Performers’ Biographies

Gerard McChrystal, Saxophone
Gerard McChrystal comes from Derry in Northern Ireland. He took up the saxophone in 1982 and by 1989 had already performed concertos with the Philharmonia, London, RTE Concert Orchestra, Dublin, and the RNCM Wind Orchestra, Manchester. Gerard studied at the RNCM, Manchester, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and graduated with an MA from Northwestern University, Chicago.
Gerard has performed in over twenty countries including South Africa, USA, Korea, New Zealand, India, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Caribbean, Germany, Sweden as well as throughout the UK and Ireland. Venues have included San Francisco Opera House, USA, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore, Jakarta Opera House, Indonesia, Baku Opera House, Azerbaijan, The Stattshalle, Stuttgart, The Rossini Theatre, Italy, The Royal Albert Hall, London, Wigmore Hall, London, St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, The National Concert Hall, Dublin and The Ulster Hall, Belfast. In 1992 Gerard completed a world tour with the quartet, Saxtet, starting in Bombay and ending in Hawaii.
Gerard has premiered pieces by or worked with, Sir Harrison Birtwhistle, Sir Malcolm Arnold, John Taverner, James MacMillan, Dave Heath, Michael Kamen, David Bedford, John Metcalf, Gary Carpenter, Michael McGlynn and Tommy Smith. In 1999 Gerard premiered and broadcast a BBC commissioned concerto by Belfast born composer, Ian Wilson called Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue.
Orchestras and artists Gerard has worked with include: The Orchestra of San Francisco Ballet; The Stattsorchestra, Stuttgart; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; BBC Concert Orchestra; City of London Sinfonia; National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland; Seoul Wind Orchestra, Korea; The Soweto String Quartet, Johannesburg; vocal group Anuna; percussion group Ensemble Bash and pianist Joanna McGregor.
Gerard became the first person from UK/Ireland to be invited to give a concerto performance with orchestra at the World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, USA in July 2003. Later that month he premiered a new work by Edward Watson with the Karol Syzmanowski String Quartet. In August he toured Ireland as soloist with The National Youth Wind Orchestra of GB. In Sep. 2003 he broadcast Mobiles, a new concerto by John Metcalf with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Gerard concluded a hectic summer with an appearance at the BBC Proms in The Park with the Ulster Orchestra performing to an audience of over 7000 people.
In 2006 Gerard was a concerto soloist at the World Saxophone Congress held in Ljubljana,Slovenia. His recording pluckblow with Australian guitarist, Craig Ogden was released by Meridian Records, London in September 2006. 2007 saw the release of an album with The Smith Quartet on RTE Lyricfm Records and a concerto CD with The BBC National Orchestra of Wales on Signum Records.

The Badke String Quartet
The Badke Quartet comprising of Heather Badke and Emma Parker on Violin, Eniko Magyar on Viola and Jonathan Byers on ‘Cello, formed in 2002 and is widely recognised as one of Britain's finest young string quartets. Winners of the 1st prize and audience prize at the 5th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 2007, the Badke Quartet has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and vibrant performances.
The Quartet currently hold the Senior Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music, which involves them giving a concert series and coaching chamber music.
The Quartet regularly performs at festivals in the UK and abroad, including the Aldeburgh, Verbier and Bellerive Festivals, Belfast Festival at Queen's, Chichester Festivities and the London String Quartet Week. The Quartet has performed in some of the UK's most prestigious chamber music venues such as the Wigmore Hall, St. George's Bristol, St. David's Hall Cardiff, Bridgewater Hall, St. John's Smith Square, and the Royal Festival Hall.
All graduates from the RAM, they have worked with some of the world's finest string quartets. They regularly study with Gabor Takács-Nagy at IMS Prussia Cove and in 2006-08 they were accepted onto the Alban Berg Quartet's chamber music class in Cologne, where they travelled once a month for a period of intensive study.
In 2007/08 the Quartet took on a residency with Britten-Pears in Aldeburgh, and returned to perform in the Verbier Festival as well as being the main coaches in the Amateur Chamber Music Week. They also performed at many summer festivals such as the Lichfield, Montreux, Mecklenburg and the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Ireland.
This season, the Quartet has made their Musikverein debut in Vienna, will perform with Mark Padmore in France, tour Scotland and in May 2009 return to Ireland for a Music Network Tour.
2009 also sees the Quartet return to the Wigmore Hall twice and perform at London's newest chamber music venue King's Place.
No strangers to the airwaves, the Quartet has broadcast live on Classic FM, Lyric FM (Ireland), ABC Classic FM (Australia), the European Broadcasting Union and most recently performed live on BBC Radio 3.
The Badke Quartet is most grateful to the Hattori Foundation, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, Fidelio Charitable Trust, Tillett Trust and several private sponsors for their continued support.
The Quartet play on a fine set of instruments on loan from the Royal Academy of Music's Collection including two Gagliano violins, a Grancino viola and the Segelman Stradivarius cello.

The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain
“The height of professionalism…truly orchestral…virtuoso performances…fans of any kind of good music, or just of good anything, should splash out on a ticket for this kind of performance.”  Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Fresh from featuring on the hit BBC1 series Play It Again, The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain is an extraordinarily talented ensemble of professional saxophonists committed to encourage new writing for the saxophone and to introduce audiences to a sound that is rich, diverse and unimaginably awesome. 
Audiences will be thrilled with the sound of over 20 musicians performing a range of musical genres which will demonstrate the agility of the saxophone and the amazing musicianship of this ensemble.
All this coupled with their usual high energy performance of funky reels, crazy rags, not to mention Bohemian Rhapsody should make for an exciting afternoon of music not to be missed.

4 Girls, 4 Harps
The musicianship and elegance of the four award-winning harpists that form 4 Girls 4 Harps has captivated audiences around the world. They have performed at international harp festivals and events, in concert halls, theatres, and broadcast on BBC radio and ITV television.
Performing on their full-sized Salvi concert harps and modern pearlescent electric harps, Keziah Thomas, Angharad Wyn Jones, Harriet Adie and Eleanor Turner present entertaining programmes of music encompassing many contrasting genres to delight audiences of all ages.
With music ranging from Handel, Schubert and Debussy to Gershwin, Joplin and Lecuona, the dynamic and virtuosic playing of 4 Girls 4 Harps, and the amazing sound of four harps, is guaranteed to make an impact.

Kathryn Cartwright, Flute
Kathryn works as a freelance, solo, chamber and orchestral flautist and has performed at numerous venues throughout the UK and abroad.  To date she has performed extensively in the UK and in France, Norway, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia.

Her orchestral work has included: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, New London Sinfonietta, West London Opera and various West End Shows. Kathryn’s Chamber work includes playing with the Collegiate Wind Ensemble, The Bergamot Ensemble and the Washburn Trio.

Other solo work includes performing and recording new works for composers including Cecelia McDowall, Kit Turnbull, Nigel Clark, Paul Max Edlin and Roxanna Panufnik. She has performed on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Hereford and Worcester.
 
As a teenager Kathryn studied with Janet Hiles at the Elgar School of Music in Worcester and after a summer music course, at the age of 15, she was invited to be taught by Judith Hall, the principal flautist at the Opera House in Covent Garden, London.  Christopher Hyde-Smith taught Kathryn both flute and piccolo throughout her undergraduate course and gained her BMus and Fellowship under his expert tuition.  Kathryn later went onto study for her Post Graduate Performance Diploma and later her FLCM in Flute Performance.

Kathryn now enjoys a balanced life of performing as a duo with Melanie Rhinehart, teaching in Uppingham and Market Harborough, running the GBRT Youth Choir & GBRT Flute Choir and has recently qualified as a music examiner for Trinity Guildhall.

The Eluard Trio
Roger Owens, Lionel Handy and Adrian Adlam met at Winchester College in 2004 where they teach in the Music Department. All three musicians have wide experience performing both solo repertoire and chamber music. Roger Owens has made several concerto appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish National Orchestra. Lionel Handy performs regularly as the principal cellist with the London Sinfonietta as well as being a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, and Adrian Adlam has been a guest leader of several major European Orchestras. As a Trio they have given a highly successful radio broadcast from Berlin in 2005 which has led to invitations to perform in Spain in 2006 and Germany in 2007. A recent review described the Eluard Trio as “an outstanding combination of passion, musical depth and technical expertise”.
Roger Owens – piano
Described as “one of the most formidable talents to emerge from the Royal College of Music in recent years”, Roger Owens enjoys a busy career incorporating many facets of musical life. He has appeared as solo recitalist and concerto soloist at major venues throughout the British Isles including the Barbican, St John’s Smith Square, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and St. David’s Hall in Cardiff. Most recently he has performed Schumann’s Piano Concerto in Lowestoft and Northampton and Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto at the Barbican, London all with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; and Grieg’s Piano Concerto at the Barbican with the London Concert Orchestra. His recent solo recital appearances include the Great Comp Festival, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Winchester’s Theatre Royal, Theatr Mwldan in Cardiganshire and Turner Simms Hall in Southampton. He has just returned from chamber performances at the Freden International Music Festival, Germany and the Caprichos Musicales de Comillas, Spain as a member of the Eluard Piano Trio. Future appearances include a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Born in Pembrokeshire, he studied piano with the late Peter Gould, formerly Head of Music BBC Radio, and at the RCM with John Barstow. During a distinguished College career, from which he graduated with an M.Mus Degree in Performance Studies with Distinction (1994), he was presented with many of their most prestigious awards, including the Chappell and Tagore Gold Medals, and became the first recipient of the President Emerita Scholarship bequeathed by the late Queen Mother. Subsequent successes have included first prize at the Royal Over Seas League Piano Competition (1994), the Harriet Cohen Music Award (1996) and the Bryden Thomson Memorial Recital Prize at the Scottish International Piano Competition (1998).
His wide ranging repertoire includes the major works for solo piano along with contemporary music and he has been involved in several premieres of works by Alun Hoddinott. As a chamber musician he has performed in Prague, Vienna, Bonn, The Hague, Gibraltar and Japan. He has broadcast many times on British television and radio, most notably for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. His recent CD recording of Liszt’s Piano Music (Claudio) was received with critical acclaim.
Roger Owens is currently Head of Keyboard at Peter Symonds College, Winchester, where he is heavily involved in specialist chamber music preparation and performance. He is happily married to Johanna, has a son, Carwyn and daughter, Seren.
Adrian Adlam – violin
A highly versatile musician, Adrian Adlam combines careers as a performer, conductor and teacher. As a soloist and chamber musician he has performed throughout Europe, the USA and Japan. He has been invited to appear as leader with several European orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish BBC Symphony Orchestra in which he has collaborated with such distinguished musicians as Bernstein, Boulez, Mehta, Solti, Ozawa, Haitink, Davis and Tilson Thomas. His concerto performances have included the concerti by Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Wienawski, Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi. He has received critical acclaim for his conducting and he has given frequent broadcasts for both radio and television.
His CD recordings have included major chamber music works. His recent recording of works for violin by Carl Nielsen received a Supersonic Award and his recording of the Schubert octet was voted Surround Sound Audio DVD of the Year in Germany.
As artistic director of the International Freden Music Festival in Germany he takes annual responsibility for the programming and commissioning of new works by some of our leading contemporary composers in addition to directing the performances and live broadcasts of the Festival Ensemble.
Forthcoming recordings include works by Spohr and Korngold. Married with two children he lives in Winchester where he is currently Head of Strings at Winchester College.
Lionel Handy – ’cello
Lionel Handy has established himself as one of the most versatile cellists of his generation, successfully combining a solo career with chamber music, teaching and orchestral playing which has taken him on tours all over the world. He was a scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music where he won all the prizes for ‘cello and chamber music, including the prestigious Moir Carnegie Recital Diploma prize, and Principal’s prize. He was awarded the National Muriel Taylor Competition from Jacqueline du Pre, and with several important scholarship awards, he was able to continue his studies with Pierre Fournier in Geneva, and also Janos Starker in Canada. This was a particularly influential phase in his artistic development, inspired by the honesty and integrity of Fournier’s interpretations.
He has given several solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank including British Premieres, and gives regular performances in festivals throughout the country. In 2001, he was invited to participate in the inaugural South African chamber music festival performing the Arpeggione Sonata, and recent foreign tours have included performances of sonatas by Brahms, Rachmaninov, Martinu and Britten. He was principal cellist with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields for ten years, and as solo cellist with the Bournemouth Sonfonietta from 1995-1999, he gave many concerto performances with a repertoire ranging from C.P.E. Bach to Taverner. Since 1999 he has been invited to play guest principal cello with many orchestras, including the Philharmonia, London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras.
As a chamber musician, he has been invited to broadcast frequently on BBC Radio 3 and has made numerous commercial recordings. He is a member of the London Music Phoenix ensemble.
He teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded ARAM for professional distinction, in addition to summer schools in Denmark, Greece and Germany.
Lionel plays on a Venetian cello by Montagnana kindly loaned by the Poulton Family.

Craig Ogden, Guitar
Craig Ogden made his Royal Albert Hall debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez in a Classic FM Live concert. He has also performed concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia (with Vladimir Ashkenazy), Accademia di Santa Cecilia (Rome), Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National, Bournemouth Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Northern Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, Riga Kammermusika, St Petersburg Festival Orchestra, English Chamber, English Symphony, English Sinfonia, Ulster Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, National Orchestra of South Africa, Tasmania Symphony, West Australian Symphony and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras.
Craig Ogden regularly appears as soloist and chamber musician at the major London venues including the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Barbican. He has also performed at most of the main UK festivals and is the most sought after guitarist for chamber music in the UK performing with the Brodsky Quartet, Nash Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, tenors Mark Padmore, Ian Bostridge and John Mark Ainsley, Claire Bradshaw (mezzo-soprano), Paul Tanner (percussion), Gerard McChrystal (saxophone), Alison Stephens (mandolin) and Judith Hall (flute). Craig also frequently records for film and was featured on the British hit, Notting Hill. Ogden’s world premiere performances include a concerto written for him by Gerard Brophy (Australia) (with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra), Sun Trap (for solo guitar) by Jonathan Cole commissioned by the Britten Festival, The Hinchinbrook Riffs (for solo guitar and digital delay) by Nigel Westlake and an Alec Roth song cycle for the Chester Festival. He has also given UK premieres of guitar concertos by John Corigliano (USA) and Aaron Jay Kernis (USA). Commissions currently in planning include concertos from John McCabe, John Metcalf and Ciaran Farrell.
Craig Ogden is married to British opera singer Claire Bradshaw with whom he frequently appears in concert. The duo has toured Australia and South Africa and perform regularly in festivals, for music societies and on radio in the UK. Craig Ogden is Principal Lecturer in Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Richard Saxel & Faith Leadbetter, Piano Duo
A prize-winning piano duet committed to performing both familiar and new works for four hands at one piano (and also for two pianos) in a dynamic fashion. Faith Leadbetter and Richard Saxel were the first ever ensemble to win the National Federation of Music Societies Making Music Award for Young Concert Artists, and have previously been selected artists in the Concert Promoters Network brochure.

Their flexible and unusual programming, combined with entertaining spoken introductions to the repertoire they perform has made them very popular with music societies around the UK, and they have also given major recitals and master classes at the Dartington International Summer School.

Lionel Handy, Cello
Lionel Handy has established himself as one of the most versatile cellists of his generation, successfully combining a solo career with chamber music, teaching and orchestral playing which has taken him on tours all over the world. He was a scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music where he won all the prizes for ‘cello and chamber music, including the prestigious Moir Carnegie Recital Diploma prize, and Principal’s prize. He was awarded the National Muriel Taylor Competition from Jacqueline du Pre, and with several important scholarship awards, he was able to continue his studies with Pierre Fournier in Geneva, and also Janos Starker in Canada. This was a particularly influential phase in his artistic development, inspired by the honesty and integrity of Fournier’s interpretations.
He has given several solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank including British Premieres, and gives regular performances in festivals throughout the country. In 2001, he was invited to participate in the inaugural South African chamber music festival performing the Arpeggione Sonata, and recent foreign tours have included performances of sonatas by Brahms, Rachmaninov, Martinu and Britten. He was principal cellist with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields for ten years, and as solo cellist with the Bournemouth Sonfonietta from 1995-1999, he gave many concerto performances with a repertoire ranging from C.P.E. Bach to Taverner. Since 1999 he has been invited to play guest principal cello with many orchestras, including the Philharmonia, London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras.
As a chamber musician, he has been invited to broadcast frequently on BBC Radio 3 and has made numerous commercial recordings. He is a member of the London Music Phoenix ensemble.
He teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded ARAM for professional distinction, in addition to summer schools in Denmark, Greece and Germany.
Lionel plays on a Venetian cello by Montagnana kindly loaned by the Poulton Family.

Vida Guitar Quartet
The VIDA Guitar Quartet brings together four guitarists of exceptional artistry who share a passion for chamber music. After their debut at the World Youth Guitar Festival in 2007, the Quartet have rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic guitar ensembles in the UK, performing at venues including Kings Place (London), the Sage (Gateshead), St George’s (Bristol) and other events such as London Guitar Festival in the Fall, Bath International Guitar Festival, Dilllington Guitar Festival, and Winchester Guitar Festival. 

Mark Ashford is an internationally renowned performer and teacher.  A former scholarship student at both Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, Mark finished his studies with the eminent guitarist David Russell in Vigo, Spain. He is a prize winner at many national and international competitions including the Guitar Foundation of America, Alessandria International Guitar Competition, Scandinavian International Guitar Competition, Julian Bream Prize, and BBC Radio 2 Young Musician.  He has performed as a soloist at major concert halls including, the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall, Queens Hall (Edinburgh), St George’s Bristol and the Guildhall London.  Mark’s latest solo CD is of Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’  recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Cleobury. He teaches at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music and in 2003 was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for his achievements in the music profession.

Mark Eden and Christopher Stell are well known as the Eden Stell Guitar Duo, one of the most innovative guitar ensembles in the world. They formed in 1990 whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and continued their studies with Sérgio and Odair Assad in Brussels. The duo’s career was launched auspiciously as winners of both the South East Young Musicians Platform and the Park Lane Group young artist concert series. Since then they have gone on to record eight CDs on the BGS, Docker and Hänssler Classic labels, their latest ‘Music for an Island’ BGS117 is a multimedia CD. Mark and Christopher have perform in over 20 countries at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre and Germany’s Stuttgart and Beethoven Halle. Concerto engagements have included performances with renowned ensembles such as the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the duo are the only guitarists since Julian Bream to receive an ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine. They hold teaching positions at the Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior department, and give classes in other music academies and guitar festivals all over the world. They were elected Associates of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of their performing achievements and are D’Addario strings sponsored artists.

Helen Sanderson studied guitar at the Royal College of Music with Charles Ramirez, graduating with both the Madeline Walton prize for guitar and the prestigious Anthony Saltmarsh Bursary. Her active concert career has included concerts at major international guitar festivals and recitals at the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barbican Hall, the Academy of Arts (Berlin), the British Embassy in Vienna, Bath International Guitar Festival and Winchester Guitar Festival. In addition to her solo performances, Helen is also much in demand as an adjudicator, recording artist and accompanist for voice and guitar repertoire, working in partnerships with Mark Wilde (tenor) ‘Ancient Melodies’ (Docker Records), Susan Legg (mezzo-soprano), and the eminent countertenor James Bowman.

‘Love, the Magician’ (BGS118) is the VIDA Guitar Quartet’s debut CD recording with the BGS label with a programme of distinctly Andalucian flavour.

VIDA Guitar Quartet play D'Addario strings.