Elizabeth cooney
Irish violinist Elizabeth Cooney performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician.
As a recitalist, she has performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Wigmore Hall, the National Concert Hall Dublin, the Purcell Room and Conway Hall, London.
As a concerto soloist she has toured numerous times with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Hungary, the Slovenian Philharmonic, appeared on TV with the RTE Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra (recorded live on BBC Radio 3).
She is laureate of many competitions including second prize and audience prize at the Sion-Valais International Competition for Violin in Switzerland; in London, the Seymour Whinyates Prize for Strings, the Ian Stoutzker Award for Violin as well as awards from the Martin Musical Fund and the Maisie Lewis Trust.
Elizabeth frequently guest leads orchestras including the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and has been invited as guest co leader/principal with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Aurora Orchestra, touring with the latter over the years to Australia, Mexico, Europe as well as annual memorised performances at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
As a chamber musician, Elizabeth has collaborated with renowned pianists Crisina Ortiz, John O'Conor, Finghin Collins, Daniel Hill and Ciara Moroney. She has a keen interest in performing music by living composers and has premiered pieces by Greg Caffrey, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Valentyn Silvestrov, Huw Watkins, Anna Meredith and Alexander Knaifel among others.
Fiona Bonds
Fiona Bonds studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, before being awarded scholarships to continue her training in Berlin with Wolfram Christ. Whilst a student, she won all the prizes for solo and chamber playing and became Principal Viola of the European Union Youth Orchestra, performing across Europe and worldwide under leading conductors. Since then she has enjoyed a richly varied and successful musical career.
Fiona is Associate Principal Viola of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and a member of their acclaimed Chamber Ensemble. She is also Principal Viola of the City of London Sinfonia, a role offering frequent opportunities to appear as a soloist and explore a wide repertoire.
Chamber music has always been central to Fiona’s musical life, and she is a member of one of Britain’s most respected ensembles; The Magini Quartet. Earlier in her career, along with Will Schofield she was a founder member of the Emperor String Quartet, which in 1995 became the first British group to win the Évian International String Quartet Competition and whose recording of Walton received a Grammy nomination. Fiona has also recently become a member of The English String Ensemble and Ensemble Serafin.
Mark Padmore
Mark Padmore was born in London and studied at King’s College, Cambridge. He is one of the most highly respected performers of his generation and has established an international career in opera, concert and recital. His appearances in Bach Passions have gained particular notice, especially his acclaimed performances as the Evangelist in the staged productions of the St Matthew and St John Passions with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle directed by Peter Sellars.
Recent engagements have included performances as the Evangelist in the St Matthew Passion with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Simon Rattle and with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour of Japan appearing at Le Pont International Music Festival, a recital at Topan Hall with the guitarist Yasuji Ohagi and performances of Britten Nocturne with the Gunma Symphony Orchestra. He also sang the Nocturne with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ryan Wigglesworth and with the Freiburg Chamber Orchestra. On the recital platform highlights have included Schubert Winterreise with Julius Drake for Temple Music as well as with Till Fellner at the Innsbrucker Festwochen and with Paul Lewis in San Francsico. In 2026 he toured China performing Winterreise with Imogen Cooper and plans to return in 2028/29. Future highlights include performances of the St.John Passion with the Orchestra of La Scala / Chailly, a recital at the Wigmore Hall with Jonathan Biss, a UK tour with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Carolyn Sampson as well as appearances at many of the leasing European chamber music festivals.