INTRODUCING

FLAUTISTS

Abigail Burrows (Concordia Ambassador) trained at the Purcell School of Music and the Royal College of Music. As a concert soloist, Abigail has appeared at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Russia’s Novgorod Philharmonic Hall and the Anvil Basingstoke. Recent performances include the Nielsen Flute Concerto with Milton Keynes Sinfonia, the Thomson Flute Concerto with the Grampian Concert Orchestra, and Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto with Daniel de Fry and the Cornerstone Chamber Orchestra. In recital, Abigail has played at the Fishguard in Windsor, several Edinburgh Music Festivals and in a private concert for HRH, the Prince of Wales at St. James’s Palace. She has been heard on Classic FM and on BBC1’s Songs of Praise. Last year, Abigail was the classical guest artist at a Jethro Tull concert at the Barbican Hall performing a solo slot and duet with the legendary rock flautist, Ian Anderson. Abigail was a Live Music Now artist for four years, giving regular workshops and outreach concerts throughout the UK and is now a mentor and adjudicator for the scheme. A recipient of the prestigious Austin and Hope Pilkington Award, Abigail plays a handmade 9K Gold BrannenCooper flute. She recently finished a six month UK tour of The King & I and she deputised on Cameron Mackintosh’s touring shows of Oliver! and Phantom of the Opera and was selected as the flute player on the National UK tour of Wicked, which started in September 2013.
 

Gareth McLearnon (Concordia Ambassador), multi award-winning Northern Irish flautist, leads a truly international and diverse career. An alumnus of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (2003), and principal flute of Southbank Sinfonia (2005), Gareth has gone on to carve out a unique career encompassing many genres and styles of music, and a multitude of varied artistic activities.  In 2015 he has performed and given masterclasses in Australia, Portugal, Iceland, France, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Hong Kong, Poland and the USA as well as numerous UK engagements. He has been principal flute of the Heritage Orchestra since 2009; a Yuri Bashmet Academy professor in since 2013, teaching classes all over Russia as well as performing concertos with Moscow Soloists; and in September 2015 gave his debut masterclass at Yale University. A published composer and arranger, Gareth’s works for flute & piano, and for flute choir are performed across the globe. Gareth has worked with Concordia since 2003, and has been a Concordia International Ambassador since 2008, travelling to Siena, Shanghai and Nairobi with Gillian Humphreys on her vital mission of Building Bridges through Music and the Arts. Gareth is a Haynes Artist playing on a specially made Haynes 14K Gold Flute #54321.
 

Holly Cook works as a freelance flautist, who, in addition to classical flute performs on a number of non-western flutes and whistles. Her career to date has included a mentorship with the BBC Concert Orchestra with principal flautist Ileana Ruheman, and performances on BBC Radio 3's In Tune and Late Junction. She has recorded on Katie Melua's 2013 album Ketevan and her whistle playing features on folk band Skinny Lister's album Forge and Flageon, which has been aired on BBC Radio 2. She has also performed on a number of flutes, panpipes and whistles at the Spitalfields Music Festival, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and in ENO's John Cage Musicircus and with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory and his Moog Ensemble with Charles Hazlewood conducting. Holly was awarded an Emerging Excellence Award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund in 2012 and is a Selected Artist for Making Music's Concert Promoter's Group. Holly completed a role as the Richard Carne Junior Fellow at Trinity Laban conservatoire of Music and Dance in July 2012 , where she specialised in flute works inspired by folk and non-western traditions.  Holly is also passionate about teaching. She works in a number of London schools, and regularly deputises as a flute teacher at Junior Trinity. She has given flute classes at the Purcell School and Trinity Laban, and also enjoys giving workshops demonstrating different kinds of flutes from around the world. Holly graduated with a Master's degree with a distinction in performance from Trinity Laban in 2009, where she studied flute with Anna Noakes and ethnic flutes with Andy Findon and Tony Hinnigan. She was awarded an FTCL in performance and an LTCL in Instrumental Teaching with Distinction from Trinity College London in 2008. Holly has gratefully received scholarships from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Richard Carne Trust, the Leverhulme Trust, EMI Sound Foundation and the Elizabeth Wright Charitable Trust. As an Artist of the Concordia Foundation, Holly has performed at Benjamin Franklin House, UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, as part of Concordia's Healing Power of Music programme, and at St Martin-in-the-Fields in January 2016.

Award-winning young flautist, Helena Gourd, presents an exciting programme showcasing a diverse range of flute repertoire from Germany, America, England and France. A 2014 winner of the Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Music Scholarship, Helena has an exciting year ahead of her with highlights including a solo recital at the Royal Festival Hall in May 2015, a performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with the Mondfleck Ensemble and participation in the London Sinfonietta Academy 2014. As a recitalist, Helena has performed across the UK at venues such as St. James’s Piccadilly, the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival, the Glasgow Music Festival and at the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. She was winner of the Royal Academy of Music Flute competition in 2013 and was awarded 3rd place in the British Flute Society International Competition. As an orchestral player she has worked with ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra, English National Ballet, Size Zero Opera and the London Mahler Orchestra as well as the RAM Symphony Orchestra. Helena graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2014 with a first class honours where she studied with Karen Jones and Sam Coles. During her time there she was winner of the Violet. M Wallace award and the Joyce Anne Beckett Prize. Concert highlights include performing Stockhausen’s “Gruppen” with the Manson Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta at the Festival Hall as well as a side by side performance with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in the Proms. Helena was winner of the Woodwind Prize as well as the Concerto Competition during her time at Junior RSAMD and enjoyed many of her formative years as principal flute with Camerata Scotland and NYOS. Working in music outreach projects is something Helena has a keen interest in and she has been lucky enough to work with the English Touring Opera, Wigmore Hall Learning and the Sistema Scotland.
 

Daniel Shao was born in 1995, and currently studies with Kate Hill and Gitte Marcusson, while attending Oxford University. He previously attended the Purcell School, and has played in many masterclasses to Flautists such as Denis Bouriakov, Rachel Brown, Michael Cox, Gareth Davies, and Robert Winn. Daniel has won prizes in National and International Competitions including 1st Prizes at the British Flute Society Competition 'School Performer', International Award 'Carl Reinecke' in Italy (Junior Category) and 2nd Prize in the Bromsgrove International Young Musician Competition, and the Ernest Bloch International Competition. He was a Wind Finalist of BBC Young Musician 2014 and was the joint winner of the Felsenstein Leavers Award at the Purcell School. Other prizes include winner of Newbury Young Musician of the Year, Gregynog Young Wind Player of the year, the Oxford Philomusica and Brighton 'Springboard' Concerto Competitions, and 2nd prize in the Eastbourne Soloists Competition. Daniel has played concertos with orchestras including the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, German Radio Orchestra (conducted by Martin Fischer-Dieskau), Oxford Philomusica, Amadeus Orchestra and Kingston Chamber Orchestra, and performs regularly at venues across the UK as part of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. In 2015 he was accepted into the Academy Schemes of the London Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. Daniel is extremely interested in new music, and has commissioned and premiered new pieces for Flute by young composers such as Kristina Arakelyan, Philip Dutton and Joshua Hagley. He has played in premieres of orchestral and chamber works by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Judith Weir. Regular chamber music partners include Harpist Juliana Myslov and Pianist Sasha Gracheva. Daniel has performed at UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, as part of Concordia's Healing Power of Music programme.

 

Chloë Vincent is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she was awarded a first class honours degree and received the Marjorie and Dorothy Whyte memorial fund graduation prize. During this time she studied with Sarah Newbold, Philippa Davies and Ian Clarke and won the 'Needlemakers' Woodwind Prize in her final year. Chloë has performed with a number of orchestras including the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Brandenburg Sinfonia and the Welsh National Opera.  Recent international performances include tours to China and Japan with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and a European tour with Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Commercial experience includes TV performances on Loose Women, GMTV and the Jonathan Ross show and studio work for artists such as Mika and Kanye West. Chloë has performed in master classes with Sir James Galway, Michael Cox, Emily Beynon, William Bennett and Linda Chesis and also received a scholarship to attend the Banff Centre in Canada as an Artist in Residence. Chloë has appeared as a soloist with Wycombe Sinfonia and London Youth Wind Band and has given solo recitals at the Wales Millennium Centre, the Henley Festival, St James Piccadilly and for the Concordia Foundation. Chloë is a keen chamber music and is a founding member of the award winning Treblos Wind Quintet.
 

Helen Wilson studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music. She was kindly granted a Musicians Benevolant Fund Postgraduate Award, Countess of Munster Postgraduate Award and an ABRSM scholarship to fund her Masters Degree. Helen’s successes include winning the Harriet Cohen Award, RNCM Gold Medal Award, RNCM Concerto Competition, British Flute Society Performance Plus Competition, she is a Park Lane Group Young Artist and was a woodwind finalist in BBC Young Musician of the Year 2006. Recent performing highlights include playing a concerto alongside the Manchester Camerata. Helen freelances with orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, Sinfonia Cymru and has played with training orchestras including the EUYO. Helen is the founder of flute trio “Tempest”, winners of the Royal Overseas League Chamber Competition and 2nd prize in the 15th International Kuhlau Flute Competition. The trio has performed in venues including the Wigmore Hall and lead workshops as members of Live Music Now!

CLARINETTISTS

Jordan Black was born in Swindon but spent most of his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where he started learning the clarinet from the age of seven. He is currently at music college. Jordan is extremely passionate about performing and reached the 2012 category final of BBC Young Musician of the Year. Jordan Black is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Timothy Lines, where he receives a full scholarship supported by Sir Elton John. In recent months, Jordan was one of the Woodwind Finalists in the BBC Young Musician 2012 and also made a solo appearance with the London Mozart Players at a Gala Dinner hosted by TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex at Windsor Castle. Jordan was a music scholar at Monkton Combe School in Bath, and then attended The Purcell School for his Sixth Form Studies. He was also a member of the Royal College of Music Junior Department (RCMJD) studying with Guy Cowley. In 2011, he was made Principal Clarinet of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) playing under conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, Kristjan Järvi and Vladimir Jurowski in such venues as the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Royal Festival Hall. He has won the Marjorie Humby Memorial Competition and the Peter Morrison Concerto Competition at the RCMJD. Whilst at the Purcell School, he won the Croydon Music Festival’s Concerto Competition for Advanced Students and was given the opportunity to perform a recital at the Wigmore Hall. Awards include the prestigious Arthur Bulgin medal presented to a member of the NYO by The Worshipful Company of Musicians and the Esther Coleman Prize upon leaving the RCMJD.
 

Max Welford graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and has since performed widely in the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia. He is a 2014 Park Lane Group Young Artist and will make his Wigmore Hall solo debut in Spring 2015. Max recently debuted at the Purcell Room with duo partner Katherine Tinker. The duo also gave the world premiere of Shiva Feshareki’s “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. As a concerto soloist Max has recently worked with composer Colin Matthews in a public workshop of his completion of Benjamin Britten’s unfinished clarinet concerto, which was followed by two London performances. Other recent appearances have included performances at St. John’s Smith Square, at St. James’s Picadilly, in the St. Giles Barbican’s ‘Rising Stars’ Series and for music societies across the country. As a chamber musician Max performs with a number of ensembles, most notably as a founder of the Marylebone Wind Quintet (2012 Tunnell Trust Award winners). In 2014 he will perform Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with both the London Chamber Collective and the Rosemary Consort, a piece he first performed with the Castalian String Quartet at Kings Place. During Max’s studies he was the recipient of several of RAM’s performance prizes, including the 2012 Harold Craxton Prize for a performance of Brahms’ Clarinet Trio with cellist Hermione Jones and the late pianist Jacob Barnes.
 

OBOISTS

Manou Rolland was born in London in 1996. Since September 2015, Manou has been a student of Alexei Ogrintchouk at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva. Before then, Manou studied with Stéphane Rancourt at the Chetham’s School of Music and Dudu Carmel on a full scholarship in the International Programme at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv. Manou also has taken part in courses with distinguished oboists including Nick Deutsch, Lucas Macias-Navarro and David Walter. He has performed extensively both in the UK and abroad as soloist, chamber musician and principal oboe and has played with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Daniel Harding and Jesús López-Cobos. As principal oboe of the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra he performed at a number of prestigious venues and festivals including the Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and the Cheltenham and Lichfield Festivals. In both 2013 and 2014 he was one of two oboists selected worldwide for the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. In the Summer of 2015, he was invited to take part in international festivals in France and Austria. Manou made his London recital debut at St James's Piccadilly in 2014, as an Artist of the Concordia Foundation.
 

RECORDER PLAYERS

Jill Kemp is passionate about raising the recorder’s profile and proving it to be an exciting and versatile instrument. As a soloist and chamber musician, her repertoire spans seven centuries and she regularly performs premieres and new commissions. Winner of numerous prizes, in 2007 she won the Royal Over-Seas League Wind and Brass Competition, the first recorder player to do so in its 57-year history. Jill has broadcast on the BBC, Classic FM and American, Italian and Polish television. Recital venues throughout Europe and the USA include Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Harrogate International Festival, Castle Howard and the Isle of Man Early Music Festival. She has performed with many ensembles, including Red Priest, the Brodowski Quartet, Stile Antico and the LSO. Jill studied at the Guildhall School and Goldsmiths College, and with teachers including Michala Petri and Piers Adams. Jill has given masterclasses throughout Europe and the USA and has examined for Trinity Laban and adjudicated for the IBLA Grand Prize and Help Musicians UK. She has given regular masterclasses and concerts at Dartington International Summer School since 2008. Her work as a recording artist includes sessions at Abbey Road for Harry Potter, The Fantastic Mr Fox, Philomena and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Jill has written articles for Classic FM, Music Teacher and Muso Magazines.
 

TRUMPETERS

Sarah Field  Performances have taken Sarah from the Brit Awards with Westlife, the Mercury award winning band ‘Elbow’, to Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto at the Southbank London and the UK premiere of Stockhausen’s Abduction for saxophone and electronics. Performing regularly on a range of instruments, Sarah has appeared recently with Sting on his tour of Europe and newly released DVD, On a Winters Night. She also opened singer Seal’s Australian and European tours with a trumpet solo to audiences of 16,000. Past solo appearances include performing with the BBC Concert Orchestra, the RTE, the National Symphony of Ireland, the Kwa Zulu Natal Philharmonic in South Africa and the Aurora Orchestra in a performance of Ibert’s Saxophone Concertino. Sarah won both the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Main Solo Award for Woodwind and Brass and the Making Music Award for Young Concert Artists. Sarah directs the International Saxophone Summer Course of Musicfest at Aberystwyth, Wales. Teaching includes work at the Royal College of Music, the Trinity College of Music and Drama and the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as well as coaching the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Recent projects include leading outreach work for Live Music Now! as part of the Abu Dhabi International Music Festival. Sarah studied both trumpet and saxophone at the Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and with John Wallace & John Harle. As a soloist, Sarah’s international tours have included New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Brunei with pianist Simon Lepper, the Harare International Festival with marimba player Mike Hamnett and the USA.
 

Sam Kinrade Originally from the Isle of Man, Sam moved to Manchester aged 14 to study at Chetham’s School of Music. Since then he has studied with some of the UK’s finest principal trumpet players (Gareth Small – Hallé, Paul Beniston – LPO, Alan Thomas – CBSO, and Alistair Mackie – Philharmonia) and at some of the finest conservatoires, recently receiving a Bachelors of Music (Hons, First Class) form the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and currently studying for his Masters of Performance at the Royal College of Music. During his time in London Sam has played his way through the UK training orchestras (University of London Symphony Orchestra, Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra – principal, European Union Youth Orchestra) and, although still studying, has embarked on his professional career having performed with the Hallé at the BBC Proms, the Philharmonia, and the London Symphony Orchestra already, as well as being selected for the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s extra players list. Whilst pursuing an orchestral career Sam has a busy chamber music schedule regularly performing with his brass quintet, Quintabile, giving public recitals, performances for livery companies around London, and workshopping around the UK as part of the Live Music Now! scheme. Also, a keen interest in teaching, often working with the LSO Discovery team on their various education projects around London, means that Sam is already aiding the next generation of young musicians, something he hopes to continue doing through out his future career.