Cellist, Abi Hyde-Smith enjoys a varied freelance career. As a chamber musician she has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, the Purcell Room and St.-Martin-in-the-Fields. She has appeared at festivals including the BBC Proms, Cheltenham, Ryedale, West Cork, Aldeburgh, Ledbury, and Norfolk and Norwich and has performed in the USA, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. Personal highlights include collaborations with the Belcea String Quartet, Michael Dussek and Martin Roscoe.
Abi plays with many orchestras across the UK, most recently including a European tours and Live BBC Radio 3 Broadcasts with the BBC Philharmonic, the Hallé, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra. Abi also loves to play in smaller Chamber Orchestras and has performed as Guest Principal with the City of London Sinfonia and the London Mozart Players.
Competition successes include 1st prize in the May Mukle Prize for Virtuosic Cello Playing, the Ruth Waddell Award, the Rhonda Butt Award and the Amy Lindley Prize for Cello. As a former founding member of the Bernadel Quartet further prizes include the CAVATINA Chamber Music Fellowship, 1st prize in the Royal Greenwich String Quartet Competition, the Davey Poznanski String Quartet Scholarship and awards from ChamberStudio. Following her postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, which she achieved with Distinction under the tutelage of Josephine Knight, Abi was awarded the Meaker Fellowship - a prize which goes to one graduating student each year. She completed her Undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Emma Ferrand, and the University of Manchester, where she completed the prestigious joint course with 1st class honours.
Abi is a great believer in the importance of music education and sharing music with those who may otherwise not experience it. She has participated in education and outreach projects with many orchestras and festivals in schools and hospitals. She also regularly performs chamber music in London Hospices. In 2015, Abi co-founded a Chamber Music School in Notting Hill for 4 to 11 year olds, where young string players get to collaborate together, ahead of applying to Junior Music Schools.
In 2017, Abi unfortunately broke her collarbone and could not play for some months. She would like to thank both Help Musicians UK and the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) for their incredible support through this difficult time. She is very happy she is still able to play the cello!
Abi plays on an 18th century English cello made by John Furber.
Violist Matt Maguire enjoys a varied freelance career in the UK. Matt splits the majority of his time between his hometown of Manchester, and London. He is Sub-Principal viola of the City of London Sinfonia and also enjoys working with other chamber orchestras such as Academy of St Martin in the Fields, London Mozart Players and Manchester Camerata. A former member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Matt also enjoys playing in orchestras such as Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Alongside symphonic repertoire Matt plays with English National Ballet and is frequently Principal Viola at Opera Holland Park.
Matt is a founding member of the award winning Artesian Quartet. Since their formation in 2009 they have been CAVATINA Chamber Fellows at RAM, Park Lane Young Artists and more recently have featured on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ program. The Artesians perform recently around the UK including Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, King’s Place, Colston Hall, Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, Lake District Summer Music and have toured in Turkey, Portugal and Ireland.
Matt is a founder member of United Strings of Europe and is in demand as principal for new emerging ensembles.
Having previously played guitar in a funk band Matt is passionate about many genres of music from blues to heavy rock and is principal viola of the acclaimed jazz group Engines Orchestra. He also plays with groups such as Heritage Orchestra and London Contemporary Orchestra which has led to him playing with a whole range of artists from Michael Bublé to Richard Ashcroft.
Matt studied with Martin Outram at Royal Academy of Music where he gained 1st class undergraduate and masters degrees and was awarded Countess of Munster Musical Trust and Leverhulme awards.
Alongside music Matt is a big football fan and has been a season ticket holder at Manchester City since the age of 7, and regular plays himself.
Matt plays on a 2006 Helen Michetschläger instrument.
Free recital (retiring collection)