WHAT'S HAPPENING
International Piano Concerto Competition Semi-final
Feb 12- 14, 2025 | FULL DAY | Steinway Gallery Calgary
Recording with Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK Quartet members
Faculties of Mount Peak Sinfonia, certified by European Strings Teacher Association UK
Open Admission
Mount Peak Sinfonia Internship Weekend Strings
Feb 15-17, 2025 | FULL DAY | TBA
Rehearsal with Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK Quartet Present & Past members
Faculties of Mount Peak Sinfonia, certified by European Strings Teacher Association UK
Side by side chamber orchestra playing and learning weekend
Sections lead by faculties member from Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK members
International Piano Concerto Competition Final
Feb 17, 2025 | FULL DAY | TBA Calgary
Performing with Royal Ballet Sinfonia UK Quartet Present & Past members
and Mount Peak Sinfonia Internship strings orchestra
Conduct by : Julian Winn
Faculties of Mount Peak Sinfonia, certified by European Strings Teacher Association UK
Open Admission
Winners from Final Competition
will perform on
March 9- 10, 2025
Carnegie Hall, New York
All events are Free Admission
Philip Aird
Philip Aird MBA, FRSA
Philip enjoys a career in music with roles in senior management, performance and education. He is Chief Executive of ESTA (UK), Director of Young Grittleton Chamber Music Courses, Joint Managing Director of PartPlay LTD and a member of the 1st violin section of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
His playing career includes working with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Philip loves musicals and has played frequently in London’s West End for shows such as Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, Carousel, Showboat, West Side Story. He has also performed on the sound tracks for numerous films, such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and for TV dramas such as the thriller, Whitechapel.
As an educator Philip has held teaching posts at several independent schools and also presented at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Philip also served as an elected member of Birmingham Royal Ballet education committee chaired by Sir Kenneth Robinson,
In his role as CEO of ESTA UK Philip has delivered a range of professional development training programmes and accredited qualifications for instrumental music teachers. These programmes have become highly valued in teacher development receiving excellent feedback form both students and independent external examiners.
Antonio Novais
António Novais, originally from Portugal and now based in Berlin, enjoys a career mostly in
Germany and the UK, with a focus on both chamber and orchestral music. An avid
enthusiast of opera and ballet repertoire, António currently serves as Principal Cello of the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Birmingham Royal Ballet. He is frequently invited to collaborate with
other orchestras, including the Orchestra of Opera North, BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker, Remix Ensemble Casa da Música, and
Orquestra XXI.
In 2010, as co-principal of the European Union Youth Orchestra, António performed under
renowned conductors in leading concert halls across Europe, Asia, and America. During
his time with the orchestra, António was honoured with The Sir Robert Bellinger Award.
In addition to his orchestral work, António is active as a session musician in Berlin and
regularly explores diverse chamber music settings, performing in various venues
throughout the city, as well as teaching and organising performance opportunities for his
pupils.
António studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Professor David Strange, where he
dedicated much time to chamber and orchestral music, earning the Leverhulme
Mentorship. His studies were generously supported by scholarships from GDA and the
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal. Before pursuing his studies in London, he
studied with Filipe Quaresma, Rogério Peixinho and Vanessa Pires.
As a passionate advocate for chamber music, António joined the Artesian Quartet in 2012.
The quartet has garnered numerous awards, including the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String
Quartet Prize and the St. Peter’s Award, which granted them a one-year residency at St.
Peter’s Eaton Square. They were also named Park Lane Group Artists in 2014, undertook
a residency in Aldeburgh, and received both a Mentorship Scheme from Chamber Studio
at Kings Place and a Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music. In the 2019 season, the
Artesian Quartet was selected as part of Making Music Selected Artists.
António plays on a modern Cremonese cello crafted by Edgar Russ.
Fiona Robertson
FIONA ROBERTSON GMus(Hons)RNCM
Professional Violinist and Tutor of Violin, Viola and Piano
Fiona is a professional violinist with 32 years of performing experience in the profession, having studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Richard Deakin from the Deakin Piano and Horn Trio. She has played with many renowned orchestras in the UK, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hallé, Royal Liverpoool Philharmonic and toured the concert halls of Germany with Klassische Philharmonie Bonn as Principal 2nd Violin. She has held a position in the Royal Ballet Sinfonia since 2001.
The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the resident orchestra for Birmingham Royal Ballet, specialising in the great ballet repertoire and having opportunities to tour the UK and world as well as playing for King Charles at Buckingham Palace. The Sinfonia have an extensive discography, performing the works of many prominent modern day British composers. The Sinfonia broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. Fiona has also been involved in various film recordings at Abbey Road Studios, London.
Fiona especially enjoys playing and coaching chamber music, working with small ensembles in schools and annually at the Grittleton Chamber Music Course in Wiltshire, England; an intensive course introducing young players to a wide variety of chamber ensemble repertoire for string players. She is a member of the Aluna String Quartet performing in London and surrounding counties.
Violin Pedagogy has been a special interest in Fiona’s career. She started teaching in 1992 and has since developed a successful teaching practice for Violin, Viola and Piano, transcending a variety of age groups and abilities.
Carmen Flores
Carmen Flores
Viola
Carmen Flores is a musician dedicated to creating new pathways for experiencing and performing classical music. From 2007 – 2019 Carmen was Principal Viola of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, performing with the orchestra across the UK and abroad for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Carmen has performed as soloist and Guest Principal Viola with orchestras and ensembles including English National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Orchestra of the Swan, English Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Sinfonia VIVA, BBC Concert Orchestra and the European Union Chamber Orchestra.
She is a founding member of the acclaimed Villiers Quartet (VQ), which is Quartet-in-Residence at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building at Oxford University. Hailed as one of the most “adventurous” string quartets in the UK (Strad Magazine) and “Champions of British Music” (Guardian), the VQ has made several acclaimed recordings on the Naxos, Somm, and Lyrita record labels.
Carmen is a recipient of the prestigious US Fulbright Award, and she has given performance masterclasses at the University of Nottingham, Oxford University, Dartmouth College, Birmingham Conservatoire, and Sheffield University, among others. Carmen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe and she has been featured on several BBC Radio and Television broadcasts, including BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and The Andrew Marr Show. She has participated in Les Jardins Musicaux Festivals (Switzerland), Tanglewood (USA), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and the Boyne Music Festival (Ireland).
She is Director of the Nottingham Chamber Music Festival (NCMF), which celebrates chamber music and the creative community at venues across Nottingham. She has also served as advisor on programming to Nottingham Trent University’s University Hall and has worked with closely with concert venues and organisations to curate music programmes. She performs on a viola made in 2006 by British luthier William Castle.
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