Photo by Eric Richards

Margaret Faultless & Adrian Partington

Margaret Faultless is an internationally renowned violinist - a specialist in historical performance practice and in great demand, particularly as a concertmaster and director. She has been a member of The London Haydn Quartet for six years and their recently released volumes of Haydn Opus 9 Quartets has been hailed as one of the greatest Haydn quartet recordings ever. She also has a duo with pianist Adrian Partington with whom she is performing, in particular, the sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms. www.devonbaroque.co.uk

Adrian Partington was appointed artistic director of the BBC National Chorus of Wales in November 1999. He studied at King's College, Cambridge, where he was the organ scholar, and the Royal College of Music. He has enjoyed parallel careers as conductor, chorus master, pianist and organist.

Adrian works regularly with many of the most famous choirs in the UK, including the Philharmonia, the BBC Symphony Chorus, and the London Bach Choir. He also works with leading orchestras each season, such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the English Symphony Orchestra.

Emily and Friends
Emily Van Evera, a distinguished American soprano and member of the Musical & Amicable Society, joined by:
Huw Daniel and Kelly McCusker - violins
Kate Fawcett - viola and viola d'amore
Warwick Cole - cello
Martin Perkins - harpsichord

Derek Paravicini

Derek, now in his late twenties, was born premature, at 25 weeks, and weighing just over half a kilogram. As a result of the oxygen therapy required to save his life, Derek lost his sight, and his development was affected too. It later became apparent that he had severe learning difficulties. However, he soon acquired a fascination for music and sound, and, by the age of four, had taught himself to play a large number of pieces on the piano, of some melodic and harmonic complexity (such as 'Smoke Gets in your Eyes').

Derek's first major concert was at the Barbican Halls in London, when he was just nine years old (in 1989). He played jazz with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra. Numerous national and regional television appearances followed, in the UK and overseas. His increasing maturity both as a person and performer enabled him to give concerts in venues across England and in Europe; among them, Ronnie Scott's renowned jazz club in London. His most recent performing ventures have been in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, where has made three trips in recent years

www.derekparavicini.net

Scherzo Brass

The members of Scherzo Brass originally met in the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBB). They progressed from the NYBB to study at the Royal Northern College of Music and are currently in their third year. They formed the Scherzo Brass Quartet in September 2006 and regularly receive coaching sessions from Paul Hindmarsh and John Miller. They frequently visit schools in the Manchester area and also throughout Yorkshire, giving masterclasses and working as part of various outreach projects.

In February 2007, they entered the prestigious Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble Competition, successfully reaching the final. Scherzo Brass have also performed at the National Youth Brass Band Championships and the Northern Brass Arts Festival, at the world-famous Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. In November 2007, Scherzo Brass became the "British Open Quartet Champions" at the annual competition.

The Musical and Amicable Society Orchestra

Orchestra directed by Martin Perkins
Featuring:
Solo Violinist, Hannah Roper
Tenor, Nicholas Mulroy
French Horn, Anneke Scott (http://www.annekescott.com)

Nicholas Mulroy
(The Musical and Amicable Society Orchestra)

Born in Liverpool, Nicholas Mulroy studied Modern Languages at Clare College, Cambridge and then at the RAM. He made his Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut in Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery under Jurowski.

Other operatic roles have included Mozart’s Tamino, Ferrando, Ottavio, Belfiore and Monostatos with Sir Colin Davis, as well as Tenor Actor in Judith Weir’s A Night at the Chinese Opera, Patacha in L’Étoile at the Opéra Comique in Paris, roles in Purcell’s Fairy Queen, the title role in Monteverdi L’Orfeo for BBC Radio, and le Chevalier in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites in Poland.

Forte

Forte has been created by Steve Liddle and James Wisker who, having spent twelve months touring with a major musical theatre group on a nationwide UK tour, decided they wanted to develop their own style of performance. Creating unique harmonies, their voices blend to create a delightful and memorable programme to suit all tastes. Charlotte was an original member of the same touring group and of prize-winning Ross-based X-Centricity Youth Theatre. Daisy Campey is also an alumna of X-Centricity and, like Charlotte, is now at university. They are both thrilled to take time out from their studies to rejoin their former colleagues in Showtime!

http://www.forte-entertainment.co.uk

Eduardo Niebla Trio

"World class virtuoso" (Time Out) Spanish guitarist and composer EDUARDO NIEBLA is one of the most brilliant and emotive performers on the world circuit today, fusing "poignantly poetic and truly fabulous" (The Scotsman) flamenco gypsy jazz with Arabic, Indian, Latin and classical influences, to create a truly "stunning" (The Sound) and "exhilarating" (Jazz Journal) musical experience "full of hot, dark, Mediterranean passion" (The Scotsman)

His concerts appearances have included the OLYMPIC GAMES GREECE, THE Tbilisi International Jazz Festival, Georgia, Glastonbury and the Brecon International Jazz Festivals, England, the San Isidro Fiesta, Madrid, in addition to numerous international festivals throughout Europe and the Baltic States. He has undertaken extensive concert tours to Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and South Africa and has received great critical acclaim

http://www.eduardoniebla.com

Heartbreak Productions

Renowned for exciting and innovative productions, Heartbreak Productions has become one of the most prestigious and high quality professional, touring theatre companies in the country visiting over one hundred fabulous venues all over the UK. Operating successfully for over 15 years, last summer the company attracted audience figures of more than 40,000 for Romeo & Juliet, The Railway Children, The Importance of Being Earnest and Twelfth Night. These ranged from the small and intimate to over 700 per night depending on audience capacity

The work of Heartbreak Productions delivers the heart and soul of the work, creating a unique storytelling format that allows a blend of truthful, passionate acting, live music and dance and a combination of fun, humour and audience interaction!

Using innovative design and dynamic music, the audience will experience magical and atmospheric performances of these timeless classics played out against some of the country's most dramatic and awe-inspiring backdrops.

Our outdoor performances are noted for our exciting and entertaining production style, coupled with clarity and easy accessibility for new audiences who are perhaps not familiar with the work.

http://www.heartbreakproductions.co.uk