Concert Season 2024 - 2025
Every concert begins at 7.30pm at The Fratry, Carlisle Cathedral
26th September 2024 ~ Dominic Degavino, piano
https://dominicdegavino.co.uk/index.html
Pianist Dominic Degavino has performed concerts in venues across the United Kingdom and beyond, including solo performances at the Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre, London as a Park Lane Group artist, at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Lichfield and Edinburgh festivals, among others. Concerto appearances include performances with the Manchester Camerata and RNCM Symphony Orchestra.
Having completed both school and undergraduate studies in Manchester with Helen Krizos, at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, he recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Charles Owen and Noriko Ogawa.
Dominic has achieved considerable competition success, including winning the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, 3rd Prize at the Concours International de Piano d'Epinal in France, and keyboard section prizes of both the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition and the 2017 Royal Over-Seas League Arts Competition. In 2020 he was accepted onto the Tillett Trust DEBUT recital scheme, and he is currently also a member of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust recital scheme. He has taken part in masterclasses with eminent pianists such as Lang Lang, Richard Goode, Imogen Cooper, Peter Frankl and John O'Conor.
Alongside work as a soloist, he is a passionate chamber musician, accompanist, and jazz player, performing extensively and winning prizes with a wide array of ensembles, including the Mithras Trio (current BBC New Generation Artists) and with flautist Meera Maharaj.
Having completed both school and undergraduate studies in Manchester with Helen Krizos, at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, he recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Charles Owen and Noriko Ogawa.
Dominic has achieved considerable competition success, including winning the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, 3rd Prize at the Concours International de Piano d'Epinal in France, and keyboard section prizes of both the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition and the 2017 Royal Over-Seas League Arts Competition. In 2020 he was accepted onto the Tillett Trust DEBUT recital scheme, and he is currently also a member of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust recital scheme. He has taken part in masterclasses with eminent pianists such as Lang Lang, Richard Goode, Imogen Cooper, Peter Frankl and John O'Conor.
Alongside work as a soloist, he is a passionate chamber musician, accompanist, and jazz player, performing extensively and winning prizes with a wide array of ensembles, including the Mithras Trio (current BBC New Generation Artists) and with flautist Meera Maharaj.
Programme:
Mozart: Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, K 282 - Adagio, Menuetto I, Menuetto II, Allegro
Hummel: from Etudes, Op. 125 - No. 21 in B flat major and No. 22 in B flat minor
Liszt: from 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S 558
‘Du bist die Ruh’, ‘Auf dem Wasser zu singen’,
‘Die junge Nonne’
Liszt: St. François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux, No. 1 from Deux légendes, S 175
Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S 178
Mozart: Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, K 282 - Adagio, Menuetto I, Menuetto II, Allegro
Hummel: from Etudes, Op. 125 - No. 21 in B flat major and No. 22 in B flat minor
Liszt: from 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S 558
‘Du bist die Ruh’, ‘Auf dem Wasser zu singen’,
‘Die junge Nonne’
Liszt: St. François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux, No. 1 from Deux légendes, S 175
Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S 178
24th October 2024 ~ CarmenCo - 'A Pocket Opera'
https://carmenco.co.uk/
CarmenCo is an ensemble comprising flautist and mezzo, Emily Andrews, and guitarists David Massey and Francisco Correa. Exploiting the rich texture of two guitars with or without flute or voice. As well as their skills in arranging, they perform vibrant, visual and varied programmes.
“the playing is exquisite…a delightfully warm, intimate sound.” – Susan Elkin, Lark Reviews
In 2019 they won a generous Arts Council England grant to develop and tour a new concert-play “Creating Carmen”, using their music and arrangements of music, but adding two actors, lighting, director and script writer.
The trio was formed when international solo guitarist Francisco Correa joined the Andrews Massey Duo, formed by Emily & David in 2009. This duo has a fine pedigree: won the Tunnell Trust Award 2012-2013, were Royal Overseas League Competition semi-finalists three times and have appeared at Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Kings Place as well as in Germany, Italy and Sweden. They have made three CDs. One of their videos had 240,000+ YouTube views.
“the playing is exquisite…a delightfully warm, intimate sound.” – Susan Elkin, Lark Reviews
In 2019 they won a generous Arts Council England grant to develop and tour a new concert-play “Creating Carmen”, using their music and arrangements of music, but adding two actors, lighting, director and script writer.
The trio was formed when international solo guitarist Francisco Correa joined the Andrews Massey Duo, formed by Emily & David in 2009. This duo has a fine pedigree: won the Tunnell Trust Award 2012-2013, were Royal Overseas League Competition semi-finalists three times and have appeared at Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Kings Place as well as in Germany, Italy and Sweden. They have made three CDs. One of their videos had 240,000+ YouTube views.
Programme:
CarmenCo is more than a concert; it occupies the borders between a play and a concert, with 80/20 music to spoken word following the story of Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’ but told from her point of view.
A fun-filled evening of fantasy, comedy, drama and tremendous music arranged from Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ and Spanish and Spanish-inspired music by Boccherini, da Falla, Garcia-Lorca, Granados, Ravel and Albeniz, all arranged by the musicians for guitars and flute / voice.
The three musicians perform entirely from memory, enabling them to act with each other and to engage the audience members.
CarmenCo is more than a concert; it occupies the borders between a play and a concert, with 80/20 music to spoken word following the story of Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’ but told from her point of view.
A fun-filled evening of fantasy, comedy, drama and tremendous music arranged from Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ and Spanish and Spanish-inspired music by Boccherini, da Falla, Garcia-Lorca, Granados, Ravel and Albeniz, all arranged by the musicians for guitars and flute / voice.
The three musicians perform entirely from memory, enabling them to act with each other and to engage the audience members.
14th November 2024 ~ JohnTurner, recorders, Richard Simpson, oboe and Janet Simpson, piano
https://recorderist.co.uk/about/
https://divineartrecords.com/artist/richard-simpson/
https://divineartrecords.com/artist/janet-simpson/
https://divineartrecords.com/artist/richard-simpson/
https://divineartrecords.com/artist/janet-simpson/
John Turner was Senior Scholar in Law at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge before pursuing a legal career acting for many distinguished musicians and musical organisations, alongside his many musical activities. These included numerous appearances and recordings with David Munrow’s Early Music Consort of London, the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the English Baroque Soloists.
He now devotes his time to playing, writing, reviewing, publishing and composing . He has been recorder soloist with the Halle Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, and other leading orchestras and ensembles.
Concertos and works with orchestra have been written for him by Gordon Crosse, Anthony Gilbert, Peter Hope, Kenneth Leighton and many other distinguished composers. His recordings include five sets of the Brandenburg Concertos, the F Major version of No. 4 with Menuhin and George Malcolm. Lately he has made critically-acclaimed recordings of the contemporary concerto and chamber music repertoire for recorder.
He has given the first performances of over 600 works for recorder, including works by Leonard Bernstein, Ned Rorem, Peter Sculthorpe, Douglas Lilburn, Petr Eben and Ruth Zechlin.
Richard Simpson studied at The Royal College of Music with the late Sydney Sutcliffe, and on leaving was appointed by Pierre Boulez to the position of sub-principal oboe with the BBC Symphony Orchestra – a position he held for just one year, before being invited to join the Hallé Orchestra as Principal Oboe. He spent eighteen years with that orchestra and during that time had the opportunity of performing concerti by Mozart, Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Martinu and Hummel to critical acclaim.
In 1991 he returned to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, this time as Principal Oboe, a position he still holds, as well as being involved in various chamber music activities connected with the orchestra. He is a member of the Syrinx Trio, with Michael Cox, Principal Flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and his wife Janet. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His recordings include the oboe music of Thomas Pitfield, Benjamin Britten’s Metamorphoses after Ovid, the Rubbra oboe sonata, and (on the Divine Art label) Sir John Manduell’s Double Concerto for oboe and cor anglais.
Janet Simpson studied with Cyril Smith at the Royal College of Music. Whilst there she won several prizes for accompaniment and chamber music including a Royal Overseas League award. Shortly after leaving college she was appointed principal keyboard player in the Halle Orchestra, a position she held for over 30 years. During that time she toured extensively and was involved in numerous recordings and broadcasts. She also appeared many times as a soloist with the orchestra.
Janet continues to perform regularly as a chamber music player and as an accompanist. She is a member of the Syrinx Trio.
Now living in London, she has become increasingly involved in contemporary music and has frequently performed in the Music of our Time series with players from the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as playing in many concerts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Janet was delighted to accompany her husband Richard in the first performance of Peter Hope’s Oboe Sonata in a concert to celebrate the life of Lady Barbirolli in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in 2009.
He now devotes his time to playing, writing, reviewing, publishing and composing . He has been recorder soloist with the Halle Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, and other leading orchestras and ensembles.
Concertos and works with orchestra have been written for him by Gordon Crosse, Anthony Gilbert, Peter Hope, Kenneth Leighton and many other distinguished composers. His recordings include five sets of the Brandenburg Concertos, the F Major version of No. 4 with Menuhin and George Malcolm. Lately he has made critically-acclaimed recordings of the contemporary concerto and chamber music repertoire for recorder.
He has given the first performances of over 600 works for recorder, including works by Leonard Bernstein, Ned Rorem, Peter Sculthorpe, Douglas Lilburn, Petr Eben and Ruth Zechlin.
Richard Simpson studied at The Royal College of Music with the late Sydney Sutcliffe, and on leaving was appointed by Pierre Boulez to the position of sub-principal oboe with the BBC Symphony Orchestra – a position he held for just one year, before being invited to join the Hallé Orchestra as Principal Oboe. He spent eighteen years with that orchestra and during that time had the opportunity of performing concerti by Mozart, Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Martinu and Hummel to critical acclaim.
In 1991 he returned to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, this time as Principal Oboe, a position he still holds, as well as being involved in various chamber music activities connected with the orchestra. He is a member of the Syrinx Trio, with Michael Cox, Principal Flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and his wife Janet. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His recordings include the oboe music of Thomas Pitfield, Benjamin Britten’s Metamorphoses after Ovid, the Rubbra oboe sonata, and (on the Divine Art label) Sir John Manduell’s Double Concerto for oboe and cor anglais.
Janet Simpson studied with Cyril Smith at the Royal College of Music. Whilst there she won several prizes for accompaniment and chamber music including a Royal Overseas League award. Shortly after leaving college she was appointed principal keyboard player in the Halle Orchestra, a position she held for over 30 years. During that time she toured extensively and was involved in numerous recordings and broadcasts. She also appeared many times as a soloist with the orchestra.
Janet continues to perform regularly as a chamber music player and as an accompanist. She is a member of the Syrinx Trio.
Now living in London, she has become increasingly involved in contemporary music and has frequently performed in the Music of our Time series with players from the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as playing in many concerts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Janet was delighted to accompany her husband Richard in the first performance of Peter Hope’s Oboe Sonata in a concert to celebrate the life of Lady Barbirolli in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in 2009.
Programme:
Solo and trio sonatas by Handel and Telemann
Recorder solos by: Thomas Pitfield - Dancery, Peter Hope - Geordie Tunes, John Purser - Skye Blue,
Gerald Hendrie - Two Recorder Rags
Oboe solos by: Alan Richardson - French Suite, Benjamin Britten - Metamorphoses after Ovid.
Three Dances for Oboe and Piano by Michael Head: Gavotte, Elegiac Dance, Presto
Solo and trio sonatas by Handel and Telemann
Recorder solos by: Thomas Pitfield - Dancery, Peter Hope - Geordie Tunes, John Purser - Skye Blue,
Gerald Hendrie - Two Recorder Rags
Oboe solos by: Alan Richardson - French Suite, Benjamin Britten - Metamorphoses after Ovid.
Three Dances for Oboe and Piano by Michael Head: Gavotte, Elegiac Dance, Presto
23rd January 2025 ~ Charlotte Spruit, violin, and Xiaowen Shang, piano
https://www.charlottespruit.com/
https://www.xiaowenshangmusic.com/
Charlotte Spruit was born in 2000 in the Netherlands. She is a keen chamber musician and soloist, having performed at prominent locations, such as the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, and the Elbphilharmonie. She performed chamber works with acclaimed musicians including Janine Jansen, Rachel Podger, Gidon Kremer, Tabea Zimmermann, Lawrence Power, and Christian Tetzlaff. As a soloist, Charlotte has played with numerous orchestras, including the Residentie Orkest The Hague, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pauliner Barockensemble, and Ensemble Esperanza.
In 2022, Charlotte won the first prize as well as the audience prize and the Genuin Classics prize at the Leipzig International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition. In 2023, Charlotte was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions held at Wigmore Hall. Charlotte is also prize winner at many other national and international competitions, such as the Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition, Concours International Arthur Grumiaux, and the Oskar Back Violin Competition. In 2020, Charlotte received the Anton Kersjes Violin Prize.
Charlotte began her violin studies aged 4 with Coosje Wijzenbeek. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music with David Takeno, and with Ying Xue at the Royal Academy of Music. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree at the Royal Academy of Music with Rachel Podger, Pavlo Beznosiuk, and Ying Xue.
Charlotte plays an 18th-century anonymous Italian violin, kindly on loan from the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.
Charlotte is currently supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust
In 2022, Charlotte won the first prize as well as the audience prize and the Genuin Classics prize at the Leipzig International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition. In 2023, Charlotte was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions held at Wigmore Hall. Charlotte is also prize winner at many other national and international competitions, such as the Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition, Concours International Arthur Grumiaux, and the Oskar Back Violin Competition. In 2020, Charlotte received the Anton Kersjes Violin Prize.
Charlotte began her violin studies aged 4 with Coosje Wijzenbeek. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music with David Takeno, and with Ying Xue at the Royal Academy of Music. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree at the Royal Academy of Music with Rachel Podger, Pavlo Beznosiuk, and Ying Xue.
Charlotte plays an 18th-century anonymous Italian violin, kindly on loan from the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.
Charlotte is currently supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust
Xiaowen Shang is a pianist, harpsichordist and versatile musician, interested in early, classical and contemporary music. She has worked with renowned musicians and composers such as Dame Imogen Cooper, Rachel Podger, Brett Dean, Ryan Wiggleworth and Adrian Brendel.
As an active musician performing on stage, her recent performances highlights include a full Saint-Saëns concert in Royal Festival Hall with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in January 2023, Academy Baroque Soloists concert in Wigmore Hall, and performing the harpsichord solo of the Bach Keyboard concerto in F minor with Rachel Podger as part of the “Bach the European'' series in the Royal Academy of Music in 2021. She also performed as a soloist and chamber musician in many other festivals and venue. She has been invited to perform alongside the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra in several concerts in the last few years. In addition, she has been performing in every Summer and Autumn Piano Festival of Royal Academy of Music from 2018 to 2023. Xiaowen recently released her album Music of Silence (Spanish keyboard music on piano) with Linn Records as part of the Bicentenary Scholarship scheme, and in April 2024 appeared twice at Wigmore Hall as solo pianist and harpsichordist.
As an active musician performing on stage, her recent performances highlights include a full Saint-Saëns concert in Royal Festival Hall with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in January 2023, Academy Baroque Soloists concert in Wigmore Hall, and performing the harpsichord solo of the Bach Keyboard concerto in F minor with Rachel Podger as part of the “Bach the European'' series in the Royal Academy of Music in 2021. She also performed as a soloist and chamber musician in many other festivals and venue. She has been invited to perform alongside the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra in several concerts in the last few years. In addition, she has been performing in every Summer and Autumn Piano Festival of Royal Academy of Music from 2018 to 2023. Xiaowen recently released her album Music of Silence (Spanish keyboard music on piano) with Linn Records as part of the Bicentenary Scholarship scheme, and in April 2024 appeared twice at Wigmore Hall as solo pianist and harpsichordist.
Programme:
Mozart - Sonata K. 304 in E minor
Beethoven - Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op 96
Schumann - Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op 121
Mozart - Sonata K. 304 in E minor
Beethoven - Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op 96
Schumann - Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op 121
27th February 2025 ~ The Paddington Trio
https://www.paddingtontrio.com/bio
Seen as the one of the most exciting chamber ensembles of their generation, the Paddington Trio has been recognized in international competitions and live performances for their fresh interpretations and exuberant energy. As did the famous bear, Finnish violinist Tuulia Hero, Irish cellist Patrick Moriarty and American pianist Stephanie Tang have made London their home and emerged as an ensemble of an entirely unique and lasting entity. The trio is celebrated for its close and energetic communication, insightful and imaginative programming as well as its highly refined ensemble playing.
Having started their first adventure together at the Paddington Station in 2020, a year after they met, the trio won the First Prize in the 70th Royal Over-Seas League Competition for Strings & Piano Ensemble. Firmly committed to promoting new music, education and outreach in chamber music, they were also honoured with the First Prize of the NEW FORMATS Project Prize 2022 in Graz, Austria, and the First Prize at the Clara Schumann International Competition. In April 2023, they were the winners of the prestigious Parkhouse Award held in Wigmore Hall, and they are currently generously supported by the City Music Foundation, Kirckman Concert Society and GBZ Management. In the summer of 2023, the trio completed an Artist Fellowship programme at their alma mater, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and in 2023/24 continues to teach and inspire young ensembles as Chamber Fellows in the renowned Chamber Fellowship Programme at the Royal Northern College of Music.
In March 2023, the Paddington Trio made its concerto debut performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Jan Söderblom and the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra in Finland. They have appeared in prominent halls and series, such as Wigmore Hall, LSO St. Luke’s, Oxford Coffee Concerts, St. George’s Bristol and the BBC Total Immersion. Their most recent debuts saw them at the TivoliVredenburg and the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, the Edinburgh Fringe, Buxton International and Brighton Festivals, and Lake District Summer Music. The trio has appeared on YLE Radio (Finland) and BBC Radio 3 In Tune.
Tuulia, Patrick and Stephanie have had the privilege to work closely with internationally renowned musicians, such as Eberhard Feltz, Marc Danel, Gary Hoffman, Levon Chilingirian, Robert Levin, Johannes Meissl, David Dolan and members of the Ébène, Takács, Endellion and Meta4 quartets. They join the European Chamber Music Academy in 2023 and also receive mentorships from ChamberStudio and the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. The trio studied under Thomas Adès at the IMS Prussia Cove’s 50th anniversary masterclasses.
Tuulia plays on a 1707 Stradivarius violin, generously on loan from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.
Having started their first adventure together at the Paddington Station in 2020, a year after they met, the trio won the First Prize in the 70th Royal Over-Seas League Competition for Strings & Piano Ensemble. Firmly committed to promoting new music, education and outreach in chamber music, they were also honoured with the First Prize of the NEW FORMATS Project Prize 2022 in Graz, Austria, and the First Prize at the Clara Schumann International Competition. In April 2023, they were the winners of the prestigious Parkhouse Award held in Wigmore Hall, and they are currently generously supported by the City Music Foundation, Kirckman Concert Society and GBZ Management. In the summer of 2023, the trio completed an Artist Fellowship programme at their alma mater, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and in 2023/24 continues to teach and inspire young ensembles as Chamber Fellows in the renowned Chamber Fellowship Programme at the Royal Northern College of Music.
In March 2023, the Paddington Trio made its concerto debut performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Jan Söderblom and the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra in Finland. They have appeared in prominent halls and series, such as Wigmore Hall, LSO St. Luke’s, Oxford Coffee Concerts, St. George’s Bristol and the BBC Total Immersion. Their most recent debuts saw them at the TivoliVredenburg and the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, the Edinburgh Fringe, Buxton International and Brighton Festivals, and Lake District Summer Music. The trio has appeared on YLE Radio (Finland) and BBC Radio 3 In Tune.
Tuulia, Patrick and Stephanie have had the privilege to work closely with internationally renowned musicians, such as Eberhard Feltz, Marc Danel, Gary Hoffman, Levon Chilingirian, Robert Levin, Johannes Meissl, David Dolan and members of the Ébène, Takács, Endellion and Meta4 quartets. They join the European Chamber Music Academy in 2023 and also receive mentorships from ChamberStudio and the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. The trio studied under Thomas Adès at the IMS Prussia Cove’s 50th anniversary masterclasses.
Tuulia plays on a 1707 Stradivarius violin, generously on loan from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.
Programme:
Sam Perkin: Freakshow
Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66
Schubert: “Sonatensatz” D28 in B flat major
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67
Sam Perkin: Freakshow
Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66
Schubert: “Sonatensatz” D28 in B flat major
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67
20th March 2025 ~ Sarah Gait, cello and Simone Tavoni, piano
https://www.sarahgait.com/
https://simonealessandrotavoni.com/
https://simonealessandrotavoni.com/
British cellist Sarah Gait is an innovative musician and creator. Recently awarded the 2020 ISA Digital Creative Award from the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna, for her video Heroes: the Shadows of a Tragic Mind, Sarah performs across the UK and Europe, including recently as soloist with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester in another of her own improvisation-based compositions.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, Sarah has performed on BBC Radio 3’s Live in Concert and featured in Classical Music Magazine. Sarah is a keen promoter of classical music with young people, appearing as Ambassador for the BBC Proms Inspire Scheme, and her own compositions have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Sarah’s work as a cultural ambassador in her own home county was recognised by a 2019 Cumbria Life Culture Award, while she currently collaborates with leading young composers in projects generously supported by Arts Council England and RVW Trust.
The Italian pianist Simone Alessandro Tavoni has given recitals in the United States, UK, Denmark, Hungary, France, Spain, Malta, Estonia, Greece and Italy. He was awarded a place on the BBC Pathway scheme during 2015/2016, rehearsing and performing as an orchestral pianist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, some performances being broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
In 2019 Simone was selected as a Parklane Group Artist, as Keyboard Charitable Trust Artist and received the Luciano and Giancarla Berti scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School studying with Fabio Bidini.
He has featured as soloist with the East London symphony orchestra, Kensington Chamber Orchestra, Ashod Symphony Orchestra, Alion Baltic symphony orchestra and the Luigi Cherubini Symphony Orchestra, performing at the Royal Festival Hall, St Martin in the Fields and many other important venues in Britain and all over Europe. He is a regular guest artist at the En Blanc Et Noir Piano Festival in Lagrasse, (France) and of the Aegean international art festival in Heraklion (Crete).
Graduating at 18 from the Giacomo Puccini Conservatoire in La Spezia (Italy), he then moved to the Luigi Cherubini Conservatoire in Florence, continuing piano studies with Giuseppe Fricelli, and studying composition with Rosario Mirigliano.
Winner of numerous national competitions in Italy, he received a full scholarship to study with Kesckes Balazs and Rita Wagner at the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest.
In 2014, he moved to London to study on the Master of Performance programme at the Royal College of Music with Professor Andrew Ball. After winning a second exchange bursary in Autumn 2015, he studied for one term at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart with Dr. Peter Nagy. Simone has been generously supported by the Talent Unlimited organization and by the Henry Wood Trust at Royal college of Music. During the 2018/2019 academic year he obtained an Advanced Diploma course at Trinity Laban Conservatoire with professors Deniz Gelenbe and Peter Tuite majorly supported by a scholarship and selected as a Alfred Kitchin and Trinity College London Scholar.
Simone is a trustee of the Kensington and Chelsea Music Society and artist director of Paisajes Piano Festival. He is currently performing, closely assisted and supported by Prince Dr. Donatus Von Hohenzollern.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, Sarah has performed on BBC Radio 3’s Live in Concert and featured in Classical Music Magazine. Sarah is a keen promoter of classical music with young people, appearing as Ambassador for the BBC Proms Inspire Scheme, and her own compositions have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Sarah’s work as a cultural ambassador in her own home county was recognised by a 2019 Cumbria Life Culture Award, while she currently collaborates with leading young composers in projects generously supported by Arts Council England and RVW Trust.
The Italian pianist Simone Alessandro Tavoni has given recitals in the United States, UK, Denmark, Hungary, France, Spain, Malta, Estonia, Greece and Italy. He was awarded a place on the BBC Pathway scheme during 2015/2016, rehearsing and performing as an orchestral pianist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, some performances being broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
In 2019 Simone was selected as a Parklane Group Artist, as Keyboard Charitable Trust Artist and received the Luciano and Giancarla Berti scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School studying with Fabio Bidini.
He has featured as soloist with the East London symphony orchestra, Kensington Chamber Orchestra, Ashod Symphony Orchestra, Alion Baltic symphony orchestra and the Luigi Cherubini Symphony Orchestra, performing at the Royal Festival Hall, St Martin in the Fields and many other important venues in Britain and all over Europe. He is a regular guest artist at the En Blanc Et Noir Piano Festival in Lagrasse, (France) and of the Aegean international art festival in Heraklion (Crete).
Graduating at 18 from the Giacomo Puccini Conservatoire in La Spezia (Italy), he then moved to the Luigi Cherubini Conservatoire in Florence, continuing piano studies with Giuseppe Fricelli, and studying composition with Rosario Mirigliano.
Winner of numerous national competitions in Italy, he received a full scholarship to study with Kesckes Balazs and Rita Wagner at the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest.
In 2014, he moved to London to study on the Master of Performance programme at the Royal College of Music with Professor Andrew Ball. After winning a second exchange bursary in Autumn 2015, he studied for one term at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart with Dr. Peter Nagy. Simone has been generously supported by the Talent Unlimited organization and by the Henry Wood Trust at Royal college of Music. During the 2018/2019 academic year he obtained an Advanced Diploma course at Trinity Laban Conservatoire with professors Deniz Gelenbe and Peter Tuite majorly supported by a scholarship and selected as a Alfred Kitchin and Trinity College London Scholar.
Simone is a trustee of the Kensington and Chelsea Music Society and artist director of Paisajes Piano Festival. He is currently performing, closely assisted and supported by Prince Dr. Donatus Von Hohenzollern.
Programme:
Beethoven: Sonata in G minor Op. 5 No. 2
Gait: Ilex for Cello and Piano (commissioned for the Embassy of Brazil in London 2024)
Reinhold Glière: Album Leaves Op. 51, set 1
Reinhold Glière: Album Leaves Op. 51, set 2
Shostakovich: Sonata for cello & piano in D minor Op. 40
Beethoven: Sonata in G minor Op. 5 No. 2
Gait: Ilex for Cello and Piano (commissioned for the Embassy of Brazil in London 2024)
Reinhold Glière: Album Leaves Op. 51, set 1
Reinhold Glière: Album Leaves Op. 51, set 2
Shostakovich: Sonata for cello & piano in D minor Op. 40
