Stuart King - Artistic Director, clarinet

Stuart King enjoys a diverse, challenging and rewarding career that incorporates performing, teaching, animateurship and directing. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Stuart studied clarinet with Dame Thea King and Joy Farrall.

Stuart’s passion lies in the realms of chamber music and contemporary performance. He has worked with many of the leading talents of his generation and thrives on innovative creative collaborations with artists from many disciplines, including most recently Brief Candles a collaboration with Rolf Hind, David Alberman, SPNM & the Richard Alston Dance Company.

Stuart is a founder member and Artistic Director of acclaimed chamber ensemble CHROMA. From relatively modest beginnings over a decade ago, the ensemble has evolved into a vibrant, multi-faceted and multi-skilled team who passionately deliver concerts and outreach work of the highest standard. Stuart has led the ensemble into lasting relationships, residencies and associations with organisations such as the Spitalfields Festival, for whom CHROMA is currently Ensemble-in-Residence for Education, Royal Holloway University of London, Ensemble-in-Residence and Tête-à-Tête Opera, Associate Ensemble.

In addition to concerts both nationally and internationally, Stuart curates and delivers a broad portfolio of bespoke outreach work. Past projects range from single-visit composition/performance work in primary schools from Shetland to Shoreditch, 6-month composition projects with GCSE/A level students, composers’ & opera performance workshops with graduates & post-graduate students at the Universities of Durham, Coventry, Nottingham and The Royal Northern College of Music to work with vulnerable young adults on the Princes’ Trust TEAM programme and clients at a London Homeless Shelter.

Such is the quality of these projects that CHROMA will continue to have an active presence with the Spitalfields Festival through to 2009. The relationship with Tête-à-Tête stretches over the next three years with CHROMA forming the performing ensemble and continuing to coordinate all the outreach work that accompanies each new touring production nationwide and abroad.

Stuart teaches clarinet and chamber music at the Westminster Cathedral Choir School and has given masterclasses both in the UK and abroad.

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Marcus Barcham-Stevens, violin

Marcus Barcham-Stevens has broadcast as soloist on BBC Radio 3 and live in recital on Classic FM. He has performed widely as a chamber musician: at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, the London Purcell Room, at the Haydn String Quartet Festival Esterhazy Austria, has played with Peter Donohoe, Paul Lewis, Emmanuel Haim amongst others, and recorded on CD several pieces of contemporary chamber music. He has guest led the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, Musikfabrik Koln, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (with whom he also held the position of Principal First Violin),the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the Southern Sinfonia. Orchestrally, he has also played with the English Baroque Soloists, English Chamber Orchestra, the Kings Consort and Academy of St.Martin in the Fields. Marcus has received starred First Class Honours in Music from Cambridge University and the Diploma for Advanced Solo Studies from the Guildhall School, where he studied with David Takeno.

Marcus is also a composer, most recently scoring the contemporary dance piece "Tela/Bride" for Lantern Dance Co, which was premiered by CHROMA in Ely Cathedral in 2007.

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Emily Davis - violin

Studied Royal Northern College of Music 1992-1997

After a period with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Emily regularly works with the BBC Symphony, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia and the City of London Sinfonia as well as making Guest Principal Appearances with the BBC Scottish and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras and the the Brunel Ensemble. More recently Emily has been appointed leader of the Sound Collective. Emily is also a member of the acclaimed Chamber Ensemble CHROMA. An interest in Period Performance has led to appearances with Orchestra of the Golden Age (Principal 2nd), Ludus Baroque and the smaller Chamber Ensemble Intermedi (Leader).

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  David Aspin - viola

biography being updated

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Clare O’Connell has been passionate about the cello since she picked one up at the age of 9.

After graduating from Wadham College Oxford with a BA hons in Ancient and Modern History she returned to her first love, studying at postgraduate level at the RCM and later at the Hochschule fur Kunste, Bremen, with Alexander Baillie.

Clare now pursues a busy freelance career and has performed all over the UK and Europe. She is a founder member of the acclaimed ensemble CHROMA, the Rothko string trio and the saxaphone quartet B(l)ow, and has also appeared with the Mainardi Trio, the Marais Ensemble and the Le Page Ensemble. She is a prolific performer of contemporary music, has worked with the New Music Players, Uroborus Ensemble and Psappha, and has been involved in the commissioning of new works for CHROMA and Rothko. Appearances also include the RPO, BBC Welsh, Ulster Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and Lyric FM.

She is principal cello of the chamber orchestra Sound Collective and a regular member of the Orchestra of the Swan.

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Helen Sharp - harp

Currently working freelance in the UK, Helen has played with many orchestras including the London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Academy of St Martins-in-the-Fields, London Mozart Players, Philharmonia, Orchestre National de Lyon, City of London Sinfonia and was principal Harp with Northern Ballet Theatre for a number of years. She has toured all over the world with many different London orchestras. A member of the European Union Youth Orchestra for three years, she has performed on Radio 3, Radio 2 and Classic FM, played with the choir of Clare College in the Ceremony of Carols at the Spitalfields Festival and on one of their CD releases. She has also recorded with Gonville and Caius College Choir for two of their CDs.

After reading music at Clare College, Cambridge, Helen became a scholar at the Royal College of Music. She was awarded funding by the Countess of Munster Fund and the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, and as a result of the latter appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra. As a chamber musician she is active with the multi instrument group CHROMA, their first CD has been released to critical acclaim.

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Sarah O'Flynn - flute

Sarah has been invited to trial for the posts of principal flute with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; English National Opera Orchestra; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; English Sinfonia; principal and co-principal flute with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; and for sub-principal flute with the The Halle Orchestra.

As a chamber musician Sarah is a member of CHROMA and The Marais Ensemble with whom she has performed at The Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall and live on Radio 3.

Chroma's debut CD, which received a 4-star review in BBC Music Magazine, includes Sarah's recording of Syrinx which was highly rated on the BBC radio programme, "CD Review".

Sarah runs a Summer Music Festival with The Marais Ensemble in her home town of Potton, Bedfordshire. She is also a member of CHROMA.
Orchestras: BBC Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Britten Sinfonia, Chroma, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, English Festival Orchestra, English Sinfonia, Galliard Ensemble, Marais Ensemble, Opera a la Carte, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Education Work: Britten Sinfonia Education, English Sinfonia Education.

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Emma Feilding - oboe

Emma studied with Celia Nicklin as an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music but after her first year decided to take up a place at Manchester University to study English Literature.

After graduating she spent several years travelling through central and South America teaching English before securing a post as principal oboe with the Orquestra do Norte in Portugal. In 1994 she returned to the Academy on the Advanced Course studying with Douglas Boyd and receiving the DipRAM.

She is a busy freelance musician working regularly with Britten Sinfonia, CHROMA and most of the London orchestras but particularly loves playing chamber music in her many groups.

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Martin Cousin - piano

With the awards of 1st Prize at the 2005 Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition and Gold Medal at the 2003 Royal Overseas League Music Competition, Scottish pianist Martin Cousin joins the ranks of such illustrious predecessors as Maurizio Pollini, Jacqueline DuPré and John Lill.   Martin entered the Royal College of Music in 1992, quickly establishing his career as both soloist and chamber musician by performing extensively in all the major music centres throughout the UK, broadcasting frequently on national radio and touring overseas. He has performed as soloist with many orchestras, including the RPO, Halle, LPO, Charlemagne Orchestra, and Orchestra Pommeriggi Musicali di Milano. His debut CD of Rachmaninov solo piano music was released by SOMM in January 2006 to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. On film, Martin’s hands were featured doubling for the scenes using Rachmaninov’s Concerto no.3 in the Oscar-winning film “Shine”.

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Roderick Chadwick, piano

Roderick Chadwick was born in Manchester in 1974, and studied at St Catharine’s College Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music. Widely active as a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed at many of Britain’s most prominent venues, including the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, Wigmore Hall, and the Aldeburgh, Buxton, Brighton and Huddersfield Festivals. He made his London South Bank debut playing the Tippett Piano Concerto at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. A devotee of contemporary repertoire, he has given world premieres of numerous works, and performs regularly with ensembles such as CHROMA, New Music Players and Plus-Minus. He made the first of many broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 at the age of 14, and has also broadcast in France, Japan and South Korea, amongst other countries.

Roderick Chadwick collaborates regularly with violinists Chloë Hanslip and Narimichi Kawabata, with whom he has performed at venues such as Seoul Arts Centre, Auditorium du Louvre, Schloss Elmau and Tokyo Opera City. He has recently featured on releases made by Guild Records, Innova (US) and Victor (Japan). Roderick lives in London is a member of the teaching staff at the Royal Academy of Music.

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Ian Watson - accordion

Ian graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2000 with the Dip.Ram, its highest performance accolade. His freelance career includes many of Europe's leading orchestras and chamber ensembles including the Royal Opera House, BBC SO, London Sinfonietta, LSO, Berlin Philharmonic and Ensemble Modern.

Ian is a keen advocate of new music and has commissioned many leading composers to write for accordion including David Gorton, Howard Skempton and Diana Burrell. He performs regularly with CHROMA chamber ensemble.

He has performed and recorded with Blur, The Divine Comedy (on accordion and piano since 2004) and Sophie Solomon (in the studio and on tour).

Recently Ian was Musical Director for Jonathan Dove's long running and critically acclaimed family opera 'The Enchanted Pig' at the Young Vic (accordion and piano). Work in West End theatre includes ‘The Taming of the Shrew’; ‘Oliver’ and ‘Fiddler on Roof’.

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Elena Hull - bass

After four years at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Elena completed her undergraduate studies as a full scholar at the Royal College of Music under Caroline Emery.

She is now a successful freelance player; part of a very wide range of musical undertakings ranging from Baroque to Modern music. She currently appears as guest principal bass with the London Mozart Players, and plays regularly for CHROMA. She also plays frequently in the West End production of the ‘Sound of Music’.

Elena is a twice prizewinner in the International Society of Bassists competitions and will be competing again next year in the USA. 

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Lucy Shaw - bass

Lucy studied music at Edinburgh University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She was a member of the Gogmagogs, a theatre music company, for 7 years. They created new shows with composers and script writers such as Django Bates, Taverner and Neil Innes, and performed all over the world. Lucy plays the double bass with groups such as CHROMA, Tete a Tete, Opus 20, Sound Collective and Composers Ensemble, exploring new music. She crosses over to play bass guitar in jazz and more popular music with the likes of Katie Melua and Glenn Tilbrook. She is also involved with music education projects working with CHROMA, Create and the LSO.

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Steve Gibson - percussion

Recent work includes CHROMA, playing for Mathew Bourne’s ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Push’ and 'Odysseus Unwound' for tete a tete, and ‘House of the Gods’ for Music Theatre Wales, working with the composer Ben Park for the WDPM tour of ‘5 2 10’ playing a mix of computer samples and live percussion, and performing with the Divine Comedy.

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Helen Simons - bassoon

Helen lived in Devon before moving to London to study at the Purcell School at the age of 16.  She continued her studies with scholarships at the Royal Academy of  Music and the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna. After several years of freelancing with London’s symphony and chamber orchestras, Helen took a position in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra where she has been a member for 5 years. She is also a founder member of the Galliard Ensemble (wind quintet) which recently enjoyed 2 years on the BBC New Generation Artists scheme. As a soloist she has performed with various groups including The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, the London Soloists, and the Junge Philharmonie Koln with whom she performed the Mozart Bassoon Concerto 39 times whilst touring around France.

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Evgeny Chebykin - horn

Evgeny Chebykin was educated at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson. Whilst at the Academy, Evgeny won numerous chamber music and solo prizes, including the coveted Dennis Brain Prize. As an orchestral musician he appeared with Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, City of London Sinfonia and Britten Sinfonia. As a soloist Evgeny performed at  BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Mostly Mozart and Presteigne festivals, and with artists such as Nash Ensemble, CHROMA, London Winds, Composers Ensemble and the Albion Ensemble.

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Chris Allan - cello

After graduating with Honours from the Guildhall in 1996, Christopher joined the critically acclaimed string septet, the gogmagogs, performing with them at the Sydney Festival, the City of London Festival, the Du Maurier World Stage Festival in Toronto, in New York and the USA and across the world.
He has broadcast live in the UK, the Czech Republic and in Brussels as solo cellist for pianist and composer Mike Westbrook, and currently works as soloist (Haydn and Boccherini recording with Under the Stairs records, released in 2003) and chamber musician (CHROMA, Chamber Music Company, Le Page Ensemble).
Recent recordings include a disc of the Goldberg Variations (in the famous String Trio arrangement by Sitkovetsky) with the Le Page Ensemble.
He lives in London and has two daughters.

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Anna Biggin - violin

Anna Biggin studied at Chethams School of Music before going onto the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where her teacher was Roger Raphael. On winning a DAAD (German Academic Exchange) scholarship, Anna undertook further studies for a year with Ana Chumacenko in Munich, Germany.

Anna plays regularly with the European Union Chamber orchestra, touring regularly to Asia, Central and South America and the Middle East as well as Europe. She has also worked with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Goldberg Ensemble. From 2000 to 2003 Anna was a member of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, Spain. Her regular orchestral engagements abroad include Toscanini Orchestra in Italy, Cadaques Orchestra in Spain and Salzburg Chamber Soloists.

Her chamber music work has taken her to Northern Norway where she lived for seven months leading the Ishavs Ensemble. She also leads the Aquila Ensemble and plays with Chroma.

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Rose Redgrave, viola

Rose Redgrave was born in London in 1974 and grew up in Norfolk. She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and later at the Royal Academy in London where she received a full scholharship and also

undertook a chamber music fellowship as member of the Ruggieri Quartet. Much in demand as a chamber musician and as an exponent of contemporary music she has performed and broadcast all over the world. She plays regularly with CHROMA, Lontano, Music Theatre Wales, The Goldberg Ensemble, Gemini and The Le Page Ensemble.

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David Le Page, violin

David Le Page was born in Guernsey and began learning the violin at the age of seven.  He gained a place at the Yehudi Menuhin school, aged eleven, where he studied with Margaret Norris and received chamber music coaching from Peter Norris and Hans Keller. He was a prize winner in both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Yehudi Menuhin competition and completed his studies in Bern with Igor Ozim and in London with Sidney Griller.

David has worked with a diverse selection of artists and ensembles including the Kreutzer quartet, Billy Jenkins, Thomas Ades, Chroma, Paul Zukovsky, Keith Tippett, Errolyn Wallen, Guy Johnson, Julius Drake, Abdullah Ibrahim, John Tavener, Sir Michael Tippett, Phillip Sheppard, Lucy Bailey, the Medici quartet, Charles Owen, the Gogmagogs and the St Petersburg quartet. He is director of the English Mozart Ensemble and has formed his own groups the Le Page Ensemble, Camera Obscura and Subway Piranhas.

Since 1995 he has been the violinist with the Composers Ensemble giving world premieres of works by John Woolrich, David Matthews, Gerald Barry, Tansy Davies and Julian Anderson amongst others. In 2006 they gave the first performance of Thomas Ades ‘Court Studies’ at the Aldeburgh festival with the composer at the piano. The ensemble has made many recordings for the BBC and has appeared at most of the major festivals in the UK including Cheltenham, Huddersfield, Brighton and Spitalfields.

In 1999 David was appointed leader of the Orchestra of the Swan, a Stratford-upon-Avon based chamber orchestra, which has garnered critical acclaim for its imaginative programming and commitment to new music. The orchestra has commissioned many new works and has gained a reputation for inspiring live performances. David regularly appears as soloist and director with orchestra. Solo appearances this season have included the Beethoven violin concerto, Haydn Sinfonia Concertante and premieres of Paul Patterson’s double violin concerto ’Allusions’, and ‘Gonzalez’ by Joe Cutler. Next season David will give four performances of Piazolla’s ‘Four Seasons’ including one at the newly refurbished Birmingham Town Hall.

Recordings include the Complete Tippett quartets, Shostakovich quartets, ‘The Music of Neglected English Composers’ with Roger Eno, Keith Tippett’s piano quintet ‘Linuckea’, Music by Gerald Barry, Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ (also on DVD), ‘Frantic Mid-Atlantic’ with Evelyn Ficarra, ‘The Rune of Hospitality’ with Mark Chambers, ‘Pierrot Dreaming’ music by Thea Musgrave and the Goldberg Variations with Le Page Ensemble. He is currently recording the Sonatas and Partitas by Bach and an album of his own material ‘As The Crow Flies’ due for release in 2007.

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Catherine Leech, violin

Catherine Leech was born in Northamptonshire and began learning the violin with her father at the age of four. She led the County Youth Orchestra and in 1992 won the area Young Musician of the Year competition and a BBC Radio fellowship award.

On leaving school Catherine went to the University of Sheffield where she read music and languages. She studied the violin with Nina Martin and was awarded the Julian Payne recital prize and several other major prizes for performance.  Following graduation Catherine went on to postgraduate study at the Royal College of Music, for which she won a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and gained a distinction in 1997. She then spent two years at Birmingham Conservatoire on the Diploma in Professional Studies course, studying with Professor Jacqueline Ross, where she was awarded The Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal for the year 2000.

Catherine has always retained strong links with Northamptonshire visiting frequently as a leader, soloist and teacher and has recently returned to the county to live. She regards teaching as an important part of her career and has been a visiting professor at Birmingham Conservatoire for four years.

Catherine currently performs with many groups including Vivaldi Camerata, The Adderbury Ensemble, The Le Page Ensemble, The Orchestra of the Swan, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, The English Mozart Ensemble, and the contemporary music group ‘Ensemble X’. She plays a violin made in 1992 by the award-winning luthier Peter Beare.

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Oliver Wilson, viola

After reading Classics at Clare College, Cambridge, Oliver resumed his musical studies with Bjorn Sjogren at Edsberg Kammarmusikinstitutionen in Stockholm. Since returning to England Oliver has pursued a diverse musical life. He has performed a wide range of 18th and 19th century repertoire around Europe with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and the English Baroque Soloists. He works regularly with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players. Recent contemporary music projects have included performances of George Crumb’s Black Angels with Chroma and programmes of contemporary British music with Contemporary Consort. As the viola player of the Welsh chamber group Ensemble Cymru he has performed in concert halls, churches, schools and shopping centres throughout Wales. On stage he has appeared as a member of Ensemble X with Errollyn Wallen in her multimedia spectacular Jordan Town, and in the Gogmagogs’ show Gobbledygook he has danced around the stage of the lyric Theatre, Hammersmith dressed as a rabbit.

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Claire Shovelton, Manager

Claire’s career includes press, PR and marketing for Riverside Studios, the Young Vic theatre and the West End, and producing for Opera Factory. She managed communications, then production, at Metro New Media, before taking up her current role as manager for chamber ensemble CHROMA. She works as company manager and education manager for Tête à Tête opera company, and on its annual Opera Festival, and also manages Christian Curnyn's Early Opera Company.

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