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Schedule for 2009-10 members > (password required)
2009-10 members
Lisa Obert Violin
Artem Kotov Violin
Jennifer Edwards Viola
Andrei Simion Cello
Damián Rubido González Bass
Laura Pou Flute
Will Oinn Oboe
James Burke Clarinet
Joanna Stark Bassoon
Tiffany Stirling Horn
Lucy Leleu Trumpet
Andy White Trombone
Carl Woodcroft Tuba
Sarah Cresswell Percussion
Stephanie Beck Harp
Michele Gamba Piano
Foyle Future Firsts is generously
supported by the Foyle Foundation
  
Laura Pou (flute)
Laura graduated with honours in Flute Performance from the Catalonia Music College in Barcelona in 2009. During her time there she studied with Magdalena Martinez and Júlia Gállego and studied baroque flute with Marc Hantaï.
Since September 2007 she has been studying at Trinity College of Music with Wissam Boustany and Emer McDonough, supported by the scholarships from ‘Anna Riera’, the Spanish Council and Ibercaja.
Laura was a member of the Youth National Orchestra of Catalonia (JONC) from 2003 to 2009, and Principal Flute of the Youth Orchestra Presjovem from 2003 to 2005. She has been Principal Flute of the Conjunt XXI! Orchestra since 2006, and the Britten Pears Orchestra since 2007. In 2008 Laura became a member of the Youth National Orchestra of Spain (JONDE) and regularly collaborates with the Wind Symphonic Band of Barcelona and the Vallès Symphony Orchestra.
Will Oinn (oboe)
Will was born in 1986 and began learning the oboe aged 9. From the age of 15 he studied with Nicholas Daniel, and in 2005 was awarded a Foundation Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music, London.
Will is currently principal oboe of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and has also appeared with orchestras such as the European Union Youth Orchestra, Nederlands Jugend Orkest and Symphony Orchestra of India.
Will continues his studies this year at the RCM, having been awarded a scholarship to study with Chris Cowie, John Anderson and Gareth Hulse. He is also generously supported by the Countess of Munster Trust, Craxton Memorial Trust as well as the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
James Burke (clarinet)
James Burke graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2009 with a Master’s Degree. Over the course of his studies, James has performed solo recitals at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and LSO St Luke’s, as well as a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of a Composer’s Portrait at the BBC Proms.
Orchestral playing had led to James playing abroad with the Indian Symphony Orchestra, as well as several performances for the London Symphony Orchestra’s Discovery concerts. Recently he has taken part in the Paxos Music Festival and the Ryedale Festival as a chamber musician, as well as touring and recording extensively around Europe with his wind quintet.
  
Joanna Stark (bassoon)
After graduating in music from Cambridge University, Joanna began her MA at the Royal Academy of Music in September 2008, where she studies with John Orford, Gareth Newman and David Chatterton.
Her orchestral pursuits have recently included playing bassoon in the inaugural London Sinfonietta Academy, and as a chamber musician she enjoys giving regular recitals with her wind trio The Kandinsky Winds. Joanna is the current holder of the Florence Woodbridge Bassoon Prize, and is very grateful for the support of the Leverhulme Trust, The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, The Musician’s Benevolent Fund and The Janet Craxton Memorial Trust.
Tiffany Stirling (horn)
Tiffany has recently graduated with both a PGDip and DipRAM from the Royal Academy of Music where she studied the horn with Richard Watkins, Michael Thompson and Martin Owen. Prior to this she read music at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and learnt with Richard Clews. Whilst studying she led the horn sections of the Britten-Pears Orchestra and the Academy Symphony, Concert and Opera orchestras, as well as participating in numerous chamber music projects. Tiffany is now at the start of her professional career, and so far has played with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and has been on trial with the Hallé Orchestra.
Lucy Leleu (trumpet)
Lucy Leleu, born in Sussex in 1985, recently graduated from the Royal College of Music, where she was studying the trumpet with Paul Beniston. During her studies at the RCM Lucy was awarded the Herbert Samuel Memorial Prize and the Brass Solo Prize 2007, and spent part of her course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Since leaving college, Lucy has been a member of the Southbank Sinfonia and the European Union Youth Orchestra. Other performances include the opening of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and RCM trumpets, and playing natural trumpet with the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra. Lucy also enjoys playing with the group Oompah Brass with whom she has performed across Europe from Berlin to Belgrade, and broadcasts regularly for radio and television.
  
Andy White (trombone)
Andy White was born in London and took up the trombone at the age of 8. He studied with Rob Burtenshaw at Leeds University and then with Lindsay Shilling at the Royal College of Music where he was awarded an MMus in Performance. At the Royal College of Music, Andy was fortunate enough to play under conductors such as Andrew Litton, Bernard Haitink and Sir Roger Norrington.
Since graduating in 2008, Andy has played with many orchestras in and around London, including the orchestra of St Paul's Covent Garden and the Hatfield Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked in France with the Jeune Orchestre d'Atlantique where he played on period instruments under Phillippe Herweggehe. Andy also teaches in and around London, and gives educational workshops at various schools.
Carl Woodcroft (tuba)
Carl Woodcroft graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in June 2009 with a Masters Degree having had his postgraduate studies made possible by the EMI Music Sound Foundation and the Scarfe Charitable Trust. As a student of Patrick Harrild at the R.A.M., he performed with all the Academy orchestras and was twice selected as Tuba player on the R.A.M./London Symphony orchestra side by side scheme.
Carl has worked with the London Contemporary Orchestra, the English National Ballet, and played under conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Yan Pascal Tortelier and James Watson. He has provided liner notes for classical recordings such as the R.A.M. Strauss for Brass Harmonia Mundi release, and also composed a soundtrack to a recent prizewinning Getty Images short film.
Carl also holds the LRAM teaching diploma and a degree in music from Royal Holloway College, London where he studied Tuba with Martin Knowles.
Artem Kotov (violin)
Artem Kotov was born in Yekaterinburg in 1983 and started to play the Violin at the age of six, at the Yekaterinburg Academy of Music. He has studied with Igor Frolov at the Moscow State Conservatory and is currently studying at Trinity College of Music in London with Michael Bochmann. In 2006, during a tour of South and Central America, he was invited to give a masterclass at the Cuban Institute of Music in Havana. In 2007 he received the Golubovich Scholarship. He plays a Ceruti Violin from 1744, which was kindly loaned to him by Trinity College of Music.
  
Lisa Obert (violin)
Lisa Obert started playing the violin at the age of 5. In the National Youth Orchestra of Germany, the Young German Philharmonia and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra she gained invaluable orchestral experience, touring through Europe, Asia and South America. Lisa regularly participated in the competition “Jugend musiziert” and won several prizes.
After studying with such renowned teachers as Prof. Jörg Hofmann, Prof. Rainer Kussmaul and Prof. Ida Bieler she graduated in 2008 with the highest mark.
Currently Lisa is a master’s student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She regularly plays with the Van Halsema Piano Trio and especially enjoys playing the Baroque Violin.
Jennifer Edwards (viola)
Jennifer is a postgraduate student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she has gained a full scholarship to study on the Masters course in Performance with Rachel Roberts. She recently completed her undergraduate studies with Sven Arne Tepl, gaining a first class honours degree. She was a silver medal prize winner in the North London Music Festival Recital Competition, and first prize winner of the Kenneth Page Viola Competition 2007. In 2009 she was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra on their String Experience Scheme.
Jennifer recently won the Meyer Foundation Orchestral Award with the Philharmonia Orchestra and looks forward to participating in the London Symphony Orchestra Strings Academy in June.
Jennifer’s studies are generously supported by the Stanley Picker Trust.
Andrei Simion (cello)
Born in Romania 1984, Andrei started his musical education in Bucharest. In 2000 he was offered a full scholarship to study at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. After four successful years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the guidance of Louise Hopkins, Andrei is continuing his studies on a Masters course.
Andrei has recently been awarded the ECO Duchess of Cornwall Award, was Highly Commended in the Beethoven Society Duo Competition, and has, over the years, won many National and International competitions. He has appeared solo, as a duo partner and chamber musician in recitals and chamber music concerts in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Hall, The Atheneum, St.John’s Smith Square, St.James Palace. Andrei’s recent engagements include playing Schumann Concerto with the Iasi Philharmonic, and chamber music concerts in Germany, Holland, Sweden, and England.
Andrei is playing on a cello by an unknown maker kindly lent to him by the Benslow Trust.
  
Damian Rubido Gonzalez (double bass)
Damian Rubido Gonzalez studied Double Bass and Piano at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica ‘Oscar Espla’ in Alicante and then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has worked with the London Philarmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Academy Orchestra, Vienna Youth Orchestra, Netherlands National Youth Orchestra Academy and Orchestra del Gran Teatro del Liceo, amongst others. He is currently studying for his Masters degree at Royal College of Music.
Damian is grateful to the Youth Orchestra of Spain, Guildhall Trust, Leather Seller´s Company and Caja Madrid for their support.
Michele Gamba (piano)
Michele Gamba studied at the Milan Conservatory where he graduated in piano “summa cum laude”.
A former student of Maria Tipo, he has gained several prizes in national and international competitions and regularly plays for concert associations and music festivals in Europe such as: Società del Quartetto in Milan, Bologna Festival, Busoni Festival, Walton Foundation, Fundaciò Mas in Barcelona, Engadiner Festwochen, Santander Festival, ARD Munich, Geza Anda Stfitung Zurich, Conservatoire de Geneve, The Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre.
He has recently gained the “Rudolph Serkin Prize” and has been awarded the Artist Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
He has recorded for RAI, Radio Classica, ARD and the BBC.
Stephanie Beck (harp)
Stephanie Beck studied at the Landeskonservatorium Feldkirch with Nicoletta Alberti and finished her Masters Degree at the Royal Academy of Music with Skaila Kanga. She was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, the World Philharmonic Orchestra and is now playing with orchestras such as the CBSO, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Aurora Orchestra. As a chamber musician she plays with the European Chamber Players and has been a finalist of the 2009 Royal Overseas League competition with the Hibernia Trio. As a soloist she has appeared with orchestras such as the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra and the Modern Instrument Baroque Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music.
Sarah Cresswell (percussion)
Sarah Cresswell is a percussionist with an enthusiasm for solo, chamber and orchestral playing. She has performed as a soloist in venues including the Conservatoire du Nord, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House as well as recording as a soloist for HTV, S4C, BBC Radio Wales and Classic FM. As a chamber musician, Sarah is a member of the Ossian Ensemble; Fellows of the Royal College of Music. She enjoys contemporary solo and chamber music and is passionate about commissioning and performing new works. In her orchestral playing, Sarah is a winner of the Zildjian Prize for Excellence in Orchestral Percussion and is the Principle Percussionist of the London Contemporary Orchestra. She has worked in collaboration with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and is a member of the Foyle Future Firsts scheme with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
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