Aoife Miskelly and Catherine Dillon comprise the Oriel Vocal/Piano Duo. Both Irish musicians, they formed a duo while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, London in September 2007.

From Belfast, Aoife Miskelly completed her previous studies as an undergraduate at University College Cork, gaining a First Class Honours BMus degree in 2004 and winning the Mary V. Hart memorial prize and the Doc Gleeson award for solo performance. She began her Masters Degree studies in Vocal Performance at the Royal Academy of Music London in 2007, under Jenifer Dakin and Mary Hill. Aoife also enjoys working the soprano sectional coach with both the Ulster and Irish Youth Choir and is a recipient of the Josephine Baker Trust Fund.

Originally from County Louth, Catherine Dillon is currently a second year postgraduate student of Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music. Prior to studying in London she graduated from the Cork School of Music, Ireland with an Honours BMus degree in 2004 and MA degree in Performance in 2007. During her time there she received prizes for her playing as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. Her current teachers at the Royal Academy of Music are Andrew West and Daniel Ben Pienaar.

The Oriel Duo perform a wide range of repertoire and styles including classical, Irish, folk and light jazz. They have taken part at masterclasses and events within the Royal Academy of Music and are delighted to be performers on Yehudi Menhuhin’s scheme Live Music Now!

Thistle Brass is comprised of senior students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and in 2002 won the Mary D Adams Prize for Chamber Music. All the players have a wide professional experience and have worked with numerous organisations including the Royal Scottish National, BBC Scottish and Scottish Opera Orchestras. The group was established in 2001 and has undertaken a wide diversity of engagements, including BBC radio recordings, recitals and concerts, weddings, crematorium services, carol concerts, graduations and school workshops across the lenght and breadth of Scotland. The brass quintet is a very versatile medium and Thistle Brass is equally at home in repertoire from Renaissance to contemporary, classical to jazz, serious to lunatic!

Thomas Tettey Annang is a professional drummer and dancer from Ghana. He has been a member of the Akrowa Dance Ensemble in Accra for nine years. The Akrowa Dance Ensemble is a professional group of drummers and dancers who have performed for many occasions (weddings, funerals, festivals, local and tourist entertainment) and in a multitude of establishments including schools, hotels, the National Theatre of Accra, the Canadian, Brazilian and Danish Embassies, the American Consulate and the UN, to name but a few. He has played lead and support on a range of African drums and performed various dances. From 2003-2009, Thomas has taught a range of people from professional musicians to tourists from all around the world.
Since his arrival (Feb. 2009) in N Ireland, Thomas has led workshops in African drumming and dancing with many different sectors of the community:- primary/secondary schools, day care centres, psychiatric wards, youth groups (scouts, girls brigade, outdoor pursuit centres, church groups), family fun days/festivals, various district councils.
In Ghana, Thomas studied under Master Drummers Okoe Ardeyfio and the world renowned Mustafa Tettey Addey and he has also performed with them for various occasions.
Thomas has continued performing in many venues in N Ireland i.e. Ulster Hall, City Hall, Custom House Square, Braid Centre Ballymena, Crescent Arts Centre. Performances have been both solo and as part of the Afro- Caribbean group ‘Magwere’.

Three Jazz are a Leeds based ensemble who formed whilst studying together at Leeds College Of Music. The band consists of Tom Sherman- saxophone, Ali Mac- drums & percussion, Sam Vicary- bass. They are an extremely flexible band that draw on the varied musical experience and specialisms of each member in order to weave a unique style. Their repertoire encompasses original compositions, creative re-workings of Jazz Standards, Improvised music, Klezmer, Latin and Afro-Cuban influences. The musicians of this ensemble are experts in their own fields and have performed throughout the UK and internationally.

It wasn't until the band heard of 'Live Music Now' that they put their musical heads together and set to work on performing to, entertaining and unleashing the creativity of audiences who don't often get the opportunity to experience live music. The ensemble use their collective experience in community music and music therapy settings to deliver workshops and interactive performances that harness the innate musical creativity of their clients. Three Jazz work within a variety of settings and environments including special schools, day centres and prisons. The band are passionate believers in the therapeutic benefits of musical creativity, and find sharing their enthusiasm a highly rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Unit SIX are an exciting percussion and piano duo whose intensity and communicative power have ensured their position at the forefront of contemporary music. Having performed regularly across the UK for the last three years, they have developed a playing style which offers an air of approachability and sincerity to audiences of all ages.

In concert, Unit SIX introduce you to a fascinating selection of percussion instruments with origins spanning across the globe. The repertoire has been chosen to show how different combinations of sounds from these instruments can be rousing, reflective, meditative and very inspiring; proving that ‘percussion’ does not always mean LOUD.
Recognised as one of the UK's emerging duos, Unit SIX are in constant demand to perform works by composers from all over the world. It is their genuine passion for sharing this music with concert audiences that has ensured their position as one of today's most attractive new ensembles.

James Hughes
James Hughes is a talented percussionist whose passionate and persuasive performances have established him as a leading figure in his field. It is his sense of musical creativity and immediate engagement with audiences, coupled with an effortless technical flair that is particularly infectious. As a performer he is equally at home championing cutting edge music as he is performing traditional repertoire, and his fluid and flexible approach to performance creates a sensory experience encompassing both delicacy and virtuosity.

James was born into a musical family and was taught the piano and accordion by his mother who encouraged him to start giving his first public performances when he was just six. James started learning the flute at junior school and when he was eleven years old was awarded a place to study at the Royal College of Music (Junior Department). In 2001 the opportunity arose for James to study another instrument at the college and he started studying orchestral percussion under the tutelage of Keith Bartlett.

James started to train as a solo percussionist at the University of Nottingham. New students had to state which instrument they would be playing for the performance modules of the degree. James declared with great enthusiasm that he was a percussionist - you can only imagine the expression on the percussion tutor’s face when James turned up to his first lesson with no sticks or music! By the end of his first year, and after a rigorous practice schedule (over seven hours a day), James had given several lunchtime recitals and was privileged to be receiving advisory percussion lessons from Evelyn Glennie at her studio in Cambridgeshire.

In his second year, James was working as a freelance percussionist for both the Nottingham Philharmonic and Nottingham Symphony orchestras and he gave his first performance in a duo with the pianist Tim Balnaves. This collaboration proved to be an immediate success and James was awarded the music departments performance prize for his second year assessed recital. In 2005, James also won the Tom Acton Memorial Trust Bursary Award and was awarded a silver medal at the International Eisteddfod in the solo performer category.

During his degree, James commissioned seven new works for percussion and at the end of his third year he won the concerto competition and performed “Konzertstuck”, a concerto for snare drum, with the University Philharmonia. James graduated with BA Music (first class) in 2006.

James now performs almost exclusively with Tim Balnaves in the percussion and piano duo, Unit SIX. Alongside recitals at music societies and festivals, the duo perform regularly in schools, hospitals, centres for children with special educational needs, care homes and conference centres.
James is endorsed by Mapex drums, Hardcase cases and Percussion Construction mallets.

Tim Balnaves is an enthusiastic and accomplished pianist, composer and vocalist from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. A devotee and exponent of contemporary/experimental music in both classical and popular styles, he has spent the last three years almost constantly performing within the genre. Tim is quickly building up a reputation as a skilled accompanist and is recognised for his sympathetic playing style and his ability to connect with soloists in performances.

During his formal training in the University of Nottingham's Music department, Tim played a key role as one of the official accompanists for orchestral auditions and student recitals. One of Tim's most fruitful musical associations has been with the percussionist James Hughes. The two started performing together in 2004 and the collaboration has provided an opportunity for Tim to expand his knowledge of contemporary percussion instruments. In the years since their debut concert, Tim has been happy to explain that although he may not have learned how to play the five-octave Marimba, he can certainly now pack one into a van!

In 2006, Tim was selected to enter the Live Music Now scheme as part of the percussion and piano duo, Unit SIX. Live Music Now is a charity founded by Yehudi Menuhin and works to bring the joy and inspiration of professional live music to those who have limited access to conventional music making. Since joining the scheme, Tim has given concerts across the length of the country and performed at notable events including the Cambridge Music Festival, Classical FM Music Makers, and the Welsh International Eisteddfod.

Formed in 2008, Viento Duo have performed a wide variety of music in settings ranging from concert venues to education establishments.
Suzanne Clare was born in West Bromwich in the West Midlands and began her studies in clarinet at the Birmingham Conservatoire where she graduated in 2008 with a First Class Honours Bachelor of Music degree. Whilst studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire she was awarded the 2008 Birmingham Conservatoire Woodwind Prize and was a finalist in the Symphony Hall Recital Prize 2008, Doris Newton Club Prize 2008 and Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music Prize 2006. Whilst studying in Birmingham she regularly played with the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and was also principal clarinet of the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Orchestra for three years. In 2009 Suzanne was awarded the Giles Thomas Lyth Scholarship to continue her studies at Postgraduate level at the Royal Northern College of Music where she graduated with a Master of Music at Distinction level in Solo Performance. Since moving to Manchester she has played with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra and currently holds a place on E-flat clarinet in the Young Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra, resident of St. John’s, Smith Square, London. She was also selected for the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, performing with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. Her studies in music so far have enabled her to perform in such prestigious venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall, the Symphony Hall and Town Hall in Birmingham and further afield in America and Italy.
Gemma Sheehan-Dare was born in Harrogate. Whilst still at school she gained orchestral experience on the flute playing with several adult orchestras including the St. Cecilia Orchestra and the Mowbray Orchestra. Over the years Gemma has performed several concertos alongside these orchestras as well as alongside Knaresborough Pro Musica, the Harrogate Symphony Orchestra and the Harrogate Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2003 she won the title ‘Young Musician of the Harrogate Competitive Music Festival’. In 2005 Gemma continued both her academic and performance studies in music at the University of Manchester where she gained a Bachelor of Music with Honours degree. In 2008 Gemma was awarded a major scholarship to study for a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music. She was awarded the Dobie Award and the Pat Barney Award in 2009 and during this year was the successful flautist chosen for both the college’s Professional Orchestral Access Schemes. Gemma graduated in 2010 at Distinction level with a Postgraduate Diploma in Orchestral Studies. During her time at college, Gemma has been fortunate enough to play with several professional orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Hallé Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also recently been on trial with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Suzanne and Gemma met whilst studying at The Royal Northern College of Music. Their experience of playing together within a woodwind section unveiled a similarity of musical thought and ideas. They quickly became great friends and a strong musical kinship developed. They have played within a multitude of ensembles together; from Octets, Sextets and Quintets to Trios with Piano. They are both passionate performers and interested in bringing music alive by breaking down conventional barriers existing between performers and the audience.

As three top graduates from the Royal College of Music, the members of W3 are very experienced concert artists. Between them, they have performed in all the major concert halls in the UK, including The Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall as well as playing under the batons of Sir Roger Norrington, Marin Alsop, Bernard Haitink, and Pierre-André Valade with whom they were all broadcast on BBC Radio 3 for a UK premiere during the recent Helmut Lachenmann festival. Also listed on their CV’s is a performance in Buckingham Palace at the request of Princess Anne, broadcasts on Channel 4 and the BBC, and a performance as part of BAFTA Award winning television drama Britz. During their varied performing lives they all enjoy numerous freelance orchestral engagements throughout the South East and regularly perform solo recitals.

As a trio, W3 have been performing throughout the UK since forming at the RCM in 2006. They’ve played in a variety of venues across the UK, including St. George’s Brandon Hill, Bristol; St. Mary Abbott’s Church, Kensington; and Lincoln’s Inn, Holborn. In July 2006 they were part of the premiere performance of Cecilia McDowell’s ‘Century Dances’. Most recently they have played as part of the Oxford Springboard Festival alongside Levon Chilingirian, and at Reading University.

W3 are not only dedicated performers, they are also passionate about education and outreach work: W3 are currently ensemble in residence at Bousfield Junior School, and have performed for ‘Test drive an instrument’ at the GroveStock Festival. Also, they have worked with St. Wilfrid’s Retirement Home, Chelsea, providing entertainment for residents and most recently they gave performances for rb&hArts at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. Individually they have taken part in education projects with Music House for Children, Handel House Museum and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Their future plans include further expanding their outreach work both within London and further afield and they are delighted to have recently been accepted onto the Live Music Now Scheme.