Introducing the performers…

Fiona Cross, Clarinet

Fiona Cross is one of the leading clarinet players of her generation. She combines chamber music with a solo career and playing guest principal clarinet with all the leading British orchestras. She is principal clarinet of the Manchester Camerata and joint principal clarinet of the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed concertos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata and the English Sinfonia. She has performed chamber music with various ensembles including the Vanbrugh and Alberni string quartets, Kegelstatt Trio, New Music Players, LPO Ensemble and Adderbury Ensemble. She was also invited to perform chamber music with Andreas Schiff at his festival in Weimar.

Fiona has recorded the Lefanu Concertino for Naxos, the Horovitz concerto for Dutton, the Simpson clarinet quintet for Hyperion and a virtuoso CD of clarinet and harp music for the Dinmore label. She takes a keen interest in promoting new music, and has commissioned many new works for clarinet and piano and clarinet and harp. She has given many recitals in all the major venues in Britain, including London’s South Bank Centre, as well as performing in many of the established music clubs and festivals. She is a professor of clarinet at Trinity College of Music, London.

Jane Fenton, Cello

Jane Fenton’s international career as a cellist was kicked-started while she was still a teenager, when she undertook tours to various European countries and to the USA with Simon Rattle and the London Schools Symphony Orchestra. She later went on to study cello with Stefan Popov and Raphael Wallfisch at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While still a student, Jane worked closely with David Takeno in the foundation of the Guildhall String Ensemble, where she was principal cellist. The ensemble won the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade in 1982 and made its Carnegie Hall debut in 1991 during its first tour of the United States. (Jane’s performance at that concert earned her a commendation from the New York Times.) The ensemble recorded for RCA records, regularly broadcast for the BBC, and made appearances at concerts and major international music festivals throughout Europe, the United States, North Africa and India.

Jane has performed as a freelance cellist with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and has played regularly with the Adderbury Ensemble for over 25 years. She has been guest principal cello for the London Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Ensemble, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and Ballet Rambert. She was principal cellist with Glyndebourne Touring Opera for 18 years and continues to work every year as principal with Garsington Opera. Jane has been a guest artist with many established chamber music groups, including the Composers Ensemble, the Balanescu Quartet, the Emporer Quartet and the Allegri Quartet.

As well as recording with the Guildhall String Ensemble for RCA, Jane has recorded extensively with the Adderbury Ensemble and has been involved in sessions for the Harry Potter film series and for superstar pop diva Madonna. Besides her busy career as a performer and recording artist, Jane has worked for over 30 years as a teacher. She was deputy cello teacher in the junior department of the Royal Academy for almost three years; she has been the chamber music coach at the Pro Corda Young Musicians Summer Course in England; and has taught at the Workshop/Chamber Music Course in Segovia. She has also participated in the Dartington International Summer School’s Jazz Improvisation and world music projects, and has been coach and teacher for the Orchestra Joven, Cadiz since its foundation. She currently teaches at the King Henry VIII School in Coventry.

Viv McLean, Piano

Winner of the First Prize at the 2002 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, Viv McLean has performed at all the major venues in the UK as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. Viv’s concerto work includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Orchestra of the Swan, the London Concert Orchestra, the Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra.

Recent concerto highlights include Mozart K. 467 with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall; Grieg with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Barbican; a tour of the USA with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing Gershwin; Rachmaninov’s 3rd Concerto with the RPO in Cambridge; Gershwin and Bernstein with the Hallé at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; and Beethoven’s 5th Concerto with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall.

Viv has performed chamber music with leading groups such as the Adderbury Ensemble, Ysaye String Quartet, the Sacconi String Quartet, Ensemble 360, the Galliard Wind Ensemble and the Leopold String Trio, and has collaborated with musicians such as Natalie Clein, Marianne Thorsen, Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, Eijin Nimura, Phillip Dukes, Matthew Sharp, Kate Gould, Guy Johnston, Richard Dubugnon, David Le Page, Wayne Marshall, Christopher Warren-Green, Owain Arwell Hughes, David Charles Abell, Carl Davis and Marvin Hamlisch. He has also performed at various festivals, including the Cheltenham International Festival and Harrogate Festival in the UK; the International Beethoven Festival; the Mecklenburg Festival and the Kultur Kreis Festival in Germany; the Melle Festival and Festival de Saintes in France; the Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden in Norway; and the Musik vid Kattegatt Festival in Sweden.

Viv studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Hamish Milne where he held the Hodgson Fellowship and was made an Associate of the academy in 2005. He made his Wigmore Hall recital debut through winning the Friends of the Royal Academy Wigmore Award. Whilst studying at the Royal Academy, Viv was the piano winner at the Royal Overseas League Music Competition and was selected as one of three winners of the National Federation of Music Societies’ Young Artists Competition, leading to various recitals and concerto appearances throughout the UK.

Viv has recorded regularly for the BBC since making his recital debut through the BBC Radio 3 Young Artists Forum scheme and has also recorded recitals for Classic FM, WDR Radio in Germany, Radio France, ABC Radio in Australia, NRK Radio in Norway and for the Sky Arts television channel. His commercial releases include recordings for such labels as Sony Classical Japan, Naxos, Nimbus and the RPO label.