Below you can see some of the individuals and groups I have had the pleasure of working with over the past 30 years.
Pianists, organists and harpsichordists
Trevor Hughes – Keyboards
Trevor Hughes and I first worked together in 2009 and have developed a lasting partnership. Equally at home on the organ, piano or harpsichord, Trevor’s musical tastes and expertise know no bounds, his sight-reading no limits and his patience no ends. We have performed as far afield as Germany and Czech Republic, but have particularly enjoyed playing in churches, halls and barns where audiences have less access to live music.
You can hear some of our work together on my YouTube channel.
Collectives
Devon Baroque
Devon Baroque has developed a reputation in the South West for it’s vibrant and historically informed performances over the past 20 years.
I am proud to have joined the orchestra on a number of occasions as soloist in concertos by Vivaldi, Telemann and Bach in my home county of Devon. I am thrilled to be returning this September for two concerts with renowned flautist Rachel Brown.
The British Paraorchestra
The British Paraorchestra is the world’s first professional orchestra for musicians with disabilities. Under its Musical director, founder and driving force, Charles Hazlewood, the Paraorchestra has grown from an ensemble of four to become one of the most innovative, flexible and exciting orchestras around with 80 musicians, half of whom identify as Deaf, disabled or neuro-diverse.
As a recorder player, it is thrilling to find common ground with percussion, accordions, tablas, harmonicas and electric guitars and synths among much more. The versatility of the recorder has been stretched in many directions, from reworkings of Corelli’s epic La Follia to Terry Riley’s iconic In C, arrangements of rock anthems by Suede, and a new experimental concerto for drums inspired by the sound of the sea. Recorders also feature in Hannah Peel’s latest album, The Unfolding which was released on Real World Records in April 2022 and went straight to the top of the classical charts. As a blind musician, not all the recorder’s contemporary repertoire is easy to learn and memorise, but Paraorchestra has given me a thrilling opportunity to take the recorder deep into the 21st century orchestra.
Videos featuring some of my performances with the Paraorchestra can be viewed on my videos page.
RNS Moves
RNS Moves was established in 2018 as an inclusive ensemble based at the Sage Gateshead, drawing on members of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and supplemented by professional musicians with disabilities. The group’s repertoire draws on contemporary works for flexible ensembles, graphic scores and commissions, as well as several reimaginings of works by Bach, Vivaldi and Shostakovich.
The Joyful Company of Singers
The Joyful Company of Singers, under its founder and conductor Peter Broadbent are an exceptional choir based in London with an impressive catalogue of recordings to their name. They have shown a deep and enduring commitment to blind and visually impaired musicians and I have enjoyed appearing as a guest in several of their programmes.