CELLO/VIOLA DA GAMBA

Jacob is a freelance cellist and viola da gamba player based in London. He regularly plays for La Nuova Musica, OAE, St James Baroque, City Bach Collective, Oxford Bach Soloists, among others. As a gamba player he has also played with Royal Northern Sinfonia (St John Passion), the viol consort Newe Vialles and with Fretwork; recording two CDs with the latter. He also recorded a disk of Handel with La Nuova Musica in the winter of 2020,including the viol solo from Handel’s Julius Caesar with Lucy Crowe in the role of Cleopatra. Jacob attended the RAM studying baroque cello and viol with Jonathan Manson, and the RCM studying viol with Richard Boothby and Reiko Ichise. Supported by the Enlightenment and Hill Scholarships respectively. Outside of the concert hall he plays regularly for Duckie of The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, in their Queer History Club - Princess: The Queer Georgians, A Bent History Bachannal.

OBOE

Described by the Independent as an “explosive tangle of musical energy”, the Anglo-Colombian musician is ever eager to challenge the status quo in search of overlooked aspects of historical performance practice and is dedicated to research into early manuscripts and treatises. Initially trained as an oboist at London’s Royal Academy of Music, Duarte received the prestigious DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. Since then he has played principal oboe with most of the UK’s historically informed orchestras including the English Baroque Soloists, the English Concert, the Dunedin Consort, the Gabrieli Consort, Arcangelo, and many others. In 2018 he was made a member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and in 2019 he was made Principal Oboe of the Academy of Ancient Music. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared on stages across Europe and Latin America and has performed in orchestras across five continents.

VIOLA

Francesca Gilbert was born in London and began playing the viola at the Junior Guildhall's String Training Programme. She has studied with Susan Thompson, David Takeno and Matthew Jones at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Francesca enjoys a varied performance career and plays regularly with orchestras and ensembles across the UK and abroad. Recent appearances include Aurora Orchestra, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Irish Baroque Orchestra and The London Mozart Players.

Francesca is a member of the Gildas Quartet, an award winning string quartet equally passionate about new music and works from the quartet canon. In addition to this, she regularly performs with various ensembles and at international chamber music festivals. Recent collaborations have included Ensemble Hesperi, the Oxford Bach Soloists, 12 Ensemble and the Marryat Players Chamber Music Festival.

VIOLIN

Violinist Ellen Bundy is well established as a resourceful and engaging artist, and as such has worked as a chamber musician, orchestral player, leader, and soloist with some of the finest ensembles in the UK and EU, including Dunedin Consort, La Serenissima and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Ellen was introduced to the baroque violin early in her teenage years, and through an amalgamation of excellent teachers, mentors, and opportunities, has fostered a versatile approach to her playing, ranging from the medieval Vielle to an upcoming performance of Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto. Ellen is particularly interested in the interaction between language and music, a topic which she intends to explore as part of a PhD thesis.

Ellen is a dedicated educator and works to curate new and inclusive methods for teaching SEN students. To unwind, she usually spends her time cooking, baking, or playing Bridge.

She graduated from RCM in 2015 with distinction and the McKenna Prize for Historical Performance.

VIOLIN

Simone Pirri is an emerging Italian violinist and international prizewinner characterised by an engaging and enthusiastic personality. Strongly driven by a profound passion for the music of the baroque and classical periods, Simone mainly specialises in period performance and its historical practices.

A sought-after soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and orchestral player, Simone performs regularly with some of the world's most renowned early music groups in Europe and beyond. He has appeared with Il Pomo d’Oro, Les Talens Lyriques, The English Concert, Ensemble Diderot, Arcangelo, Ensemble Jupiter, Brecon Baroque, Collegium 1704, Holland Baroque, Ensemble Pygmalion, Ensemble Mare Nostrum, La Serenissima, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Nuova Musica. He has recorded discs for Alpha, Outhere, Chandos, Pentatone and Audax Records and recently won a Diapason d’Or for a chamber music disc with Ensemble Diderot. Simone has appeared as concertmaster and soloist under the direction of Christophe Rousset, Thomas Dunford, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Andrea de Carlo, Stefano Veggetti and Predrag Gosta.

​ After completing a Bachelor of Music degree with the highest marks in Violin Performance at Conservatorio Luisa D'Annunzio in Pescara (2012), Simone moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his postgraduate studies in historical performance first at the Royal Academy of Music in London (Master of Arts) and then at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff (Postgraduate Diploma). His teachers include Rachel Podger, Simon Standage, Nicolette Moonen, Davide Monti, Marco Fiorini, Antonio Anselmi and Rocco De Massis. Furthermore, in September 2022 he graduated successfully from Conservatorio E. F. Dall'Abaco in Verona with a Master of Music degree in Chamber Music performance on period instruments under Maestro Alessandro Quarta.

Since September 2020 he regularly visits Belgrade (Serbia) to give lessons and masterclasses at the Belgrade Baroque Academy.

He plays on a Pietro Paolo De Vitor (1730-40, Venice) on generous loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.