The Performers
The Allegri Quartet
The Allegri Quartet is one of the oldest British chamber ensembles in existence, going back to its foundation in the 1953 by Eli Goren, William Pleeth, Patrick Ireland and James Barton.
Highlights for the seasons 2009/10 and 2010/11 will include the premičres of new commissions by Anthony Payne, Alec Roth and Tom Hyde. In addition, the Quartet is planning a complete Beethoven String Quartets Cycle over four years, beginning in 2010.
Recent recordings include Mozart's Quintets in G Minor and C Major with ex-Allegri Violist Prunella Pacey, two works by Michael Stimpson and a re-release of Peter Fribbins' Clarinet Quintet with James Campbell. These recordings of new works reflect an ongoing commitment to contemporary music that has led the Quartet to premičre more than 60 works since 1964, including pieces by well-known composers such as Alexander Goehr, Jonathan Harvey, James Macmillan, Colin Matthews, Edmund Rubbra and John Woolrich.
The Allegri enjoys collaborating with other artists, and has worked with outstanding concert performers such as Jack Brymer, Clifford Curzon, Annie Fischer, Dame Thea King, John Ogden and Gervase de Peyer at international festivals that include Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Prague Spring, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Stavanger. In 2006-07 they were joined by Canadian clarinettist James Campbell for quintets by Brahms and Mozart.
The members of the Allegri Quartet are always in demand for their teaching, with residencies at Middlesex University, the universities of East Anglia, Bangor, Durham, Nottingham, and Oxford, with whom the Quartet has enjoyed long-standing relationships thanks to the generous support of the Radcliffe Trust.
Guest Artists
The Medlock String Quartet
The quartet (violinists Christopher Jones and Patrick Curlett, violist Robert Guy, cellist Anna Menzies) formed at the Royal Northern College of Music and are quickly becoming recognized as one of the conservatoire's leading ensembles. The quartet won the RNCM Terence Weil Chamber Music Prize and a result of this success they have since been chosen to represent the RNCM at the UK Intercollegiate Quartet Competition in London this April. In February, they were invited to perform Mendelssohn's Octet with the Edinburgh Quartet in a highly acclaimed performance at Queens Hall. The Medlocks are always keen to take on challenging new repertoire and recently gave a highly acclaimed performance of Hugh Wood's String Quartet No. 2 as part of the RNCM Chamber Music Festival. They have also been accepted on to the 'Live Music Now' scheme and look forward to an exciting schedule of concert engagements in Manchester and across the northwest.
Beck Siān
Born in Australia but with Welsh and Irish blood, Beck Siān has always been drawn to things Celtic, and her original music is heavily influenced by the natural environment. She arrived in Britain in mid 2006 for a tour which gradually became extended. She is currently living in Mid Wales but plans to return to Australia in autumn 2010. Her first album, Unfurling, was set in an Australian rainforest, the second, being recorded, is set in the grounds of a Welsh castle. She sings traditional and modern songs with an ethereal soprano voice.
James Gilchrist, tenor
James Gilchrist began his working life as a doctor, turning to a full-time music career in 1996.
His concert appearances include Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Manchester Camerata), The Seasons (St Louis Symphony, BBC Proms), Tippett's The Knot Garden (Sir Andrew Davis), Christmas Oratorio (Zurich Tonhalle), St Matthew Passion (Concertgebouw), Belshazzar (Philharmonia Baroque), Pulcinella (Paris) and Joshua (Köln Kammerchor).
In his recital partnership with the pianist Anna Tilbrook his many performances include Schumann Liederkreis, Finzi Till Earth Outwears and Poulenc Metamorphoses for BBC Radio 3. James is also partnered regularly by the harpist Alison Nicholls.
Amongst many recordings are the title role Albert Herring (Hickox), St Matthew Passion (McCreesh), Bach Cantatas (Gardiner, Koopman and Masaaki Suzuki), 'Oh Fair to See', 'When Laura Smiles', On Wenlock Edge and Owen Wingrave (Hickox).
Mark Simpson, Clarinet
Mark is a clarinettist and composer. Born in Liverpool, he studied composition with Gary Carpenter and clarinet with Nicholas Cox at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music. In 2006 he became the first person to win both the the BBC Young Musician of the Year and BBC/Proms Guardian Young Composer of the Year awards.
As a clarinettist Mark has performed with many major orchestras; Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia and the BBC Concert Orchestra. He is currently Artist in Residence with the Northern Chamber Orchestra. He is deeply committed to the performance of new music and is passionate about the expansion of the Basset Clarinet repertoire. To date Gary Carpenter, Mark Anthony-Turnage, Gavin Higgins, Patrick Nunn, Emily Howard, Kenneth Hesketh, Simon Bainbridge and David Horne have written works for him.
Guest Composers
Alec Roth
Alec studied music at Durham University and gamelan at the Academy of Indonesian Performing Arts in Central Java. His previous posts include Artistic Director of the Royal Festival Hall Gamelan Programme; Music Director of the Baylis Programme, English National Opera; Associate Composer, Opera North; and Lecturer in Music, University of Edinburgh. He now works as a freelance composer, and is best known for his collaborations with the Indian writer Vikram Seth. These include the opera Arion and the Dolphin, the BBC Proms commission Earth and Sky for children's choir, and several song-cycles, one of which - Romantic Residues for tenor and harp - is included on James Gilchrist's CD of the same name. Other works include commissions for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and, most recently, Earthrise for 40-part unaccompanied choir, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ex Cathedra. Between 2006 and 2009 he completed a cycle of 4 major works in collaboration with Vikram Seth. The first in the series, Songs in Time of War, for tenor, violin, harp and guitar was written for Mark Padmore and is now available on CD. Seven Elements, to be performed on 2nd July, was the fourth in the series, the songs written for, and dedicated to the tenor James Gilchrist, who gave the first performance at the 2009 Salisbury Festival.
Matthew Taylor
Matthew Taylor won a Music Scholarship to Queen's College, Cambridge in 1983. In 1986 he was awarded the Conducting Scholarship to Guildhall School of Music and, after further studies as a post graduate at the Royal Academy of Music, gained the Dip RAM, their highest award. He also studied with Leonard Bernstein.
He has recorded several times for Radio 3 and for Hyperion Records and the Dutton label. His world premiere CD of Robert Simpson's 11th Symphony was selected by Radio 3 and Gramophone as a Record of the Year in 2004.
His widely performed Symphony No.1 (1985) led to a number of important commissions. To date he has written three symphonies, concertos for clarinet, piano, horn and double bass, seven string quartets, a piano trio, other chamber music and songs. The BBC Symphony Orchestra gave a highly successful first performance of his Second Symphony in January of this year. His 1st and 3rd Symphonies were recently released on the Dutton Epoch Label to great critical acclaim. His Quartet no. 6 had its Welsh premiere at the Llanfyllin Festival in 2009, and this year we present the world premiere of his setting of a Fado Song Cycle.
Grey Gowrie
Grey Gowrie was born in Dublin. Educated and professionally working in England and the USA, he made his home in Ireland until 1983 when he moved to the Welsh Marches. He taught English and American literature at Harvard and University College London and in 1972, on publishing his first collection of poems, exchanged an academic career for business and public life. He has been a company chairman, a Cabinet minister, Chairman of the Arts Council of England and Provost of the Royal College of Art. He is Patron of the Llanfyllin Festival.
Third Day, new and selected poems, was published to great acclaim in 2008. His translations of fado poems are included in Saudade: An Anthology of Fado Poetry, which is to be published in 2010 by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which commissioned the translations.