2002/03 Season's Concerts
nineteenth Season

NAOMI WILLIAMS Cello   Click here for the Programme ALBA VENTURA  Accompanist

Countess of Munster Musical Trust

NAOMI WILLIAMS

Naomi is an ABRSM Home Postgraduate Scholar at the Royal College of Music where she is studying with Professor Alexander Boyarsky and has won many prizes for cello. She graduated in 2001 with Distinction for her Postgraduate Diploma in Performance as solo/ ensemble recitalist and was awarded the Jacqueline Ward Memorial Prize for strings. She has had masterclasses with Alexander Baillie, Patrick Demenga, Joan Dickson, Steven Doane, David Geringas, Natalia Gutman, Frans Helmerson, Steven Isserlis, Aldo Parisot and Janos Starker.
During the last year Naomi has worked extensively with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House as associate principal and principal. She was invited to perform with the soloists of the Royal Opera House at a concert in their series. Naomi has played in many concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra and has worked on the LSO Discovery Project. She was awarded the 2000/O1 PROMIS LSO Award for her work on the LSO String Experience Scheme. As principal cellist of the RCM Symphony Orchestra she has worked with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Daniele Gatti and Bernard Haitink.
Naomi was the soloist in Tavener's "Eternal Memory" at a concert in St. John's Smith Square in the presence of the composer. In January 2001 she gave a recital at the Purcell Room, South Bank Centre as part of the Park Lane Group series. Her concerto performances include the Schumann cello concerto with the RCM Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins in November 2000. She has given recitals at St. Martin-in-theFields, St. James' Piccadilly, the Cheltenham Festival and has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Kensington Palace, Cheltenham Festival, Sadler's Wells with the National Youth Ballet and live on BBC Radio 3. Naomi is winner of the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year 2000 and the 1999 Redhill Sinfonia soloists competition.
Naomi is kindly being supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and the Myra Hess Trust.
The Evening Standard, "...performed with impressive precision"
The Times, "...(her) warm tone shone through"
The Independent, "...nice feeling for melancholy lyricism"

ALBA VENTURA

Born in Barcelona in 1978, Alba Ventura began piano lessons at the age of five. She went on to study with Alicia de Larrocha at the Academia Marshall. At the age of twelve Alba was awarded a scholarship to study with Dimitri Bashkirov in Madrid at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia. During her studies she made her concerto debut performing Mozart's K 271 with the Cadaques Orchestra conducted by Sir. Neville Marriner appearing in San Sebasticin and at the Auditorio Nacional de Musica in Madrid.
In 1993 Alba played to Vladimir Ashkenazy in Berlin who arranged for her to study with Irina Zaritskaya at the Purcell School. From there she entered
the Royal College of Music to complete her studies with Irina Zaritskaya. Over the last couple of years Alba has given a series of debut recitals at major venues in the UK including the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Lynbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House, St. Martin in the Fields, Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), St. David's Hall (Cardiff), and performed Beethoven's Concerto No.4 with the Halle Orchestra at the King's Lynn Festival. She has also appeared at the Mecklenburg and Chelsea Festivals.
Alba's concerto work has included appearances with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Hogwood, by Antoni Ros Marba, the Bournemouth Sinfonietta conducted by Tamas Vasary and the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra and she has recently performed Beethoven concerto No.5 at the Barbican with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by David Parry.
She has also performed as guest artist with both the Takcics and Brodsky Quartets.
Alba has recently been awarded the Mills Williams Junior Fellowship at the
Royal College of Music