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Season 2009/10

We are delighted to announce the line-up for the 2009-2010 season:

3 October 2009 - London Concertante Octet (Making Music)
14 November 2009 - Jessica Chan, piano (Making Music young artist)
30 January 2010 - Denner Ensemble (baroque) (Making Music Touring Scheme)
6 March 2010 - Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn & piano) (Countess of Munster Recital Scheme)

3 October 2009 London Concertante	London Concertante was formed in 1991 and has become one of the finest chamber ensembles in Europe, its players brought together through a shared passion for for chamber music. The group has the rare ability to combine flexibility of instrumental grouping and consistently maintain superb artistic endeavour. With an enviable array of critical acclaim, a stunning selection of recordings, and performances throughout the world, London Concertante rightfully claims its position at the forefront of classical performers in the UK.
14 November 2009 Jessica Chan (Piano)	Winner of the Making Music's AYCA award 2008, Jessica made her Royal Festival Hall debut as a concerto soloist at the age of 13. She has since established herself internationally and continues to perform extensively in the UK and abroad. Her busy schedule includes concerts in Asia, the USA, and major UK venues such as the Barbican, St-Martins-in-the-Fields, and the South Bank (including a recital as part of the Park Lane Group’s New Year Series 2002). Jessica recently won the First Prize at the International Mozart Competition in Greece, and was awarded the ‘Most Distinguished Performance’ prize at the Concours International de piano d’Orleans, France. Other awards won include the Boise Foundation Award, the Hopkinson Gold Medal for two consecutive years, the Craxton Memorial Trust Award, the Wendy Hall Scholarship and the Alfred Brendel Award. As a concerto soloist, Jessica has collaborated with orchestras such as the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, and worked with conductors including Vernon Handley, Richard Dickins and Peter Bassano. Originally from Taiwan, Jessica came to the UK to study at the Purcell School for Specialist Musicians with the former Head of Keyboard--Mrs. Roshan Magub. She continued her education at the Royal College of Music in London, and graduated with First Class Honours from the BSc Physics with Music degree (in conjunction with Imperial College) in 2003, and the MMus course with distinction the following year. During this time, she benefited greatly from the guidance of her piano professor Yonty Solomon. Jessica has since been awarded the first Frank Bridge Doctorate Studentship and is now, alongside her performing career, also pursuing her DMus degree at the Royal College of Music on the interpretation of Frank Bridge's Phantasm.
30 January 2010 Denner Ensemble	Their aim in performing is to uplift and inspire our audience through the power and beauty of music. Carefully chosen for its immediacy, poignancy and vivacity, their music is presented in a relaxed and informal manner with informative and entertaining introductions. Repertoire is based around music for wind instruments from the baroque to the classical and includes programmes of concertos, quintets and sonatas performed with strings, and other woodwinds as required. The Denner Ensemble, flexible in size, is made up of players who regularly work in the UK’s leading period instrument orchestras and is led by Mark Baigent, a highly experienced chamber, solo and orchestral oboist.
6 March 2010 Alec Frank-Gemmill	Alec Frank-Gemmill was born in 1985. He began playing the tenor horn at the age of 6, before moving onto the French horn four years later. Alec studied music at Robinson College, Cambridge, where he was an Instrumental Award Holder and performed Schumann’s Konzertstück with the University Musical Society. Graduating with First Class Honours, he went on to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama to complete a Master’s degree. Whilst at the Guildhall, Alec won the Armourers and Brasiers Brass prize and played Principal Horn in Strauss’s Capriccio. Alec has performed with various orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra. In March 2008, he played Principal Horn with the European Union Youth Orchestra, giving seven performances of Strauss's Symphonia Domestica, within 10 days. Having just completed an apprenticeship in the horn section of Zurich Opera, he is now Principal Horn of the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra in Innsbruck, Austria. In addition to the Schumann, Alec has performed concerti by Mozart, Strauss and Rossetti, as well as the Britten Serenade. With the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra, he recently gave the highly successful premiere of a new horn concerto by Tom Kane. Also a keen chamber musician, Alec has worked with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet and performs regularly as part of two trios (with piano and violin, or with piano and tenor).