Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe since 2001 and has worked prolifically with musicians such as Sir Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir András Schiff, Sir Simon Rattle, Mitsuko Uchida and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Also, as a member of the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, she took part in the Centenary celebration concert at the Wigmore Hall.
Marie had taught for many years at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy and at Wells Cathedral Music School before becoming Head of Woodwind at the Royal College of Music.
She is a highly experienced and in demand as a coach for both adults and children, working with large scale clarinet groups, giving masterclasses and also hosting discussions on clarinet technique and chamber coaching. Marie has also worked closely with the Peninsula Clarinet Choir based in Torbay.
Marie plays regularly as guest principal with the vast majority of UK orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Manchester Camerata
Marie has a love of chamber music, performing with the The Nash Ensemble (including the World Premiere of Van Gogh Blue by Julian Anderson), London Sinfonietta and Gaudier Ensemble. She has recently recorded with the Continuum Ensemble including the trio Netsuke by Ken Hesketh, and also performed The Sins by Sally Beamish at the Cheltenham Festival with Red Note Ensemble. Marie is a member of the Arnold Trio and the New Street Ensemble, Wells.
She has recorded a selection of the grade 6/7 repertoire for the ABRSM and can be heard on films and TV programmes such as The Woman in Gold and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Chris Caldwell
Chris studied saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Sir Thomas Beecham’s favourite bass clarinettist, Stephen Trier, from 1983-86. In his first year at college he joined the Delta Saxophone Quartet which celebrates its 40th anniversary of creative music making in 2023-24.
Chris has managed to build a diverse musical freelance portfolio career since his graduation. He has toured Internationally, often with the support of the British Council in Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, China, and extensively in Europe. His contemporary music performing skills has seen him perform in numerous leading ensembles including London Sinfonietta, BCMG, Steve Martland Band, Delta Saxophone Quartet, the Red Note Ensemble, Group S, London Saxophonic & The Michael Nyman Band.
He is a respected orchestral saxophonist and has toured the UK & overseas with the RPO, RSC, WNO, ROH, Ulster Orchestra, BSO, BBCSO, Britten Sinfonia & CBSO. Chris has performed at the BBC Proms including the last night, on numerous occasions with BBCSO, Britten Sinfonia, London Sinfonietta & The Mike Westbrook Orchestra. Other highlights include a concert at the Great Hall Salzburg Mozarteum with the CBSO under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, a performance in the Philharmonie Berlin with the BBCSO (John Adams – Nixon in China) and onstage with the Michael Nyman Band at the refurbished Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
Chris also enjoys being involved in more popular side of the music profession. He was part of the Dame Shirley Bassey Orchestra in the early 2000’s, memorable concerts include those in Istanbul, Beirut, Monaco, The Roundhouse London – BBC Electric Proms and an extraordinary performance in Giza where the backdrop included an incredible sunset accompanied by the iconic Egyptian monuments including the three Pyramids & The great Sphinx. He has performed at the Barbican, RAH, RFH, Saddlers Wells, ROH, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Sage, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall,The National Concert Hall in Cardiff, Bridgewater Hall, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
In 2019 Chris was part of the orchestra for the European leg of Hugh Jackman’s ‘The Greatest Showman’, world tour. He has been involved in albums recorded by Jools Holland, Mike Flowers, Elvis Costello, Mike Westbrook, Delta Saxophone Quartet, Dame Shirley Bassey, & Lorna Luft (daughter of Judy Garland). Chris is one of the saxophone members of the London Concert Orchestra which has provided the musicians for the Strictly Come Dancing duo Anton & Erin for their previous ten national UK tours.
Chris has worked with Susie Hodder-Williams since 2005 creating landscape/time descriptive music which has resulted in 7 album releases to date (six on the FMR label). His latest collaborative EP release was in March 2021 titled, Hemispheres which has already received radio play on the BBCR5, RTÉ, DevonStream and stations from Tokyo to Boston via Perth in Australia. Chris has worked in London’s West End on many musicals including Cats, Chicago, Me & My Girl, Les Miserables, Matilda, West Side Story, 42nd Street, Motown, Sweet Charity & Guys & Dolls. He enjoys working with the Devon based TV/Composer Paul Honey so you might hear his bass clarinet & soprano saxophone on CBeebies or in dispatches on the antiques roadshow!
Cara Doyle
Cara Doyle is currently the Sub Principal clarinet and Bass Clarinetist of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, having gained this position in September 2024. She has also freelanced with orchestras around the country including Philharmonia, English National Opera, Hallé, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales and WNO in Cardiff. Cara also has a passion for chamber music, particularly with string players and pianists. Her most notable performance to date was performing Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time at the Barbican in January 2022, alongside Guildhall alumni for a BBC concert series and BBCR3 broadcasting. Her playing was described as ‘immaculately controlled’ in a four star Evening Standard review.
She completed her Undergraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a First Class Honours degree and Concert Recital Diploma for exceptional performance in her final recital which included Stockhausen’s Der Kleine Harlekin. She has always enjoyed exploring the world of contemporary music with performances including Anders Hilborj’s Duo for clarinet and violin, which was broadcasted for BBC Radio 3 in February 2021, and has explored new compositions with The Riot Ensemble. In 2023 Cara graduated with a Distinction from the Orchestral Artistry Masters course at GSMD in association with the LSO, where she was taught by the whole cohort of clarinet professors including James Burke and Andrew Webster. She is extremely grateful to have had support towards her Masters degree from The Tillett Trust, The Colin Keer Trust, The Boise Scholarship Foundation and The Guildhall School.
Cara currently enjoys expanding her knowledge of repertoire with the BSO, in particular, playing bass clarinet in 20th century pieces. As part of her work with the orchestra she also takes part in music education workshops and performs in smaller ensembles around the South West. Before moving to Bournemouth, Cara taught at Hounslow Music Service which is where she herself first learnt clarinet at age 11.
Rachael Chesney
Rachael born in Newcastle completed a Bachelor of Music degree in 2012 and then a Masters in Performance degree at the Royal College of Music in 2014. She studied clarinet with: Richard Hosford, Timothy Lines, Barnaby Robson and Janet Hilton.
Alongside clarinet lessons Rachael performed with a number of chamber ensembles. She performed Principal Clarinet with The RCM Philharmonic and RCM Symphony Orchestra including performing Mahler 7 conducted by Bernard Haitink. Rachael has participated in Master Classes with: Maximiliano Martin, Joy Farrall, Michael Whight, Mark Van Di Weil, Joan Enric Lluna, Chris Richards, Jozsef Balogh and Richard Stoltzman Rachael has given solo performances and chamber recitals around London and the North East. She performed principal clarinet with the Young Sinfonia at The Sage, Gateshead. Rachael was one of the first musicians to perform with her wind quintet in Hall One of The Sage Gateshead, which was televised on the BBC Culture Show.
Rachael recorded the Brahms Trio for a BBC Radio 2 programme presented by Howard Goodall.
Rachael was awarded scholarships from the Kathleen trust, Countess of Munster Trust, the Sammy Johnson foundation, the Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Award and was awarded an e flat clarinet from the Cheribum Trust.
After her studies, Rachael went on to teach woodwind for a number of music services and was the clarinet lecturer at Morley College teaching small classes of adults and directing the Morley Wind Ensemble.
Rachael then re-located to the Northeast where she became a woodwind teacher for Music Partnership North. She performed in a number of the New Generation Artists concert series, performing chamber music in Northshields, Seaton Delaval and Whitley Bay.
Rachael has also performed 2nd clarinet with Orchestra Northeast located in Durham.
During the summer of 2020 Rachael recorded the clarinet part in The Soldiers Return by Marcos Fernandez-Barrero. This was a unique Opera project to commemorate World War 1, the Opera was streamed online on remembrance Sunday by Opera Sunderland.
Anna Webster
Born in Liverpool, Anna is a recent Masters graduate of the Royal College of Music, having studied with Richard Hosford, Tim Lines, Janet Hilton, Peter Sparks and Barnaby Robson.
Anna’s musical journey began as a chorister in the Liverpool Metropolitan Girls’ Choir, later joining the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral as a choral scholar. Having played the clarinet in the Liverpool Youth Orchestra and Ensembles and learned with Janet Crossley, at the age of 15 Anna went on to study clarinet at the Junior RNCM with Anne McNaught. Anna was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra before going to study at the Royal College of Music.
During her studies at the RCM, Anna was a Wilkins-Mackerras scholar, winner of the RCM Solo Woodwind Competition and RCM Clarinet Prize and has been a runner-up in the RCM Concerto Competition. As a member of the RCM Symphony Orchestra, Anna has had the opportunity to work with conductors Vladimir Jurowski, Rafaele de Payere and Sir Antonio Pappano.
Since graduating Anna has performed with the Halle Orchestra and performed in chamber festivals and series around the UK. In 2020, Anna worked with musicians of the London Song Festival performing Argento’s To Be Sung Upon the Water and performing on BBC Radio 3. Anna has been a musician in residence of the Stamford International Music Festival and is looking forward to returning in 2022.
Anna has participated in festivals both at home and abroad including Voksenaasen Summer Festival, British Isles Music Festival and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute. In 2019, Anna was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West working with artists such as Claire Chase, Marin Alsop, Thomas Ades, Daniel Harding and the London Symphony Orchestra.
An enthusiastic educator, Anna is currently teaching at the Falcons School for Girls, the Halcyon London International School, Putney Music School, and has been teaching privately in London for the past 6 years.
The Bingham String Quartet
Steve Bingham – violin
Marina Gillam – violin
Brenda Stewart – viola
James Halsey – cello
The Bingham String Quartet has gained an international reputation for its interpretation of the classical repertoire and fresh and exciting approach to new music. It has toured extensively in the United Kingdom and also performed in Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Regular appearances in London include concerts at the Purcell Room and St Martin in the Fields. The quartet has performed and recorded with many other notable musicians including clarinettist David Campbell, pianist Nigel Clayton and cellist Raphael Wallfisch. The Quartet’s education activities have included several residencies, a busy programme of visits to schools and music centres, and a variety of coaching courses. See the education page for more…
Amongst the Bingham String Quartet’s notable recordings are the middle period quartets of Elizabeth Maconchy, two CDs of the quartet’s own commissions from young British composers and a musical version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by Richard Allain, narrated by Richard Stilgoe. Several other albums are also available which include works by Shostakovich, Barber, Haydn and more. see the discography page for full details.
“The standard of performance by these stylish and highly gifted musicians was beyond all praise”
