Kettering Concerts

Kettering Concert 2012-04-22

Elanée ensemble and William Newbery
Jo St. Leon (viola), Stuart Thomson (double bass), William Newbery (viola)

Duos and Trios

Elanée Ensemble, joined by William Newbery (viola) present a programme of Baroque and Classical music.

Programme:

Canonic Sonata No 1, TWV 40: 118 – Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Five Old French Dances – Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Hungarian Dance No 5 in F# minor – Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) (arr. Tim Jones)
Hungarian Rhapsodies S.244, R.106 – Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Csárdás – Vittorio Monti (1868-1922) (arr. Tim Jones)
Duo no. 1 for Viola and Double Bass – Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Trio in Eb major for two violas and double bass – Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)

Sunday 22 April 2012, 3pm
Kettering Community Hall
Tickets available at the door
$7.50
Stay for the post-concert afternoon tea, meet and chat with the musicians.

Jo St. Leon

Jo studied the viola with Christopher Marting in Melbourne and Frederick Riddle in London. During her many years in London, she held Principal positions with the English National Ballet, Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and the English Touring Opera. She was a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for thirteen years and their Education Director for two years. She was a regular freelance player ith the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. As a chamber musician, Jo was a member of the Priory trio for 6 years, and played regularly with the Orchestra of St. John's Chamber Ensemble and Endymion Ensemble, with whom she premiered many works of contemporary British composers. She has appeared as soloist in the UK, Australia, China and South America.

Since returning to Australia late in 2006, Jo has held positions as Lecturer in Viola at the Tasmanian Conservatorium and Head of Strings at St. Michael's Collegiate. She has appeared as Guest Principal Viola with the Melbourne Symphony Orhcestra and was a member of the Diemen Quartet from 2011 - 2013. She is currently the violist of the Elanée Ensemble, plays regularly with Virtuosi Tasmania and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, teaches at the UTas Conservatorium and has a large private teching studio. She tutors annually at the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute in Hobart and the Residential Summer String Camp in Ulverstone, Tasmania.

Stuart Thomson

Born in Edinburgh, Stuart Thomson began playing the double bass at age nine and later joined the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra, which inspired him to become a professional musician. He studied with Duncan McTier and Corin Long at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester and was awarded the Eugene Cruft Prize for Double Bass. While at the RNCM he began working professionally with the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras. Subsequent freelance work included engagements with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Philharmonische Werkstatt in Switzerland. In 1999 he joined the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2001 moved to Australia to play with the Sydney Symphony. The following year he was appointed Associate Principal of The Queensland Orchestra and in late 2003 took up the post of Principal Double Bass with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO). He has also received invitations to guest as principal with the Adelaide and West Australian Symphony orchestras. In 2005 he made his solo debut with the TSO playing alongside Alex Henery in Bottesini's Passione Amorosa for two double basses. Then again in 2011 with Tubin's concerto for double bass and in 2015, he performed the Australian premiere of Tan Dun's Double bass concerto The Wolf. In December this year he will appear again as soloist with The Wolf and the TSO in Hobart and on the TSO's tour of China. An active chamber musician, he is a founding member and co-artistic director of the Elanée Ensemble focusing on music for viola and double bass. He also teaches at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.

William Newbery

William returned to Adelaide from Cologne, Germany, in March 2005 having completed a Musik Diplom at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. His previous studies comprise the special music programme at Marryatville High School, a Bachelor of Music Degree with first class honours from the Elder Conservatorium and the Advanced Performance Programme at the Australian National Academy of Music.
William was a regular guest player with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2007. He has also been a guest of the Tasmanian, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. He was the founding principal violist of the Adelaide Art Orchestra and has been broadcast on ABC FM playing a concerto for viola and computer. In 2007 William became a permanent member of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Since joining the TSO William has been a regular performer for Virtuosi Tasmania and has also made a broadcast for ABC FM Sunday Live. He tutors viola for the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra and has also given chamber music performances for MONA FOMA and the Kegelstatt Ensemble in Adelaide.