Ruth Gibson

Ruth is from Dublin and began her musical studies at the age of five, studying the violin with Maria Keleman and later with Ronald Masin, transferring her studies to viola at the age of 11. In the summer of 2004 she was a finalist in the European String Teachers’ Association Young Musician of the Year, coming second overall in her category. She has twice performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in Dublin’s National Concert Hall with the Young European Strings.

In 2005 Ruth began her undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studies with Predrag Katanic and is the recipient of an RNCM entrance award. Since starting at the RNCM she has participated in solo masterclasses with Thomas Riebl and Marco van Pagee and chamber music classes with the Endellion and New Zealand string quartets. Ruth is a regular perfomer at the College’s annual chamber music festivals, and in 2006 she was awarded second prize in the RNCM Viola Competition, and the following year was awarded first prize.

Ruth is a member of the Finzi string quartet with whom she has participated in masterclasses and received coaching from the late Christopher Rowland, the Endellion and Elias (formerly Johnston) Quartets, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Thomas Riebl and Andras Keller. Over the past two years the quartet has studied with members of the Alban Berg Quartett at the Britten-Pears International Academy of String Quartets in Aldeburgh and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. They have also attended the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove in the class of Andras Keller, were selected for the Tunnell Trust Blair Athol Showcase, and from next year will be visiting students at the Instituto Internacional de Musica da Camara de Madrid in the class of the Alban Berg’s first violinist, Gunter Pichler. They are recipients of the 2009 Tunnell Trust Award and will be Quartet in Residence at Aldeburgh next February.

Ruth has completed both her ABRSM and LRSM performance diplomas and regularly gives solo and chamber music recitals in her native Ireland and throughout the North West. In 2005 Ruth was honoured to take part in a masterclass with Mstislav Rostropovich at the Xenia Ensemble Chamber Music Course in Italy, and over the last two years has taken part in the K16 International Festival in Poland, the Schumann and Brahms Festival at BBC Manchester and regularly leads the RNCM’s chamber and symphony orchestras. In the third year of her degree, Ruth was a finalist in both the RNCM’s Paganini Prize and the J&A Beare Solo Bach Competition. This summer she took part in the Bantry Chamber Music Festival in Ireland and the Cheltenham Festival and attended the Bad Leonfelden and Apeldoorn Summer Academies in the classes of Thomas Riebl and Asdis Valdimarsdottir respectively.

Ruth Gibson appears by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music, www.rncm.ac.uk 


 

Kaja Margrethe Aadne

Kaja was born in Roskilde, Denmark in 1980, and began playing the cello at the age of nine studying with Jorn Lauritzen at the Ishoj Musikskole. Three years later she was accepted on the MGK, a three year Conservatory preparatory course in Ishoj, Denmark, to study with Professor Asger Lund Christiansen.

In 1992 Kaja was selected to participate in ‘Unge Talenter’ on Norwegian Television. In 1994 she won first prize in the Berlingske Tidene Musikkoncurrence and was accepted to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1996 where she received lessons from Professor Asger Lund Christiansen, Professor Morten Zeuthen and Troels Svane. She also received chamber music tuition form Professor Tim Fredriksen. In the spring of 1997 Kaja performed the Haydn D Major Cello Concerto with Koge Symfoniorkester. She graduated with a Diploma from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2002. In 1999 Kaja was accepted at the Musikhochschule in Lubeck, Germany where she studied for two years with Professor Troels Svane.

Kaja has been particularly active as a chamber musician and as a member of the Paizo Quartet won first prize and the audience prize at the Trondheims First International Chamber Music Conference in 2000. The Quartet were also prize winners in the Danmarks Radios P2 Koncurrense in 2002. As soloist and chamber musician Kaja has been an active participant in masterclasses with Frans Helmerson, David Geringas, Ralf Kirshbaum, Norbert Brainin, Sigmund Nissel, Gerhard Schultz and the Medici and Prazak Quartets.

Kaja has performed as soloist and chamber musician in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Most memorable performances include concerts in Tivolis Konsertsal, Daimanten, Charlottenborg Slot, Frederiksvaerk Sommerfestival, Fuglsang and an extensive quartet tour of Norway in 2001. After graduating from the Royal Danish Conservatory she was employed by the Royal Danish Opera from August 2002 until January 2004.

Kaja Margrethe Aadne is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music with Professor Kim Bak Dinitzen. Most recently Kaja gave recitals at St Ann’s Church and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

Kaja Aadne appears by kind permission of the Principal, RNCM.

Nathaniel Boyd

Nathaniel Boyd was born in 1983 and started studying the cello at the age of four at the Preparatory Department of the Guildhall. At the age of nine he joined the Junior Guildhall School of Music where he studied with Selma Gokcen. He also studied regularly with William Pleeth.

At the Guildhall, Nathaniel was principal cellist of both the Symphony Orchestra and the String Ensemble, with which he appeared as soloist. He is passionate about chamber music and has performed in numerous Chamber Music Festivals both in England and abroad at venues such as St Martin in the Fields and the Barbican. Recently, Nathaniel has taken part in masterclasses at the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove and The London Masterclasses with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian. In March 2002 he performed Boccherini's G major cello concerto at St James' Piccadilly with the London Pergolesi Sinfonietta and was subsequently invited to return as soloist.

On finishing school, Nathaniel was offered full scholarships to study at The Royal Academy, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Northern College of Music. He is currently in his second year at the RNCM where he studies with Hannah Roberts.

Nathaniel Boyd appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.

Sadie Fields

Sadie Fields performs frequently throughout the UK and in her home country of Canada. Since being invited at the age of fourteen by conductor Victor Feldbrill to perform as soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Sadie has been featured as guest soloist with many Canadian orchestras, such as the Windsor Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, the National Festival Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Chamber Academy, and the Toronto String Orchestra. Sadie has also been featured as guest soloist with a number of orchestras throughout the UK, recently playing the Beethoven concerto, Bruch G minor concerto, Mendelssohn concerto, Alban Berg concerto, and Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending. Upcoming performances include Chausson Poeme with the Manchester Beethoven Orchestra, and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with the West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra.

Sadie appears regularly in solo recitals, and has been featured in the Guelph Musicfest, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society Series, the Caskey Recital Series, and the Guelph Spring Festival. Sadie has performed for the Prime Minister of Canada and for the late Pope John Paul II, and she has been featured in a national broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation playing works by Sarasate. In the UK, Sadie has appeared at many important music festivals including the Windsor Festival, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, the Newbury Spring Festival, and the Halifax Young Musicians’ Showcase. Sadie has also performed Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and has appeared in London at Goldsmith’s Hall and St. Bride’s Church. Sadie has attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the International School for Musical Arts, and most recently, the Salzburg Mozarteum Summer Academy, where she was selected to perform for a former president of Germany. Sadie has also been invited to perform at the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival in 2008.

Sadie has won major awards from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund, the Leverhulme Trust, the Zochonis Charitable Trust, and the Edward Johnson Music Foundation. She was also a first prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition, a winner of the Edward Johnson Music Competition, winner of the Kitchener-Waterloo Concerto Competition, and winner of the RNCM Eleanor Warren Prize and the Weil Prize.

Prior to her studies at the RNCM, Sadie received a full scholarship to attend the Young Artists Performance Academy in Toronto, where she studied with Atis Bankas. In addition, Sadie has had lessons and masterclasses with many of the most distinguished violin pedagogues, including Victor Danchenko, Aaron Rosand, Marucio Fuks, Almita Vamos, Paul Kantor, Ivry Gitlis, Zvi Zeitlin, and Nelli Schkolnikova. Sadie won a full scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, where she now studies with Prof. Yair Kless. Sadie plays on a 1677 violin by Francesco Ruggieri, kindly on loan from the RNCM. 

Sadie Fields appears by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music.

Sarah Fletcher

Sarah, who is now in her third year at the Royal Northern College of Music, began playing the violin at the age of four. She was taught by her mother Jean, and then from the age of thirteen went on to study with Nina Martin in Sheffield.

Sarah led the youth orchestra in her home town of Doncaster for five years and performed the Bruch Violin Concerto, Beethoven's Romance in F and Mozart's Concerto No 4 with them. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra for four years which took her on a European tour, playing in a number of the most famous concert venues in the world.

Sarah has gained many prizes in music festivals throughout the UK. She won the Sheffield Young Musician of the Year in 1994 and reached the regional final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. Twice she won the Music For Youth competition as part of a violin quartet. This led to a number of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall.

Last summer Sarah was invited to participate in the International School for Musical Arts in Toronto, Canada, with her professor at the RNCM, Wen Zhou Li.

Sarah Fletcher appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.

Sebastien Hurtaud

Sebastien was born in La Rochelle, France in 1979. He began studying the cello at the age of nine at the Conservatoire of La Rochelle and obtained a gold medal three years later. In 1996 he entered the Shola Cantorum of Paris in Erwan Faure's class and won the Virtuosity and Concert Diploma the same year.

In June 2003 Sebastien was awarded First Prize in M. Gamard's class at the Conservatoire Superieur National de Musique de Paris and for Chamber Music with the pianist Pamela Hurtado in Rena Scherechevskaia's class. He came to the Royal Northern College of Music in 2004 to undertake postgraduate studies with Karine Georgian.

Sebastien has performed in masterclasses with several great musicians including Arto Noras, Raphael Sommer, Alexander Rudin in the Pablo Casals Festival, Karine Georgian at the Musikhochschule Detmold, Daria Hovora in the Quinte Plus Festival in Paris. He has also performed widely throughout France and has appeared in notable festivals including St Jean Cap Ferras, Flaine, Cordes sur ciel and Deauville. He has worked with the pianists Denis Pascal and Daria Hovora and with the violinist Boris Garlitsky.

In Paris, Sebastien performed all the suites of Bach for the Festival "Musique et Patimoine" in the St Ephren Church. He has performed as soloist with the O.E.C. orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier in the great Hall of the Cite de la Musique de Paris. He also performed Haydn's concertos at the National theatre of La Rochelle with the conductor Patricia Kieffer.

Sebastien Hurtaud appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.

Yoshika Masuda

Born in 1986, Japanese/Australian cellist Yoshika Masuda started playing the cello at the age of five. He studied with Ryouichi Hayashi in Japan, Georg Pedersen at the Sydney Conservatorium and having been spotted by the cellist Ralph Kirshbaum, he is currently studying with Hannah Roberts at the Royal Northern College of Music, UK, on a full scholarship assisted by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. He has also frequently participated in masterclasses given by Richard Aaron, Alexander Baillie, Thomas Demenga, Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, Philippe Muller and Uzi Wiesel amongst others.

Yoshika has gained his A.Mus.A and L.Mus.A diplomas (AMEB) passing both with distinction, which has led to a solo performance at the Sydney Town Hall to a packed audience. He has won numerous awards previously including two silver medals at the 2000 & 2001 Sydney Cello Award, finalist in the National Youth Concerto Competition and was a recipient of the 2005 Big Brother Scholarship. He has also performed solo with the SBS TV & Radio Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Symphony and the CHS Orchestra, and has appeared on ABC Classic FM Australia-wide and 4-MBS FM. Since his arrival in the UK Yoshika has won second prize in the UK's J & A Beare Solo Bach Competition and was awarded the Amy Lindley Cello Prize and has given recitals throughout England, Australia and Japan. He has also just recently appeared at the XVI Festival Amfiteatrof on the coast of Levanto, Italy, alongside Thomas Demenga in a solo recital at the historic Saint Andrea Church.

Orchestrally, Yoshika has performed frequently with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Sinfonia, Tasmanian and the Sydney Symphony Orchestras and continues to play in the Sydney Symphony when home in Australia.

This coming year sees Yoshika performing in the UK, the south of France and Croatia.

Yoshika Masuda appears by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music, www.rncm.ac.uk.

Julian-David Erdmann Metzger

The German-born cellist Julian Metzger started his cello studies at the age of four. Since 1990 he has been living in England, where he studied with Dr. Ioan Davies, former cellist of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet. In 1992, he entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Stefan Popov. During his four-year honours degree course, Julian Metzger won several prizes and bursaries and performed as far afield as Hong Kong, where he also recorded for Radio Television Hong Kong.

Since graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Mr. Metzger has been continuing his studies with Raphael Wallfisch. His duo partner is his wife, the pianist Gitanjali Ram, with who he performs regularly in Hong Kong, England, France and Germany.

Future concerts include concertos with the South-Westphalian Philharmonic, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and the Herts Philharmonic, as well as duo recitals and further recordings for RTHK.

Desmond Neysmith

Desmond Neysmith received his Bachelors at the Royal College of Music under Professor Steven Doane and was subsequently offered the position of Teaching Assistant at the University of Akron, Ohio, where he studied with the first assistant principal of the Cleveland Orchestra, Richard Weiss.

Over the years Desmond has participated in many festival, including Aspen, Dartington and most notably at Bowdoin Summer Music Festival as both the Performing Associate and Teaching Assistant to Steven Doane. This has provided Desmond with invaluable teaching experience. He was recently invited to give a masterclass and recital at NOCCA (New Orleans Centre for the Creative Arts).

After winning first prize in the Texaco Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino String Players in March 2001, Desmond gave his US Concerto debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and following that was invited to give solo performances with Hartford, Louisiana and New World Symphony orchestras. Many of these performances were broadcast nationally on television and radio.

Further afield, Desmond has been tireless in promoting classical music in ethnic minorities. Due to his Caribbean background he has found himself in great demand as a performer and representative of an all too insignificant number of classically trained black musicians. He has given interactive workshops at inner city schools in many US cities including New York, Baltimore, Louisiana, Hartford and Miami. Most notably he was recently given the honour of being the soloist with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in their first ever performance at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church (the birthplace of Dr Martin Luther King's Civil Rights movement) on the national holiday given his namesake.

Desmond is currently at the Royal Northern College of Music pursuing his postgraduate studies under the tutelage of Karine Georgian. He is kindly supported by awards from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, The Musicians Benevolent Fund, Myra Hess Fund, The Emanuel Herwitz Chamber Music Charitable Trust and the KPMG Martin Musical Scholarship Fund.

Desmond plays on a Giovanni Grancino cello circa 1600 on kind loan from J & A Beares of London.

Desmond Neysmith appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.

Oliver Nelson

Oliver Nelson was born in Glasgow in 1972 and began learning the violin at the age of 6. At 12, he was awarded a music scholarship to Canford School studying violin with Richard Studt, and at 17, he was awarded an Exhibition to study violin with Xue-Wei, and conducting with Denise Ham, at the Royal Academy of Music. During this time, he was leader and soloist with the Academy String Orchestra, winning first prize in a concerto competition, thereby beginning his solo career. Orchestras which he has played with range from Gli Amici Della Musica, Dorset Youth Orchestra, Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra, Da Vinci Ensemble, Christchurch Sinfonia, Linoi Ensemble and Dorset Chamber Orchestra.

He has held teaching posts at Hindhead School of Music and currently at Sherborne School. He is a regular recitalist with Zoe Solomon and Peter Croser and has a particular specialisation in the unaccompanied repertoire. He is the leader of the Sorrentino Quartet and the Linoi Ensemble and is a familiar soloist with orchestras across the country with forthcoming performances of the Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven concerti in venues ranging from Dorset, Winchester to London

Helena Roques

 Helena Roques was born in 1980 and began learning the violin at the age of 4. In 1991 she decided to continue her studies at Wells Cathedral specialist music school where she was funded by a DFEE scholarship. Helena was awarded an entrance scholarship to continue her studies at the RNCM in 1998, where she received tuition from Richard Ireland whom she continues to study with now. Helena graduated from the RNCM with a First Class Honours Degree in 2003.

Helena is an active chamber musician as second violin in the Stillman Quartet. She was a finalist in the Royal Overseas League Chamber Music Competition and winner of the RNCM Barbirolli prize. The quartet also performed in the RNCM Beethoven and Schubert and Mendelssohn festivals.

Helena is also a founder member of the Roques Piano Trio who perform regularly throughout the UK and further afield, including recitals for the Lake District Summer Music Festival, Peterborough Festival, Romiley Music Club and Bishop Auckland Music Society. The Trio also performed at the RNCM's highly acclaimed SchubertFest and have taken part in masterclasses with Renna Kellaway and members of the Chilingirian and Sorrel Quartets. The Trio were winners of the audience prize in the RNCM Granada Prize Competition.

Having led both the RNCM Chamber and Symphony Orchestras, Helena now freelances with various orchestras in the North, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and the Northern Chamber Orchestra. She continues to play with her trio and quartet and hopes to continue her studies abroad next year.

Helena Roques appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.

Midori Sugiyama

 Midori was born in Japan in 1981 and started her musical education at the age of five. In 1997, she entered the Toho Gakuen School of Music where she studied with Kenji Kobayashi.

Whilst studying in Japan, Midori attended many masterclasses with eminent musicians including Z Bron, T Brandis, C Tetzlaff, S Mintz, K Takezawa, and D Schwarzberg. Midori was also awarded a special prize in the Japan Classical Music Competition and performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with a variety of different professional orchestras including the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra.

Midori graduated from the Toho Gakuen School with honours in March 2000. She then entered the Royal Northern College of Music Postgraduate course in September 2003 where she currently studies with Yair Kless. Midori has been awarded several prizes for her achievements at the college, including the Salon Prize, the Norman George Prize, and the Helen Porthouse Paganini Prize. She already got the highest Diploma in Professional performance with distinction in March 2004. Midori has participated in many masterclasses with renowned professor Donald Weillerstein, David Finkel and lan Brown.

Midori has taken part in many International Music Festivals including Sachsischer Mastercourse for violin (Germany), Bowdoin International Music Festival (United States of America) and Keshet Eilon International Violin Mastercourse and had a Masterclass with Maestro Ida Haendel (Israel) with scholarship recipient.

Midori performed Brahms violin concerto with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra this month and will give a recital at Manchester’s prestigious Bridgewater Hall in March 2005.

Midori appears by kind permission of the Principal, Royal Northern College of Music.