The Locrain Ensemble of London -
Rita Manning (violin)
Justin Pearson (cello)
Katherine Rockhill (piano)
RITA MANNING (violin) studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and
subsequently in Frieburg in Germany. On her return to London she was awarded
"The Young Artists Platform Award". In 1985 she was invited to join the Academy
of St Martin in the Fields, which she co-led for 6 years. During that time she
appeared on several occasions as soloist with the Academy as well as the R.T.E.
Symphony Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. In 1990, with pianist
Jonathon Plowright, Rita formed "Capital Virtuosi" and also for two years was
the violinist in "Attacca", a 7 piece ensemble formed by the guitarist John
Williams. More recently Rita has been involved in cross-over music with Sam
Rivers & Michael Brecker, and with her own string quartet "Trans4mation", 2
discs with saxophonist John Surman for the E.C.M label. Rita is currently leader
of the National Symphony Orchestra & The Locrian Ensemble.
JUSTIN PEARSON (cello) is one of London¹s busiest and most versatile musicians.
He is Principal cellist and Artistic Director of The National Symphony Orchestra
(UK), Guest Principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic, and cellist of the
English Piano Trio. Justin is artistic director and manager of the Locrian
Ensemble of London, one of the most sought after, and often-recorded ensembles
in Britain today. Tours abroad have included performing solo recitals at the
Edinburgh and Spoleto Festivals, touring Germany and Holland, and performing
many concertos, including the Elgar, at St.Martin-in-the-Fields. Just recently
he has undertaken his first solo recital tour to the USA. Justin has recorded
CDs for the following classical labels : Hyperion (Schubert), Naxos (Malcolm
Arnold - a ³Gramophone² award winning disc, and chamber works of Martinu),
Beethoven Quintets (Guild), ASV (Mozart and Schubert Viola and Cello Quintets),
Dutton Epoch (Rebecca Clarke, Walter Leigh, Richard Arnell and Arthur Benjamin),
Carlton Classics (Piazzolla) and, most recently, the Limerick-based composer,
Osborne, for the Irish Lyric fm label. He has produces independent programmes
for BBC Radio 3.
KATHERINE ROCKHILL (piano)
Katherine Rockhill attended the Royal College of Music in London, where she won
the colleges¹ most prestigious award, the Tagore Medal, which was presented to
her by HRH the Prince of Wales. Katherine has appeared on BBC television, BBC
Radios 2, 3 and Classic FM and has given recitals as part of duos in the Purcell
room, Wigmore Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Katherine is the pianist for
the Locrian Ensemble of London. She works with Debbie Wiseman when recording her
music for film soundtracks, most recently the animated stories of Oscar Wilde;
ŒThe Nightingale and the Rose¹, ŒThe Selfish Giant¹, and ŒThe Devoted Friend¹.
She also played on the soundtracks, by Rachel Portman, to the films ŒMona Lisa
Smile¹, ŒBecause of Winn Dixie¹, and most recently, ŒThe Lakehouse¹. She has
recently recorded works by composer Richard Arnell, including the piano trio.
This was Editor¹s Choice in the ŒGramophone¹
Artistic
Director : Justin Pearson
Rolf Wilson - Violin
Rita Manning - Violin
Philip Dukes - Viola
Morgan Goff- Viola
Justin Pearson - Cello
The Locrian Ensemble are top classical musicians working in London, and have
such a busy and varied schedule that they are considered one of the most dynamic
groups working in the field of British classical music today.
Bringing together some of the most prominent string soloists in London, THE
LOCRIAN ENSEMBLE was formed in 1995 and has established an enviable reputation
for its recordings, broadcasts and live performances. The group frequently
expands, and this provides a vehicle for concerto playing for the group¹s key
members. For instance, the Locrian Ensemble regularly performs at St.Martin-in-the-Fields,
presenting programmes of baroque and classical music, whilst also enlarging,
when required, into a compact chamber orchestra.
The Locrian have recorded works for BBC Radio 3 and Classic fm, and released
compact discs on the ASV label (Mozart and Schubert Quintets), the Bracken label
(Classics by Candlelight 1 and 2 ), and on the Dutton Laboratories Epoch label
(Walter Leigh, Rebecca Clarke, Arthur Benjamin and Richard Arnell, the last of
these dics being Gramophone ³Editor¹s Choice²).
The Locrian Ensemble are frequently heard on television and on film. Recent
recordings include the score for Oscar Wilde¹s Fairy Stories in Dublin, as well
as playing the score to the film of ³Wilde², starring Stephen Fry.
The Locrian Ensemble is the resident musical group at the Maddermarket Theatre
in Norwich, and from here they travel to all parts of the country, making them
amongst the busiest chamber music groups working in Britain today.
³The Locrians have a formidable international reputation²
London Evening Standard
The Locrain Ensemble on Guild Music
- GMCD 7307 Volkmar Andreae Piano
Trios
- GMCD 7274 Beethoven Contemporary
Arrangements for Chamber Ensemble
Page Revised Thursday March 29 2007
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