Steinway Artist Simon Callaghan performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. His recent tours have taken him to Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and on two occasions to the Banff Centre in Canada. He has performed at all of the UK’s major concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and St David’s Hall Cardiff. 2017 has taken Simon throughout the UK and to Italy, Holland and Switzerland.
Simon Callaghan’s interest in rarely performed works has led to invitations to perform concerti by Françaix, Tippett and to give the first UK performance since 1946 of Medtner’s 3rd Concerto. His rapidly-expanding discography includes solo works by Sterndale Bennett, Parry, Sacheverell Coke and two volumes of Delius with Parnassius Duo partner, Hiro Takenouchi (on Somm). In November he released his debut concerto recording for Hyperion’s lauded Romantic Piano Concerto series: the first recordings of Roger Sacheverell Coke’s Concerti with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins.
Jamie Campbell was born in London. After reading Music at Clare College, Cambridge he continued his studies in Vienna, London and Madrid. He divides his time evenly between his work as Principal 2nd Violin of Aurora Orchestra, as a guest leader and principal of other orchestras, and as a chamber musician. In 2004 he founded the Solstice Quartet, in which he was 1st violin, and who played together until 2013. The quartet won the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Prize in 2009 and gave their debut at the Wigmore Hall debut in the same year. He is now regularly invited to perform at chamber music festivals including Cervo- Italy, Whittington, ‘New Paths’- Beverley, Highgate and Aberystwyth.
Jamie has appeared as leader with the London Sinfonietta, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra, The Dmitri Ensemble, Nevil Holt Opera and St Endellion Festival Orchestra. Highlights of 2016 included BBC Proms performances with Aurora, with Cercle de l’Harmonie and with Multi-Story Orchestra, tours to Switzerland, France, Spain, and Germany and a return to Southwell Music Festival where he is Associate Artistic Director.
In July he premiered a new concerto ‘The Fallen Elm’ written for him by Graham Ross. He has also premiered works by composers including Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sebastian Currier, Giles Swayne, Joseph Philbbs, Richard Blackford, Kim Ashton and John Metcalf. Jamie also performs on period instruments and this year toured with ‘Arcangelo’, ‘Solomon’s Knot’ and the French-based orchestra ‘Cercle de l’Harmonie’. Jamie plays a violin made by Stefan-Peter Greiner.
Cellist Ashok Klouda has performed all over the world and currently leads a busy and varied career as performer and teacher.
Ashok made his solo Wigmore Hall debut in 2010 as a result of winning the Worshipful Company of Musicians/Concordia Foundation Young Artists Fund award. He has won many other awards and prizes, including 1st prize in the 2006 J & A Beare Solo Bach Competition, the 2007 Royal College of Music Cello Competition and the 2009 Tunnell Trust concert scheme.
Cellist in the Artea Quartet, Ashok is also a member cello octet ‘Cellophony’ and the London International Players. From 2009 to 2011 Ashok was cellist in the Barbirolli Quartet, during which time he toured Singapore and New Zealand, appeared throughout Europe as part of the ECHO ‘Rising Stars’ scheme and performed on the 1692 ‘Segelman’ Stradivarius cello kindly loaned to him by the Royal Academy of Music.
Since 2010, Ashok has been on the Advisory Board for The London Cello Society. Teaching is an important part of Ashok’s life – he has taught cello at the Yehudi Menuhin School and given classes at the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Ashok now heads up the Ex-Animo Mentorship Scheme – a new initiative to help and mentor today’s most talented young ensembles and prepare them for the profession.
Ashok has performed many times on BBC Radio 3 and he has recorded for the Nimbus Alliance label with the Barbirolli Quartet, for Music Chamber and Edition Classics as a member of Cellophony and for Champs Hill Records as a member of the Artea Quartet.
Ashok is a Founder and joint Artistic Director of the Highgate International Chamber Music Festival in London, in which he performs annually with many of today’s most eminent chamber musicians and soloists.
In 2016, Ashok was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
Ashok performs on a cello made in 2012 by Tibor Szemmelweisz.