Rebecca Eldridge
In 2012, Rebecca won a scholarship to study on the MMus orchestral course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Graham Sheen, Helen Simons, Gordon Laing and Martin Field. Prior to this, Rebecca graduated with first class honours from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, studying with Meyrick Alexander, Martin Bowen, Steve Marsden and contrabassoon with Chris Vale.
During her studies, Rebecca won the Three Choirs Festival Ensemble Prize, Howarth Double Reed prize, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Concerto prize, June Emerson Wind Ensemble Launchpad prize and the Abergavenny Eisteddfod.
Rebecca has worked with various orchestras including the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva and Orchestra of the Swan. She was also contrabassoonist with the Young Musician’s Symphony Orchestra and has participated in side-by-side schemes with the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Rebecca was Co-principal Bassoon with Southbank Sinfonia 2017.
As a soloist Rebecca has performed concertos with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Chamber Orchestra, Chandos Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia of Birmingham, Leamington Chamber Orchestra and Inkberrow Sinfonia. Also a keen chamber musician Rebecca is a founding member of the Aquilon Ensemble. This has lead to performances on BBC Radio 3, UK and European tours and coaching from Andrew Marriner, Francois Leleux, Sarah Burnett and Neil Black.
In 2012, Rebecca won a scholarship to study on the MMus orchestral course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Graham Sheen, Helen Simons, Gordon Laing and Martin Field. Prior to this, Rebecca graduated with first class honours from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, studying with Meyrick Alexander, Martin Bowen, Steve Marsden and contrabassoon with Chris Vale.
During her studies, Rebecca won the Three Choirs Festival Ensemble Prize, Howarth Double Reed prize, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Concerto prize, June Emerson Wind Ensemble Launchpad prize and the Abergavenny Eisteddfod.
Rebecca has worked with various orchestras including the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva and Orchestra of the Swan. She was also contrabassoonist with the Young Musician’s Symphony Orchestra and has participated in side-by-side schemes with the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Rebecca was Co-principal Bassoon with Southbank Sinfonia 2017.
As a soloist Rebecca has performed concertos with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Chamber Orchestra, Chandos Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia of Birmingham, Leamington Chamber Orchestra and Inkberrow Sinfonia. Also a keen chamber musician Rebecca is a founding member of the Aquilon Ensemble. This has lead to performances on BBC Radio 3, UK and European tours and coaching from Andrew Marriner, Francois Leleux, Sarah Burnett and Neil Black.
Neil Aston
As a soloist Neil regularly performs concerti with orchestras such as Worcester Philharmonic and Spires Philharmonic and has given many recitals throughout the country including the Purcell Room on London's South Bank, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Kew Music Society.
As a chamber musician he has performed with the Coull Quartet and regularly joins with musicians from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Neil is also a member of the highly successful quintet Serenata Winds, with whom he regularly broadcasts for BBC Songs of Praise. As an orchestral musician Neil has worked with the CBSO, Orchestra da Camera, Spires Philharmonic and is currently principal clarinet with the British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
Neil is an accomplished freelance conductor, regularly working with the Worcester Philharmonic Orchestra and Staffordshire Youth Wind Orchestra.
As a soloist Neil regularly performs concerti with orchestras such as Worcester Philharmonic and Spires Philharmonic and has given many recitals throughout the country including the Purcell Room on London's South Bank, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Kew Music Society.
As a chamber musician he has performed with the Coull Quartet and regularly joins with musicians from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Neil is also a member of the highly successful quintet Serenata Winds, with whom he regularly broadcasts for BBC Songs of Praise. As an orchestral musician Neil has worked with the CBSO, Orchestra da Camera, Spires Philharmonic and is currently principal clarinet with the British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
Neil is an accomplished freelance conductor, regularly working with the Worcester Philharmonic Orchestra and Staffordshire Youth Wind Orchestra.
Fenella Humphreys
With playing described in the press as ‘unforgettable’ and ‘a wonder’, violinist Fenella Humphreys enjoys a busy career combining chamber music and solo work. Performances have taken her around the world to venues including the Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, and the Helsinki Music Centre. She has broadcast for the BBC, Classic FM, DeutschlandRadio Berlin, West-Deutsche-Rundfunk, ABC Classic FM (Australia) and Korean radio, and performed the Walton Concerto at the composer’s home at the invitation of the Walton Trust in a performance that was recorded by Canadian TV.
Fenella’s first concerto recording, of Christopher Wright’s Violin Concerto for Dutton Epoch with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Martin Yates was released in 2012 to great critical acclaim (“Fenella Humphreys’s performance is a wonder” International Record Review; “Fenella Humphreys captures the music’s wistful cantabile to perfection, producing a golden tone in all registers with the utmost sensitivity to where every phrase is moving.” The Strad Magazine), and was selected as Orchestral CD of the Month in a 5 star review in the BBC Music Magazine.
A number of eminent British composers have written works for Fenella, both in her own right and as a former member of the Lawson Trio. During 2014/15 Fenella premiered Bach to the Future, a set of 6 new unaccompanied violin works by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Gordon Crosse, Sally Beamish, Adrian Sutton, Piers Hellawell and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The project has so far seen performances at Aldeburgh, St. Magnus Festival, Presteigne Festival, Ryedale Festival, The Forge, Manchester University, Queen’s University, Belfast etc. and is to be recorded over two CDs for Champs Hill Records. A “radiant recording” with “golden precision and effortless virtuosity” (Five Stars, The Scotsman) the first of these discs, released in August 2015 was picked by BBC Music Magazine as October’s Instrumental disc of the month.
Concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie, Fenella also enjoys guest leading and directing various ensembles in Europe. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists including Alexander Baillie, Adrian Brendel, Pekka Kuusisto and Martin Lovett, and is regularly invited by Steven Isserlis to take part in Open Chamber Music at the International Musicians’ Seminar, Prussia Cove. Fenella can also be found playing Tango in duo and larger ensembles with the great Uruguayan bandoneonist, Hector Ulises Passarella.
Fenella’s teachers have included Sidney Griller CBE, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ida Bieler and David Takeno at the Purcell School, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf where she was awarded the highest attainable marks both for the 'Diplom' exam and the 'Konzertexamen' soloists' diploma. She has taken part in masterclasses with musicians including Thomas Brandis, Lorand Fenyves, Anthony Marwood, Thomas Riebl and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Fenella plays a beautiful violin from the circle of Peter Guarneri of Venice, kindly on loan from Jonathan Sparey.
Fenella’s first concerto recording, of Christopher Wright’s Violin Concerto for Dutton Epoch with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Martin Yates was released in 2012 to great critical acclaim (“Fenella Humphreys’s performance is a wonder” International Record Review; “Fenella Humphreys captures the music’s wistful cantabile to perfection, producing a golden tone in all registers with the utmost sensitivity to where every phrase is moving.” The Strad Magazine), and was selected as Orchestral CD of the Month in a 5 star review in the BBC Music Magazine.
A number of eminent British composers have written works for Fenella, both in her own right and as a former member of the Lawson Trio. During 2014/15 Fenella premiered Bach to the Future, a set of 6 new unaccompanied violin works by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Gordon Crosse, Sally Beamish, Adrian Sutton, Piers Hellawell and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The project has so far seen performances at Aldeburgh, St. Magnus Festival, Presteigne Festival, Ryedale Festival, The Forge, Manchester University, Queen’s University, Belfast etc. and is to be recorded over two CDs for Champs Hill Records. A “radiant recording” with “golden precision and effortless virtuosity” (Five Stars, The Scotsman) the first of these discs, released in August 2015 was picked by BBC Music Magazine as October’s Instrumental disc of the month.
Concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie, Fenella also enjoys guest leading and directing various ensembles in Europe. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists including Alexander Baillie, Adrian Brendel, Pekka Kuusisto and Martin Lovett, and is regularly invited by Steven Isserlis to take part in Open Chamber Music at the International Musicians’ Seminar, Prussia Cove. Fenella can also be found playing Tango in duo and larger ensembles with the great Uruguayan bandoneonist, Hector Ulises Passarella.
Fenella’s teachers have included Sidney Griller CBE, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ida Bieler and David Takeno at the Purcell School, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf where she was awarded the highest attainable marks both for the 'Diplom' exam and the 'Konzertexamen' soloists' diploma. She has taken part in masterclasses with musicians including Thomas Brandis, Lorand Fenyves, Anthony Marwood, Thomas Riebl and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Fenella plays a beautiful violin from the circle of Peter Guarneri of Venice, kindly on loan from Jonathan Sparey.
