Gina McCormack (violin)

Gina McCormack is well established as one of Britain’s leading artists, with regular performances as a soloist and chamber musician at venues across the country and abroad. She made her recital debut in London at the Wigmore Hall at the age of 21 and has appeared many times since then in both that hall and at the South Bank Centre, and at venues and Festivals across the country. Gina has performed as soloist with the Hallé and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the former Bournemouth Sinfonietta. Solo tours abroad have taken her to France, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic, South Africa and South America, and most recently to Austria and Switzerland.

Gina studied with György Pauk at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and attended masterclasses with Sandor Vegh (at the Salzburg Mozarteum and at Prussia Cove in Cornwall), Dorothy DeLay, Andras Mihaly and Siegmund Nissel (from the Amadeus Quartet). While still a student, she was a prizewinner at the Royal Overseas League Music Competition in London and at the International Young Concert Artists’ Competition in Tunbridge Wells, where she has since returned to serve on the jury.

Gina has over twenty years’ experience as a quartet leader. For many years she was the leader of the Sorrel Quartet, with whom she was frequently heard on BBC Radio Three. The quartet made twelve CDs for Chandos Records, of works by Britten, Mendelssohn, Schubert and the complete cycle of Shostakovich quartets. Their Elgar CD was chosen as one of Classic FM’s records of the year and was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine. The group also recorded John Pickard’s Quartets on the Dutton label. She then led the Maggini Quartet for two years, leaving that group in March 2010 to focus on her solo work, continuing a long association with her duo partner, pianist Nigel Clayton. Most recently, she spent two years as first violinist of the Brodsky Quartet, with a hugely busy concert schedule in the UK and abroad. Highlights were tours of Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. She made the tough decision to leave the group in February 2021, needing to be closer to home for family reasons, and returning once again to her solo work.

Gina McCormack is also well-known as a teacher, having spent 11 years as professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (formerly Trinity College of Music) in London, followed by 7 years at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She is currently teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and also gives regular masterclasses both in the UK and at summer festivals abroad. She frequently coaches amateur musicians, finding their deep love and knowledge of music rejuvenating.

Gina’s passion for dance has led to a long association with the choreographer Matthew Bourne, whose New Adventures orchestra she has led for many years, being part of his very first iconic production of “Swan Lake” and so many other award-winning shows since then. She has also continued her long association with the London Chamber Orchestra throughout her busy career, a special highlight of which was playing for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

www.ginaviolin.com

Nigel Clayton (piano)

Nigel Clayton studied with Stephen Savage and Angus Morrison at the Royal College of Music London, where he won prizes in every category of piano performance and was awarded the College’s yearly prize for his Bachelor of Music Degree. Whilst there, a particular interest in chamber music and accompanying developed and was further encouraged by international prizes from competitions in London, New York (Concert Artist Guild) and from the English Speaking Union. Since then his worldwide travel has included four major tours of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with Indian cellist Anup Kumar Biswas, tours of the Middle East and America with Wissam Boustany, of Scandinavia with Gerard LeFeuvre and several throughout Europe; he has also appeared at most of the music clubs and festivals in Great Britain, appearing regularly on the BBC’s radio network, at the Wigmore hall, and at the South Bank Centre, where he has given more than 50 recitals.

Nigel continues to perform as a soloist, including playing on board British luxury cruise liners SS Canberra, Oriana, Victoria, Arcadia and Saga Rose; he has performed concertos by Beethoven, Gershwin, Schumann, Shostakovich, Ravel, Rachmaninov, Liszt and Mozart(directed from the keyboard), and was a soloist in Poulenc’s two piano concerto in the Royal Albert Hall whilst a junior student at the Royal College of Music. He has performed many times in japan including two concerto performances in Tokyo and a solo recital tour and since 2013 has made regular recital and lecture tours of Indonesia.

Apart from longstanding partnerships with Gina McCormack, Michael Cox, Lorraine McAslan and Joan Enric Lluna, Nigel has appeared with Michael Collins, Sylvia Marcovici, Madeleine Mitchell, Ofra Harnoy, Tasmin Little and Bryan Rayner Cook, the Chilingirian, Navarra, Sorrel, Bridge, Maggini and Bingham Quartets and with instrumentalists from Japan, Korea, Canada, Spain, America, Poland and Iceland. His twenty year partnership with violinist Beth Spendlove has resulted in more than 100 recitals, particularly in Essex and Suffolk, where they also frequently perform as founder members of the Kingfisher Ensemble. He is also a founder member of the Wiltshire-based Edington Ensemble, specialising in piano quartet repertoire.