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Gabrielle
Lester
focuses her
musical energies into playing chamber music and leading many of
the UK's distinguished orchestras. Since studying at the Menuhin
School, the RCM and in Salzburg with Sandor Vegh, Gaby has
participated regularly in the Open Chamber Music at Prussia
Cove. A long association with Sir Simon Rattle included five
years as principal second violin in the CBSO and leading the OAE
in Das Rheingold at the Proms. She was the Associate Leader of
the RPO for five years and before that played principal second
violin with the SCO and COE. Gaby now directs the Ambache
Chamber Ensemble with whom she has recorded chamber music for
Chandos and Naxos. She recently recorded three albums leading
the Michael Nyman Band and is frequently invited to guest-lead
orchestras including the LPO, RPO and the BBCSO. Gaby works with
students on the RCM's Postgraduate Orchestral Pathway programme
and has been a mentor at Mendelssohn on Mull for the past seven
years. She plays a violin made by Francesco Ruggieri dating from
1670.
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Robert
Max
enjoys a
colourful career as soloist, chamber-musician and conductor. He
performs as a soloist throughout the UK, in Europe, Russia and
the USA and has been the cellist of the Barbican Piano Trio
since 1987. Robert is Musical Director of the Oxford Symphony
Orchestra and conducts orchestras at Royal Holloway, University
of London. As well as regular performances with the Covent
Garden Chamber Orchestra and the Arad Philharmonic Orchestra in
western Romania, Robert has conducted the Oradea and Kazakh
State Philharmonic Orchestras. Robert studied with Florence
Hooton at the RAM, Ralph Kirshbaum at the RNCM and Zara Nelsova
at the Juilliard School. He teaches cello at the Junior Academy,
coaches chamber music at MusicWorks and is principal cellist of
the London Chamber Orchestra. In October 2002 he was named an
Honorary Professor of the Rachmaninov Institute in Tambov,
Russia. He plays a Stradivarius cello dating from 1726 known as
the "Comte de Saveuse".
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James
Kirby
gives recitals throughout the UK and has appeared at the Wigmore
Hall, Edinburgh and Aldeburgh festivals and overseas in France,
Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland and the Czech Republic. Since
studying at the Moscow Conservatoire he has returned to perform
in the former Soviet Union every year and has been invited to
the Omsk Festival in 2006. James has given concerto performances
with the English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra,
Moscow Symphony Orchestra and the Arad Philharmonic (Romania) in
prestigious venues which include the Royal Albert Hall, Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden and the Great Hall of the Moscow
Conservatoire. He has recently performed both Brahms Concertos
in Russia and Romania. James has worked with the Vanburgh
Quartet, BBC Singers, Lydia Mordkovitch and the mezzo- soprano
Sarah Connolly and has made two recordings for Chandos. He
teaches at Royal Holloway, University of London and is an
Honorary Professor of the Rachmaninov Institute in Tambov,
Russia. |
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