"...read from some humbler poet... who through long days of labour and nights devoid of ease, still heard in his soul the music of wonderful melodies..." - Longfellow/Balfe
Elisabeth Goell was born to Dutch-German parents. Her early years were spent learning the recorder, piano and flute and developing wide musical tastes through singing in the prize-winning chamber-choir of the Schiller Gymnasium Heidenheim. Her third level musical education took place in Ireland. Majoring with a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in piano teaching from the Limerick School of music Elisabeth repeatedly won the O'Byrne Cup for her piano playing. She studied the organ, flute, recorder and folk-guitar as second instruments.
It was only when Elisabeth won the first prize at the Lieder Competition of Feis Ceoil Dublin, that her true vocal potential was discovered and furthered by Paul Farrington, Emma Kirkby, Mary King and Judith Sheridan, London.
Since then, she has had the joy of working with musicians from Europe, the USA and from Japan; with small orchestras and ensembles such as the Camerata Kilkenny, Sligo Early Music Ensemble, Ballymena Chamber Orchestra and her own chamber ensemble "Terra Omnis". She regularly performs with the Bach Consort in Belfast.
She has performed operatic roles with 'Scottish Opera for All' and Sligo Early Music Ensemble as a lyrical Soprano. However, Elisabeth specializes in classical song - Lieder - including those of unduly neglected women composers and the Irish classical composers.
As a vocal coach she works with all ages and abilities alongside her work as teacher of piano, flute, recorder and folk-guitar.
Conducting first the "Choir of St. Mary's Church", Corbally, Limerick and later the "Derg Valley Cross-Community Choir", County Tyrone, have given her opportunity to also work in a capacity as conductor.
Alongside her classical song engagements Elisabeth remains a keen folk musician.
"Art is a beautiful gift. What is more beautiful, than to clothe one's feelings in sounds, what a comfort in sad hours, what a pleasure, what a wonderful feeling, to provide an hour of happiness to others; and what a sublime feeling to pursue art so that one gives one's life for it." - Clara Schumann
Lauretta Bloomer studied piano with Yonty Solomon at the Royal College of Music in London and later in Vienna at the Hochschule für Musik with Georg Ebert and Heinz Medjimorec. She attended master-classes with Leon Fleisher and Tatiana Nikolayeva and was pianist in residence at the Banff centre for Fine Arts in Canada. In Vienna Lauretta was able to develop her knowledge and love for the music of the Viennese School and to specialise in chamber music.
As soloist, chamber musician, and vocal accompanist, Lauretta Bloomer has played concerts throughout Europe, toured the U.S and more recently performed in Asia and Australia. She was guest at many international music festivals including the Ljetni Festival in Rovinj, Croatia, Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria and the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She hasperformed in Singapore, the U.S, Ireland, UK and the Benelux.
Lauretta has a broad repertoire encompassing all periods and styles. She is equally at home playing on period instruments or performing contemporary music. Recent concerts and recordings include the complete songs of Clara Schumann, Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg, Piano Quintet by Vaughan Williams, Piano Sextett and Quartets by Felix Mendelssohn as well as works by Brett Dean, Kerry Turner, Luciano Berio, and George Benjamin.
Lauretta Bloomer played in the Concertgebouw as the soloist in Scriabin's Promethee "Le Poême du Feu" in 2006 and again in 2012 a programme of music by Shostakovich in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
Her rich and varied musical career has taken her across continents and into opera houses, concert halls and educational establishments of Europe and America.
Following her graduation from the Royal Northern College of Music and Lancashire University, Judith moved to Germany to study at the Opera Studio in Hamburg. After ten happy years treading the boards as an Opera Diva, she returned to the UK and now divides her time between performing, conducting and teaching.
Regularly performing in the UK, Europe and the USA as a soloist, Judith sings with the "Midgard Ensemble", the voice duet partnership "Duality" with Elisabeth Goell - (the classical programme 'Birdsong at Eventide, music for the Grand Old houses 'A Victorian Soiree' and the folk programme 'Under the Spreading Oak') and the London based contemporary ensemble "twenty21". Collaborating with local musicians the "Ridgeway Ensemble" presents concerts with the local rural community. She conducts the Beacon Community Choir, is a regular guest conductor with Situation Opera and its Artistic Director and Conductor of the Musical Theatre Company "Toccata - Musical Productions for Charitable Causes". Judith is also MD for the Berkhamsted Youth Theatre's coming production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
Judith's special interest in the rarely performed music of composers banned under the Nazi regime led her to devise the Forbidden Voices, which is the culmination of many years' research and performance of this remarkable music. A CD of the same name is available on the Divine Art label.
Having taught for more than 25 years, Judith has considerable experience working with singers of all ages and abilities. She has trained professionally for the operatic and musical theatre stages, prepared singers for exams and auditions as well as worked extensively with amateur enthusiasts, and those who have never sung before... She leads workshops for children and adults and works regularly with Counterparts UK, based in Dorset and the Amade Players in London.
www.singingallowed.com
Tom Collingwood began studying the cello at the age of seven having initially started out on the violin. He went on to continue his studies at the Royal Northern College of music with Eduardo Vassallo from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music Honours degree in 2003. During this period he was invited to perform in the International String Quartet Festival and was principal cellist of the Royal Northern Chamber Orchestra. Following his graduation he studied for two years with Karine Georgian in London. He has participated in master classes with Anner Bylsma, Ralph Kirshbaum, Karine Georgian, Peter Dixon, and Morray Welsh.
Continuing his passion for solo and chamber music Tom has worked with musicians from all over Europe and performs regularly across the UK, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe alongside musicians including Zinaida Zubova , Mia Cooper, Alexander Puliaev, Mindaugas Backus, Stein Skjervold. He has appeared as a soloist with several European orchestras. He performs on both modern and period instruments.
Tom resides in Sheffield where he spends his time researching instrumental period performance, teaching privately and in Birkdale school with a strong interest in instrumental technical psychology. Tom currently performs on a "Gatti" instrument 1887 Turin, Italy.
Susan Briscoe was born in Dublin. She studied with Mary Gallagher at the College of Music, Dublin and later in London with Jaroslav Vanecek and Amsterdam with Davina Van Wely. On returning from Amsterdam, she joined the English Chamber Orchestra and enjoyed touring the world extensively.
Susan has performed as soloist with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the RTE Symphony Orchestra. More recently has enjoyed performing Bach's Brandenburg Concerti at venues including the Barbican Centre in London.
Susan now is married with three children and divides her time working with all the major orchestras and working on many film scores including "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter".
Graduated from the University of York in 1998 with a BA9hons) degree in music, and then spent a postgraduate year studying violin at the Royal College of Music in London. She was wasrded a scholarship with the Leverhulme Trust and graduated with distinction (RGdipRCM).
From 1999 to 2002, Rebekah worked with nearly every period instrument orchestra in London and toured extensively in Britain and Europe.
She has made recordings with groups such as the King's Consort, the Gabrielli Consort and the London Handel Orchstra. She has appeared on national and international TV with these orchestras. The chamber music concerts with the Georgian Concert and the King's Consort at the Wigmore Hall and the Royal Festival Hall are amongst her best loved experiences, recorded live for BBC Radio 3.
Her move in 2001 to Northern Ireland, raising two children has led her to teach privately and in schools all over Northern Ireland. She has founded and conducts the Ballymena chamber orchestra. She has more recently performed with the New Irish Chamber Orchestra.
Her collaboration with singer/songwriter Kristin Lennox culminated in concerts given at the Waterfront Hall and the Elmwood Hall, Belfast
Declan was born in County Monaghan, Ireland and now lives in London. He studied initially at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, then subsequently in London, Manchester and the Netherlands. He is in demand throughout the UK and Europe as both a classical orchestral and chamber musician performing on radio & television worldwide, working with such orchestras as The Philharmonia of London and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique with John Eliot Gardiner.
He has a particular interest in improvisation, working with artists such as Nitin Sawney, Ravi Shankar, the band Goldfrapp and Gerry Divers and the Irish folk minimalist Speech Project. He is the virtuoso violinist with the Tango group Vérité Cabaret and is a founder member of the Zenoria Trio, the unusual combination of 2 violins and a Double-bass! Declan has worked on many film scores such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter and is a keen folk fiddler.
Roger Arve Vigulf, Clarinetist, was born in Spjelkavik, Eastern Norway in 1964, and studied at the Eastern Conservatory of Music in Oslo with Professor Richard Kjelstrup and with Leif Jørgensen and Lee Morgan in Copenhagen. Roger Arve Vigulf has been clarinetist with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, principal clarinetist with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (1996-2001), Principal clarinetist with the Kristiansund Opera. He has collaborated with many famous musicians and conductors such as pianists Elnar Henning Smebye, Geir Henning Braaten, Cicada String Quartet, and Vilnius String Quartet, conductors David Porselijn, Matthew Rowe and Christian Eggen. Coming engagements include tour to St. Peters burg with Vilnius String Quartet, soloist with Symphony Orchestra of Russia, soloist with Lithuania National Symphony Orchestra, Tour to Los Angeles and solo recital at the Clarinet Fest in Atlanta (USA). Since 2001, he has worked as an international clarinet soloist.
Dianne was born in Portlaoise, County Laois, in 1978. She spent many years at the Royal Irish Academy of music, studying both Harp and Piano and went on to study at the London Royal Academy of Music, which she entered as a student under the tutorship of Professor Daphne Boden. In 1999 she was awarded the Guy Magrath Harp Prize at the Royal Academy of Music.
Since returning to Ireland Dianne has worked as a freelance musician, playing both Irish Harp and Concert Harp, regularly working with the Ulster Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, R.T.E. Concert Orchestra and many other companies including the Wexford Opera festival.
Una Hunt is one of Ireland's leading pianists. She has played recital programmes in Britain, Ireland and the USA and has made many appearances with Irish orchestras including giving several first performances of new works.
Una has also toured throughout Europe including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy with her violinist sister Fionnuala. The duo made a highly successful CD Irish Fantasy which was particularly well received in America and has resulted in several invitations to tour the US in recent years. The Hunt sisters featured on an hour long nationally syndicated programme broadcast across America on National Public Radio. Una will make a solo visit to the USA in March 2008.
Una is currently a member of Triantán Piano Trio formed through a residency at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. She has made several appearances in concert and on television with notable soloists including flautists James Galway and William Bennett and violist Bruno Giuranna.
Taking an active interest in the music of Irish composers has led to a number of ground-breaking recordings including a CD of the music of the Ulster pianist-composer Joan Trimble on the Naxos Marco Polo label. Una also released a disc of the complete piano music of E. J. Moeran, an all but forgotten composer who resided for much of his life at Kenmare, for ASV / Sanctuary Classics. A disc of works by the Limerick-born pianist-composer George Alexander Osborne, Shower of Pearls, was released on RTÉ's lyric label in 2004 while a new recording of music by nineteenth-century Irish composers showcasing hitherto unknown music from the National Library of Ireland, Fallen Leaves from an Irish Album, was issued in 2006. Una completed a PhD in Performance at NUI Maynooth and has been awarded a three-year artist's bursary by the Arts Council of Ireland to further her work on historic Irish composers. For services to the performing arts, Una received an honorary doctorate from Queens University Belfast in 2007.
Una is a music consultant to the National Library of Ireland and has spearheaded developments with the Music Library Project. She was Artistic Director of the Musical Reflections concert series showcasing historic Irish musical figures and composers at the National Library and is also Artistic Director of the Thomas Moore Commemorative Festival 2008, a year-long diary of events celebrating two hundred years of the Irish Melodies. Una is an experienced producer and broadcaster and has made many radio programmes and documentary programmes on Irish composers and their music.
Thanks to his twenty-year concert activity as chamber music performer Marco Grisanti has a repertoire of over three hundred pieces which he has played with famous artist such as Felix Ayo, Wolfgang Boettcher, Vincenzo Bolognese, Lenuta Ciulei, Benoit Fromager, Franco Maggio-Ormezovsky, Vincenzo Mariozzi, Domenico Nordio, Emmanuel Pahud, Angelo Persichilli, Reiner Schmidt, Sayaka Shoji,Chicashi Tanaka, Uto Ughi, Constantin Zanidache ; these recitals were performed in Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Argentina (with Bheetoven Quartet), Greece, Eire, Canada and U.S.A. He has already engagements in Japan where he will return in 2009.
After beginning his studies with the pianist M° Maja Samargieva he received his diploma with the highest grades “cum laude” at Saint Cecily Conservatory in Rome under the direction of M° Nicoletta Virgilio; at the same time he attended Composition class of M° Nazario Bellandi. Later he perfected these studies with M° Fausto Zadra and M° Eduardo Hubert; at the same time he specialized in Chamber Music been taught by M° R. Brengola and M° Felix Ayo at Saint Cecily National Academy of Music in Rome. He is now assistant of the former and performing partner of the latter.
He collaborated for many years in the Permanent Choir and the specializing courses at the Saint Cecily National Academy of Music with Ayo, Norbert Balatsch, Riccardo Brengola, Martino Faggiani, Franco Maggio-Ormezovsky, Vincenzo Mariozzi, Angelo Persichilli, Reiner Schmidt; he has also played with American Brass Quintet, Wolfgang Boettcher, Michinori Bunja, Miriam Fried, Residenz-Quartet from Würzburg, etc.
At Chigiana Academy of Siena he was first student and then the only pianist assistant of Uto Ughi with whom Marco Grisanti often plays for important Italian Concert seasons. He performed many times for the most important Italian National channels Radio and TV ( RAI) and recorded a CD with Andrea Oliva ( 1st Flute of National Orchestra Santa Cecilia in Roma) and the violinist Sinn Yang for Ohems Classics-RBB( Radio Berlin).
After winning the competitive examination for a teaching position in State Music Conservatories Marco Grisanti now teaches Chamber Music and Piano Accompaigment (Correpetitor) at State Music Conservatory in Campobasso where he also holds specializing courses.
He is a specialist for the Chamber Music by Beethoven and Brahms but his repertoire has a broad number of varying styles and periods compositions ranging from instrumental or vocal duos to vocal compositions for choir and piano
Rónán Murray was born in Dublin in 1977. His early musical training was with his father, Ciarán. Subsequent organ studies with Peter Sweeney in the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama were complemented by master classes from such leading organists as James David Christie and Ben van Oosten. He is active as a freelance organist, pianist and composer. With a repertoire covering everything from traditional music and jazz piano, to classical organ music and improvisation, Rónán also writes and performs his own songs. He has made numerous radio and television broadcasts and is much in demand both as a solo artist and collaborator, including accompanying his sister, soprano Niamh Murray. Recent appearances include the first Cork International Pipe Organ Festival in 2005 and a performance at the organ of St. Sulpice church, Paris.
Rónán has featured as musical director for many productions, especially variety concerts in venues throughout Ireland. He was a finalist in the Unisong International Song Competition 2004. He co-wrote and performed (with mezzo-soprano Maria de Moel) the musical theatre piece 'Violating Messages: The Songs of Kurt Weill' during the 2005 Dublin Fringe Festival. His debut album of songs, Reasons and Seasons was released in 2006.
In August 2006 Rónán performed a recital at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, home to one of the greatest pipe organs in the world. April 2007 saw Rónán perform in Lodz Cathedral, Poland. November 2007 sees Rónán make his debut in Vienna, accompanying Classicus Youth Chamber Choir under their director Máire Ledwith Butler.
For more information feel free to visit Rónán's Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Ronan-Murray
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, she received piano lesson from the age of six. Eighteen years old, she began with organ studies.
She majored from the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Esslingen with the B Diploma.
Since then she has been working as organist and cantor in various church communities.
Her love for the organ and the human voice have led her to participate in various courses and seminaries :
Craig comes from Bristol, the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Tennesse, USA.
He studied piano at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, where he concluded his studies with the highest marks. He continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music and was awarded his Doctorate in 1988.
Not only gave he many concert recitals and worked as a teacher, but he filled also many organisational posts in the music world. He premiered and facilitated many modern compositions, amongst them two Operas by Michael Kosch.
He aspires to have as broad a repertoire as possible.
Presently he resides in London, where he now concentrates on chambermusic.
Atsushi Tamura studied piano at the Tokyo College of Music and in 2001 was a finalist in the piano teachers network association competition in Japan; he went on to be a finalist in the Berga piano competition in Spain the following year. In November 2005, he took part in the Ulster Orchestra's Beethoven Masterclass with the acclaimed concert pianist Ronald Brautigam. He has a Master's degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, MMu Cardiff. In 2010 was awarded a PhD in Performance from Magee University, the first person in Northern Ireland to ever receive a Performance PHD. He premiered the piano music of Laurence Roman's, Magee University of Ulster.
He is currently teaching piano in Tokyo.
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35 years with BBC as both Senior Studio Manager and Radio Producer, with:
"Listen to the Band" "Night Ride" "John Dunn Show" "Travelling Folk" BBC Radio Big Band Scottish Radio Orchestra BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and with artists ranging from Sir Adrian Boult to Shirley Bassey...
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Wei-Ling Chen; Tal Weissman; Mark Swartzentruber The Oxford Lieder Festival 2002-5; UCLOpera 2003/5; New Orleans Jazz Band London 2003; Folk sessions; The London Scottish Pipe Band; Horn Duo in Krakow, Poland
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