Levon Parikian - Conductor

He brings a wealth of experience to the orchestra.

Adrian Charlesworth - Leader

Adrian is a freelance violinist. Orchestras he plays with include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

The players

The rest of us come from diverse backgrounds: students, retired people, teachers, software engineers, accountants, architects and many more. We have several music college graduates and players from all over the world: Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and Canada. Chonon Lewis, one of our violinists, is an accomplished composer and we have performed his works on several occasions.

Some of us have been in the orchestra for years, some have joined much more recently. The age range is wide and there are plenty of young members. Many of us live in the north London area, but a significant number travel in from other parts of London and from much further afield - the wilds of Hertfordshire and Essex. What we all have in common is that we are passionate about music and our orchestra. As well as playing music together, we have a very strong social scene which includes post-rehearsal drinks and regular nights out.

The soloists

Emmanuella Reiter, viola
Born into a family of musicians in Jerusalem, Israel, Emmanuella Reiter began her musical studies at the age of three with her father.

After lessons in violin and piano at the Conservatoire National de Région de Nice, France, Emmanuella entered the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, USA. In January 2001, discovering her passion for the viola, Miss Reiter entered the class of Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory in Boston. There she received her Bachelor and Master Degrees, and served for three years as teaching assistant to Kim Kashkashian.

Emmanuella has participated in many festivals around the world, and has performed with artists such as Ida Haendel (at the Wigmore Hall), Peter Frankl and Vladimir Mendelssohn.

Emmanuella frequently performs solo and chamber music in France, England, Italy, Switzerland and the United States. An experienced chamber musician, she has been a part of prize winning string quartets.

Miss Reiter has recorded with Arsis in the U.S.A., Hessischer Rundfunk in Germany and has appeared on Boston’s WGBH classical music radio. In 2005, Emmanuella recorded the duet for violin and viola by Zigmund Schul in the Dvořák Hall, Prague, as part of the Terezin Music Anthology.

Her passion for teaching has recently led her to writing a thesis: Karen Tuttle’s heritage: The Theory and Practice of Co-ordination, a technique developed by Karen Tuttle, a pupil and assistant of William Primrose, to help prevent and overcome playing-related injury as well as a way to express musical line, gesture and sonority while playing the viola. From September 2009 Miss Reiter has been teaching at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

Emmanuella has been based in London since 2006, has performed with all of London’s most prestigious orchestras (London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony), has appeared with the Goldberg Ensemble, has been guest principal of the Manning Camerata, and has recently been appointed in the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Miss Reiter’s dedication for chamber music has led her to start the Jigsaw Players Chamber Music Series, a very successful concert series in Wimbledon.

Jonathan Ayling, cello
Jonathan Ayling leads a musically active life as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. He is a member of London Philharmonic Orchestra and has played guest principal with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, RTE National Symphony Orchestra and Camerata Salzburg.

The winner of the John Barbirolli Memorial Prize and the Royal Orchestral Society Award for “outstanding promise”, Jonathan appears regularly as concerto soloist and recitalist. He has given many premieres, including the European premiere of Xenakis’ “Hunem Iduey” for Yehudi Menuhin’s 80th birthday concert. Recent recordings include live performances of both Shostakovich cello concertos for Dunelm Records.

As a member of the Tate Ensemble, Jonathan has performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall. The Tate Ensemble has broadcast for Radio 3 and recorded for Metier Sound and Vision. Jonathan is a member of the LPO Soloists and regularly performs in their Chamber Contrasts series at Wigmore Hall.

In great demand as a teacher and coach, Jonathan gives classes at the Royal Academy of Music, London College of Music and Kings College, London

 

Elaine McKrill, soprano
A graduate of the RAM and winner of the Mastersingers Wagner Singers Competition 2003, Elaine currently studies with Anna Reynolds in Germany.

Her Wagner roles include Brünnhilde in Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (Chemnitz); Brünnhilde in Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung (Mastersingers, Edinburgh Players Opera Group); Gutrune in Götterdämmerung and Brünnhilde in Siegfried (Scottish Opera); Isolde (Edinburgh Players Opera Group); Sieglinde (Scottish Opera, ENO cover); Ortlinde (Royal Opera at Covent Garden, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Salzburg Osterfestspiel, Mastersingers); Third Norn (Stuttgart); Wellgunde and Helmwige (Longborough Festival); Siegrune and Second Norn (State Opera of South Australia 1998); Freia (Chemnitz); Adriano in Rienzi and Kundry in Parsifal (Palace Opera, The Rehearsal Orchestra).

Her other engagements have included the title roles in Dvorák’s Vanda and in Manon Lescaut, Abigaille in Nabucco, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Elettra in Idomeneo, Tatyana, Fiordiligi, Béatrice, Lesbia in Gli Equivoci, Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia and Emma Hamilton in Stuart Greenbaum’s Nelson.

Highlights in 2007 were her peformances as Brünnhilde in the complete Ring Cycle in Chemnitz and Ortlinde in both Sir Simon Rattle’s new Ring Cycle at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and also with Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Future plans include Ortlinde with Zubin Mehta in Valencia (where she will also cover Brünnhilde) and her return to Chemnitz. Elaine will sing Brünnhilde (Siegfried) in concert with Lionel Friend conducting in November and has also been invited back by the Northern Wagner Orchestra to sing Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung.

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