone on to win the RDP Young Musician’s Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Competition in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. He also formed the Lusiada String Quartet, with whom he has completed two CD recordings. In 2003, he formed the Musicalis Duo with the cellist Teresa Rombo. Tiago has had the opportunity to perform in the UK, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Holland, France, Belgium, Italy and China, as a soloist with various orchestras (including Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Macau and Zoltán Kodály Orchestra) and as a member of the Erasmus Chamber Orchestra and Malmö Academy Symphony Orchestra. He also frequently makes an appearance in his home country with the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon). Some of his recent recitals include the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation New Performers Concerts’ Series and at the Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), Festival de Música de Leiria, Royal College of Music (London), Centre Culturel Calouste Gulbenkian (Paris), Antwerp (Belgium). He is regularly invited to serve as jury member at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra (Lisbon) and at the International Violin Competition Cidade do Fundão. Tiago is currently finishing his PhD in Performance at the University of Sheffield (England), under the supervision of Professor Anthony Bennett. He has taken instruction from Professors Nina Martin and Levon Chilingirian. Alongside his musical studies, Tiago has also completed a Degree and a Masters Degree in Business Administration at the Technical University of Lisbon. Zhanna Tonaganyan (violin) was born in Russia in Brezhnev, now Naberezhnie Chelny, and started playing at the age of 7, studying with Igor Lerman. At the age of 9, she gave her first solo recital and by 11, was invited to join the Province orchestra as leader. This collaboration continued for 10 years and lead to numerous appearances as a soloist. She made her concerto debut at the age of 15 performing the Sibelius violin concerto with Nizhny Novgorod Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Skulsky, since which she has performed in venues such as the Rachmaninov Concert Hall, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, and also given numerous recitals elsewhere in Russia, the Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia and Israel. Many of Zhanna’s performances have been broadcast on TV and Radio, in Russia and South Africa. A national television broadcast of her appearance in the theatrical production of Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale was staged at the Moscow Gogol Theatre. Zhanna is a winner of many violin competitions in Russia and was also awarded a special prize at the 1996 Marguerite Long- Jacques Thibaud International Competition in Paris. At the 1995 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition in Folkstone, she was awarded both Fourth Prize and the Unaccompanied Bach Prize, where she was invited by Lord Yehudi Menuhin to take part in his masterclass and to perform in the competition’s Gala Concert. Zhanna holds a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London were she now studies with Mark Messenger. She won the RCM concerto competition in Autumn 2008 and was awarded the opportunity to perform Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto with the RCM Sinfonietta. Her engagements have included a perfrormance of Glazunov’s violin concerto with Wandsworth Symphony Orchestra and a pre-proms performance of works by Ken Hesketh for the BBC Proms in the Britten Theatre at the RCM with the Alegria Trio. Emma Stevenson (viola) began playing the viola at the age of 15 after being awarded a place to study under the guidance of James Durrant MBE at the music school of Douglas Academy. Following this she was offered the Stevenson Scholarship to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with Catherine Marwood, where she received her degree in music. While studying in Scotland Emma was awarded the Viola Challenge Prize for three consecutive years as well as prizes for the Watson Forbes Competition, the Ian D Watt Award and the John McInulty prize for Orchestral String Playing. Emma has recently enjoyed working with the BBBSSO, BBCSO and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She has recently received her post-graduate diploma from the Royal College of Music, studying with Jonathan Barritt. She is a member of the Mezarian Ensemble, who rehearse regularly and perform in venues throughout London. She has also taken part in the Lake District summer music festival and has participated in the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival in previous years. Deborah Chandler (cello) is a freelance cellist working throughout the UK and abroad as a chamber, solo and orchestral musician. She graduated from the RNCM in 2006, where she studied with Emma Ferrand and has since continued her studies with Hannah Roberts, Pal Banda and Peter Dixon. Deborah performs with the Fenyo piano trio, with whom she recently toured Egypt and Jordan on board the Saga Ruby Cruise ship. In 2009 they will be cruising the Western Mediterranean and the British Isles. She plays with several freelance, professional and training orchestras such as the English Sinfonia, Orchestra of Northern Ballet Theatre, the National Symphony Orchestra, Britten Pears Orchestra and Sinfonia Cymru. Recent solo appearances include Haydn C major with the Tyneside Chamber Orchestra and Bach’s D minor cello suite in Alwinton, Northumberland. Deborah is an enthusiastic educator and enjoys providing everything from individual cello teaching and Orchestral coaching, to workshops with 30 or more children! Clare Fox (viola) began learning the violin aged four, and inspired by her violist teacher, she changed onto the viola as soon as her hands were big enough. Clare graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2008, having obtained a Batchelor of Music Degree, and a Post-graduate Diploma with Distinction. In March 2008 Clare was winner of the Royal College of Music Viola Competition, incorporating the Cecil Aronowitz, Lionel Tertis and Lesley Alexander Prizes. Clare is currently studying for a Masters degree at Canterbury Christ Church University as part of the Alea String Quartet, who are Anna Shuttleworth Scholarship holders. As part of the Alea Quartet Clare has performed at prestigious venues across the country, and has taken part in master classes, and attended courses with eminent professionals, including members of the Wihan, Chilingirian, Maginni and Medici Quartets. The Alea Quartet were winners of both the Helen Just and Susan Connell Prize at Royal College of Music (2008) and also the Sacconi Quartet Prize. Forthcoming events include a performance of the Mendelssohn Octet with the Maggini Quartet in October 2009 as part of the Canterbury Festival. Clare enjoys a successful performing partnership with pianist Simon Marlow. Together they have given recitals in Hereford, London, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, including a recent performance for the Rights and Humanities Emergency Congress. Simon and Clare share a passion for English music and enjoy exploring the repertoire together.
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