Laura will perform Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Worthing Philharmonic on 25th. March 2012
Laura was born in England as the youngest daughter of a Dutch father and a Swiss mother. Very early on it was obvious that she had a strong relationship to music. She started to play the recorder when she was four, soon followed by the piano, and when she was six, she began learning the cello with Marina Logie, later with Michal Kaznowski.
She joined the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music aged eight, and passed her grade 8 ABRSM exams for piano and cello with distinction when she was ten.
Since late 2008 Laura is being taught the cello by Leonid Gorokhov (Hochschule für Musik, Theater & Medien in Hanover, Germany). Her piano teacher is Emily Jeffrey at RCM.
Laura's first public performance was as a nine-year-old with the Jupiter Chamber Orchestra conducted by Howard Moody. She has participated in many competitions in the UK, Holland and Switzerland, winning numerous prizes. In 2010 she won "Erster Preis mit Auszeichnung" (full marks) and a special prize in the final of the Swiss National Youth Music Competition, which led to her performing the Boccherini Cello Concerto in G with ZKO at the Tonhalle in Zurich in January 2011.
She is the 2011 winner of the Marjorie Humby competition at the Royal College of Music.
Laura lives in Sussex where she attends her local secondary school (Sackville in East Grinstead) and enjoys as much of a teenage social life as her commitment to music allows for.
Laura plays a 1987 cello by Colin Irving.
Recent Comments:
“...You are an extremely promising young artist...” (Susie Meszaros, adjudicator Ealing Festival 2011)
“...You are communicating to your audience. You are telling us your story and we are right there with you - a gift that you have...” (Gill and David Johnston, adjudicators Marjorie Humby, 2011)
Stephanie Oade appeared courtesy of Munster Trust.
Stephanie played Lalo's Cello Concerto with The Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra on 25th. June 2011.
Acclaimed for her “visionary and sophisticated playing” Stephanie has a wide and exciting repertoire encompassing many musical styles and eras.
Following five years of study with Hannah Roberts at RNCM, Stephanie is now continuing her postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of David Strange and Felix Schmidt. Stephanie was a finalist in the J and A Beare International Solo Bach Competition 2009, and has been the recipient of scholarships from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Stephen Bell Charitable Trust, Craxton Memorial Trust and the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund, as well as two RNCM Entrance Awards and an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant. In July 2008 Stephanie achieved a First Class BMus (Hons) degree from RNCM and, after achieving the highest ‘cello mark in the Final Recitals, was awarded the Leonard Rose ‘Cello Prize. In 2009 she gained a PGDip (Performance) with Distinction and became a Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music, earning the right to add the letters FRSM to her name.
Poom will play Rachmaninov's 3rd. Piano Concerto with the Worthing Philharmonic on Sunday 27th. November 2011.
Born in Bangkok, Poom has started his concert career at the age of 13. He recently graduated in Bachelor of Music with Honours from the Royal College of Music (RCM), London. He was a student of the leading Thailand’s pedagogue Peerapong Surawan, later on of Rena Phua and Boris Kraljevic at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. He attained the FTCL Diploma from Trinity College at the age of 15. At age 16, he was granted a full scholarship by H.R.H Princess Galyani Vadhana and the Royal College of Music, which enabled him to continue his studies in London with Yonty Solomon and Ian Jones. The scholarship has been continued and supervised by the kindness support of Thanpuying Tasna-Valaya Sorasongkram for his higher study in Master’s degree in Performance at RCM. He is currently a student of the world-renowned Russian pianist and teacher, Professor Dina Parakhina.
Alexandra played the Walton Viola Concerto with the Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday 3rd. April 2011.
Alexandra Urquhart was born in 1981. She began studying the viola at the age of 15. She obtained her degree at Trinity College of Music where she was awarded the Band/Kurtz Viola Prize and the Guivier String Prize. Alexandra then acquired her postgraduate diploma at the Royal College of Music supported by the St Marylebone Educational Foundation, studying with Simon Rowland-Jones. Her other teachers have included Vicci Wardman, Richard Crabtree and Rivka Golani.
She was a member of Southbank Sinfonia in 2005, with whom she played as principal, and performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in Anghiari in Tuscany. Since then, she has performed extensively as a chamber musician, including performing the Mendelssohn Octet with the Chilingirian Quartet, and in Aldeburgh with the Kerem String Quartet as the Britten-Pears Young Artists Quartet in Residence for 2005.
She has enjoyed playing with several of the UK’s leading orchestras, such as the Philharmonia, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2008 she went to Santiago, Chile, to play for a year with their Philharmonic Orchestra. Since returning to the UK in 2009, Alexandra has branched out into the jazz and tango scene. She has toured as part of the Sigamos Quartet with the saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, and has most recently toured and recorded with Tango Siempre, one of the UK’s leading tango bands.
Alexandra plays on a 2002 viola by David Milward.
Hannah played Hummel's Trumpet Concerto with The Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday 29th. November 2009.
Hannah Bishop is 21 years old and grew up in Worthing, West Sussex. She began taking trumpet lessons aged 9 and quickly progressed through the grade exams. At the age of 14, Hannah started taking lessons from Karen Kennard and was also made Principal Trumpet of the West Sussex County Youth Orchestra, with whom she later toured to Hungary. In 2005, Hannah won a DfE Scholarship for her sixth form years at Wells Cathedral School where she studied trumpet with Paul Denegri and Simon Jones. During her time at Wells, Hannah was invited to give a solo recital in Frankfurt, Germany. Hannah was awarded the prestigious Nathan Hewitt Trumpet Prize during her last term at Wells in July 2007.
Hannah held the position of Principal Trumpet with the National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain from 2005-2007, under the direction of Philip Scott. In July 2007, Hannah traveled to Killarney, Ireland with the ensemble to perform at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.
Since September 2007, Hannah has been studying at the Royal Academy of Music where she is the recipient of the Elton John Scholarship. Hannah studies with Professor James Watson, Head of Brass, Mark David and Baroque Trumpet with Robert Farley. Recent masterclasses include those with Eric Aubier, Michael Laird, Thierry Caens, Rex Richardson, Kristian Steenstrup and Boston Brass. Since beginning her studies at the Royal Academy, Hannah has performed with a variety of Academy ensembles. These include Principal Trumpet positions in the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra under conductors such as Thierry Fisher, Yan Pascal Tortelier and Pierre-Laurent Aimard; Brass Soloists 10 piece and Symphonic Brass ensemble.
In 2008, Hannah performed Harrison Birtwistle's 'Silk House Tattoo' at Senate House, when Birtwistle received his honorary degree from the University of London. Earlier this year, Hannah performed with a small orchestra of Royal Academy musicians at the Royal Albert Hall as part of Sir Elton John’s charity gala concert. Professional experience includes work with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and leading a brass section at the Roundhouse, Camden, with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for a reunion concert. Hannah has gained solo orchestral experience with repertoire such as the Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto, Hummel Concerto in Eb, Vivaldi Double Trumpet Concerto and Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings.
Over the years, Hannah has had a privilege to perform for The Queen, Princess Anne, the Duchess of Gloucester, Sir Elton John and the Archbishop of Canterbury.