Meet the Orchestra
 Jan Schmolck
Violin
Jane Atkins
Viola
John Heley
Cello
Lynda Houghton
Double Bass
Stephen Stirling
Horn
Paul Archibald
Trumpet
Julian Farrell
Clarinet
Chris O'Neal
Oboe
Chris Nall
Percussion
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Meet the Orchestra
The Musicians
At the heart of OSJ are its musicians, many of whom have been with John since the early days. What makes the Orchestra so unique is that everyone who plays with John relishes the atmosphere which has been created. The Orchestra's musicians are extraordinarily talented, intelligent and gifted but as John Lubbock puts it "it is an ego-free zone when we are working" . This fresh attitude to music-making ensures that concerts are always passionately performed and enthusiastically appreciated whatever we play or wherever we work.
Featured Musician - Meet John Heley, Cello
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| • What do you enjoy about playing with the Orchestra of St John's? |
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Apart from fulfilling John [ Lubbock ]'s requirements, which are unique in themselves, I would say the thing I enjoy most is the freedom John allows us. Although we are always trying to achieve something when we perform, he lets this happens organically. As a musician it was exciting to know that when we were on tour, concert one was always going to be different from concerts four, five or six. We've played Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings many times over the years for example, and yet every time it changes - some parts will be faster or slower. The music is never tied down and it's wonderful to experience as a player. |
| • How were you introduced to music? |
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My older sister played the violin and she had a great teacher called Sydney Man. I went to an open day where he was teaching. He had two sisters, one who played the harp and one who played the cello and they performed Saint-Saëns The Swan . It was the first time I'd heard the cello and on the way home I said to my Dad "I want one of those." The Swan has been a favourite of mine ever since. |
| • What has been the most memorable experience of your career? |
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There are so many! I think I would have to say playing the solo cello part in Tippet's Fantasia at the Carnegie Hall. Another highlight of my career was performing Brahms' B flat Sextet in the Brahms Hall at the Musikverein, in Vienna. |
| • What is the funniest thing that's happened to you as a musician? |
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Two in particular stand out, both while I was a player with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). Firstly was when we were playing the Grieg Piano Concerto with Margarita Wolfe who was a big name soloist during the War. By the time of this concert we were now in the 1970s, and she was obviously no longer the player she had once been. The piece started and her playing was completely horrendous! There were great chunks of music with the piano playing alone and all of the musicians, myself included, spent the entire time trying to hide behind their instruments and stifle laughter as she proceeded to completely destroy the music!
Another incident was at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in which we were performing Weber's Second Clarinet Concerto. There is a huge crescendo at end of penultimate page, and the cello part requires a big tremelando. The principal cellist played the tremelando so hard that his bow shot out from his had straight into the second row of the audience! Whilst he went about trying to retrieve his bow from the audience member it had landed on, I had to play the cello solo in the music. By this stage everyone was laughing, including myself, and the solo sounded incredibly wobbly as I was shaking so much from the hilarity of it all!
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| • What work do you do outside the Orchestra? |
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Quite a lot! Today, for example, I have been working with a composer on music for the BBC drama series Silent Witness. A lot of my time is spent on projects like this for big and small screen. I also perform a great deal with the Academy and the London Sinfonietta as well as in chamber music - notably in the chamber ensemble of the Academy and the Orchestra of St John's Ensemble. I also spend time teaching and coaching, which all in all provides me with a very varied and busy life, for which I am very fortunate. |
| • How do you relax? |
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I am passionate about sports and like to watch as much as I can. Cricket and golf are my particular favourites; I played golf on the last tour to America I did with the Academy and it's something I'd like to spend more time doing as a hobby in the future.
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| • Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? |
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This is difficult - it would have to be. Mozart or Nicole Kidman! |
| • If you were stranded on a desert island, what one piece of music would you want to have with you? |
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The Schubert String Quintet in C. It has such a lot of history for me - my teacher played it with the Amadeus Quartet and since then I have always thought of him when I perform it, it's a very important piece of music to me. |
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Jan Peter Schmolck - Violin
Jan is a much sought after chamber musician who has performed in over twenty countries. As well as becoming Leader of the Orchestra of ....more
Jane Atkins - Viola
Jane has appeared as a soloist throughout the UK and Europe, performing with many orchestras notably The Chamber Orchestra of ....more
John Heley - Cello
John was appointed principal cellist of OSJ in 1977 and Associate Principal of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1985. In addition, ....more
Lynda Houghton - Double Bass
Lynda Houghton has been playing with the Orchestra of St. John's for over twenty years. She is much in demand with groups such as ....more
Stephen Stirling - Horn
Stephen Stirling is a renowned horn soloist who has worked mostly in the world of chamber music. He enjoys an enormously varied career ....more
Paul Archibald - Trumpet
Paul studied at the Royal Academy of Music and on graduating was appointed Co-Principal Trumpet in the Orchestra of the Royal Opera ....more
Julian Farrell - Clarinet
Julian Farrell studied the clarinet at the Royal College of Music and Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna. Since entering ....more
Chris O'Neal - Oboe
Christopher O'Neal studied at the Royal College of Music, London, and subsequently won scholarships to study with two of the twentieth ....more
Frances Angell - Piano
Frances Angell is a member of the small but vibrant international community of Jamaican classical musicians, with past performances ....more |
