Soloists

Soloists

Tim Horton (piano)

Born in Brighton, Tim took piano lessons at the age of six and just three years later headed North to Manchester and Chetham's School of Music where his teachers included Charles Hopkins and Ryszard Bakst. He graduated from Trinity College Cambridge in 1995 and at short notice, was asked to replace Alfred Brendel in two performances of Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto with the CBSO and Sir Simon Rattle at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and the Royal Festival Hall, London.

Since then Tim has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and Trondheim Symphony orchestras and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Performances of Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw' with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led to recording of the work for Virgin Classics.

Chamber music is a central part of Tim's musical life. He has performed widely as duo partner of cellist Adrian Brendel, is a regular at the Plush Festival in Dorset and has given concerts with violinist Lucy Jeal and with members of the RLPO.

Recitals include performances in Tilburg, Holland, at the Schumannhaus in Bonn and throughout the UK. On recommendation of Alfred Brendel Tim was chosen as this year’s scholar of the Ruhr Klavier Festival, an honour which includes a recital at the festival.

A devotee of contemporary classical music Tim is keen to develop programmes that include a broad range of styles, presenting 20th and 21st century works in a wider historical context. 

Details taken from the Music in the Round website

http://www.musicintheround.co.uk/content/?contentid=90

Jiafeng Chen (violin)

“One of the world’s most gifted young violinists” – Pierre Amoyal

JiafengChen In December 2005, aged 18, Jiafeng Chen won 2nd Prize in the prestigious Sibelius Violin Competition, Helsinki, joining a distinguished list of previous prize-winners. This immediately led to accolades from the Finnish press and from such distinguished figures as Pierre Amoyal, Herman Krebbers and Tuomas Haapanen. It also led to engagements with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Paavo Berglund, with the Vaasa City Orchestra, and a recital in Hameenlinna, as well as invitations to perform in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, UK and South Africa.

Jiafeng is already building an international career after winning 1st Prize at the 9th Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland, with further prizes from the European Union Music Competition and the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music, and 2nd Prize at the 13th Menuhin International Violin Competition in Cardiff.

Born in Shanghai in 1987, Jiafeng Chen started to play the violin at the age of three. He studied with Prof. Peter Shixiang Zhang at the age of four. From 1996 to 2004, he studied with Prof. Jiyang Zhao and Prof. Lei Fang in the Music School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. During these years, he was awarded numerous scholarships. In 2002, he gave solo performances across the country of U.S.A.

In 2004 he moved to England to study at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and soon after was awarded from the Hattori Foundation and the Manoug Parikian Prize at the Musicians' Benevolent Fund String Awards in London. This led to an invitation to give his Wigmore Hall debut in December 2005.

He has participated in numerous music festivals and seasons including the BBC proms cycle of 2006 as a soloist when his recital was broadcast on BBC radio 3; the Lake District Music Festival, and the Shanghai 'Spring' International Music Festival. He has had numerous concerts throughout the world. He has also performed as soloist with many eminent orchestras and conductors including the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra, Halle Orchestra (Rory Macdonald), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Petri Sakari), Tapiola Sinfonietta (Paavo Berglund) and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (John Storgards).

He has recently had masterclasses with Pierre Amoyal, Bruno Canino, Boris Garlitsky, Burkhard Godhoff, Eduard Grach, Tuomas Haapanen, Piotr Janowski, Herman Krebbers, Itzhak Perlman and Ruggiero Ricci.

Alongside his developing concert career, he is currently continuing his studies from September 2006 with Prof. Jan Repko at the Royal College of Music in London. He holds the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholarship.

Jiafeng plays a Nicolo Gagliano (Naples, 1751), kindly on loan from the Violin Syndicate owners.

Website: www.jiafengchen.com

Christopher Beagles (horn)

Christopher Beagles started playing the horn at the age of 12 and won a scholarship to attend the Junior Royal Northern College of Music where he studied with Tom Redmond and Laurence Rogers. Whilst there he won the Zochonis Scholarship and the Brass playing Prize. He won an entrance scholarship in 2006 to the Royal Academy of music where he is currently studying with Mike Thompson and Richard Watkins.

He has recently played in venues throughout the United Kingdom such as Snape Maltings Concert Hall, the Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke's and the Regents Hall.

Chris has played with many orchestras including the Britten Pears Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Bahrain Sinfonia, the Orchestra of St Pauls and the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra.

Chris is a keen modern music enthusiast and has premiered works by Nick Martin and Matthew King. He has worked in commercial recordings for television and recently recorded in Abbey Road studios. Chris is also taught Natural Horn by Andrew Clarke of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Chris is an LSO Student Ambassador, a member of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme and currently freelances in and around London.

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