Christoph Marks (cello) was born into a musical family in Berlin, Germany. He studied with Wolfgang Boettcher, the solo cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He played as a regular guest with the orchestra during this time and played the major symphonic repertoire under Herbert Von Karajan in Japan, London, Paris and Berlin. He later studied with Erling Blondal Bengtsson, Boris Pergamenschikow and, with the aid of a German Scholarship, William Pleeth in London. [more...]
Douglas Boyd (oboe)was born in Glasgow. He studied with Janet Craxton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is now a professor, and with Maurice Bourgue in Paris. He was one of the founders of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has been, since its inception, its principal oboist. [more...]
Iris Juda (viola) was born in Holland. She studied with H Krebbers and her father Jo Juda with whom she has played in a violin duo for eleven years. Iris was a member of the Hanson String Quartet in London and the Endymion and Nash Ensemble. She moved to Austria and joined a folk music group in Salzburg. She is a member of the Serapion Ensemble and the Salzburger quintet. Iris is a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. She lives near Salzburg with her husband and two children.
Jamie Martin (flute) was born in Santander, Spain and studied in Madrid and Holland. He has made numerous recordings of Solo and Chamber music repertoire. He now lives in London and is Principal Flute with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with whom he regularly appears as a soloist. He has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout Spain and is also Principal Flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London. He is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.
Jonathan Williams (horn) is Principal Horn in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has toured with them frequently as a soloist. He has recorded the Mozart concertos with them and all the major wind ensemble repertoire. He regularly performs as soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe. He is Principal Horn of the Teatro Lirico, Cagliari and 'Officinal Musicale' l'Aquila.
Lesley Hatfield (violin) has a busy career as chamber musician, soloist and orchestral leader. She read music at Clare College, Cambridge (gaining First Class Honours) then studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She was a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for four years, then went on to lead the Northern Sinfonia and the Ulster Orchestra before taking up her current position as Leader of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras and her solo recordings under the Chandos and Naxos labels have received critical acclaim. She broadcasts frequently on BBC Radio 3. Lesley lives near Cardiff with her husband and two children.
Marieke Blankestijn (violin) was born in The Hague, Netherlands and began her studies at an early age. She studied with Herman Krebbers in Amsterdam and later with Sandor Vegh in Salzburg, where, at the age of 21, she won the International Mozart Competition. Since 1985 she has been the Leader of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with whom she appears frequently as a soloist working with Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and performing in London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Salzburg. [more...]
Richard Hosford (clarinet) has a busy career both as a soloist and as chamber musician, as well as being Principal Clarinet with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
As a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Richard has toured the world, performing as a soloist with them in the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the USA with conductors Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas, Oscar Schumsky, Sir Roger Norrington, Gerard Korsten and Paavo Berglund. He has recorded the Mozart and Copland concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Alexander Schneider on ASV. In 1997 he performed the Nielsen concerto with Paavo Berglund in Italy and Germany. [more...]
Robin O'Neill (bassoon) enjoys a busy and varied career as a chamber musician, conductor, soloist, teacher and orchestral principal. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama he became a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he stayed for four years before becoming principal bassoonist with the English Chamber Orchestra when he was twenty four. As a chamber musician Robin O'Neill is a Grammy nominated recording artist. He is a founder member of the Gaudier Ensemble and London Winds. [more...]
Piano magazine recently described Susan Tomes as ‘one of the brightest jewels in Britain’s cultural crown’. ‘Warmth, intelligence, integrity and spirituality characterise her playing’, wrote a Belgian record magazine. Susan was the first woman to study music at King’s College, Cambridge, which had been an exclusively male college for 400 years. She was a founder member and for fifteen years the pianist of the award-winning group Domus, whose recording of Fauré piano quartets is one of Hyperion’s best-selling chamber discs. [more...]
Stephen Williams (double bass) was born in Wales. He played with the national Youth Orchestra of Wales, the European Community Youth Orchestra and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Thomas Martin. He played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra. Steve is a founder member and principal bassist with the Britten Sinfonia. He is frequent guest of the Brindisi and Manderling quartets as well as Capricorn and the Haffer Wind Ensemble.