The Players

Our Players 

 

Hebrides Ensemble's membership is flexible and made up of some of the finest performers in Europe.  

William Conway (Artistic Director/ Cello) 
 

William Conway was born in Glasgow and studied at both the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music where he was a prodigious prize-winner. 

He is a founder-member and principal cellist of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and for ten years held the same position with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, performing regularly as soloist and director. He has recorded extensively including, amongst others, the cello concerto specially written for him by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, discs of both music by John Bevan Baker and Messiaen's Quartet for The End of Time for Linn Records as well as several recital discs.

In 1994 William was a prizewinner at the Leeds Conductors Competition and has since established a dual career as cellist and conductor worldwide. He has conducted most major Scottish orchestras as well as Northern Sinfonia, English Sinfonia, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the symphony orchestras of Cairo, Zagreb, Antwerp, Phoenix  and Göettingen in all repertoires including operas such as Cavelleria Rusticana, Pagliacci and Die Fledermaus.

He is also much in demand as a teacher and chamber music coach: he is Head of Strings and Chamber Music at the specialist music school St Mary’s Music School and regularly gives recitals both as a soloist and with piano.

He plays on a cello from 1695 by Giovanni Tononi of Bologna. 
 

 

Alexander Janiczek (Violin) 

Alexander Janiczek, highly sought after as a director, soloist, 
guest leader and chamber musician, was born in Salzburg and studied with Helmuth Zehetmair at the Salzburg Mozarteum and with Max Rostal, Nathan Milstein, Ruggiero Ricci and Dorothy Delay. He developed a close association with Sándor Végh and the Camerata Salzburg, whom he led and directed for many years. Alexander led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and continues as director and soloist on the highly acclaimed series of Mozart Serenades for Linn Records. He is a guest director and records with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has recently directed the COE in a new cd of Stravinsky for Linn.

He also appears with the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and explores 19th century performance practice with La Chambre Philharmonique under Emmanuel Krivine and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées under Philippe Herreweghe.

As chamber musician and has appeared with Joshua Bell, Thomas Adés, Christian Zacharias, Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, and Llŷr Williams who is now has a regular duo partner. Janizcek, with the Hebrides Ensemble, performed Bartok’s Solo Violin Sonata at the St.Magnus Festival and a recorded a cd of Messiaen, launched at London’s Wigmore Hall.

Much in demand at festivals across Europe, this year Alexander will appear at festivals such as the East Neuk Festival, Festival de Saintes, Herrrenchiemsee Festspiele and the Edinburgh International Festival and special chamber music festivals in Budapest and a Schubertiad in Perth.

Alexander Janiczek plays the ‘Baron Oppenheim’ Stradivarius from 1716, which is on loan to him from the National Bank of Austrian. 

 

Catherine Marwood (Viola) 

Catherine Marwood studied at the Royal Academy Of Music and spent the 
following nine years playing with the Fairfield String Quartet with whom she toured Europe and recorded for the Hyperion label.  In 1988 she was appointed principal viola with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a position she held for ten years.  

She has appeared many times as soloist with the orchestra, collaborating with such artists as Joseph Swensen, Yuri Bashmet and Ernst Kovacic, and in the SCO’s chamber series she worked with Michael Collins, Stephen Isserlis, Peter Donohoe and many others.


She also premiered and recorded Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Strathclyde Concerto Number Five.  Catherine has also appeared as soloist with a number of other orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.  



She is principal viola in the Scottish Ensemble, who have recorded under the prestigious Wigmore Live label and frequently broadcast on Radio 3, is the violist of Hebrides Ensemble and is in frequent demand from orchestras and chamber groups around the country.

She is also principal viola with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

 

 

 

Philip Moore (Piano) 

 

Philip Moore was born in 1976 and is originally from the Vale of Evesham. He studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music with Hamish Milne, during which time he won many prizes. Upon leaving he was awarded the Meaker Fellowship, and was appointed an Associate of the RAM in 2003. In 2004 he became a Steinway Artist.

He has performed in the United States, Canada, Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Tunisia, and at all of the major UK venues. He has recorded for radio and television throughout Europe and appeared as a concerto artist with, among others, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and ViVA. He has worked with many international artists, giving duo and chamber music performances and broadcasts with groups such as Hebrides Ensemble, ECO Ensemble, Conchord and Britten Sinfonia. In 2006 he and fellow-pianist Andrew West began a two-year collaboration with Michael Clark Dance Company, playing Stravinsky's two-piano version of Rite of Spring at the Barbican Theatre and worldwide on tour.

Philip’s piano duo with Simon Crawford-Phillips has won international prizes and awards, including a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2004. The Duo has performed and broadcast internationally, and made frequent appearances as concerto artists and recitalists at the South Bank and Wigmore Hall. They have given world premieres of Detlev Glanert’s Two Piano Concerto (with BBCSSO/Martyn Brabbins) and, at the 2009 BBC Proms, Anna Meredith’s Two Piano Concerto (with Britten Sinfonia/Ludovic Morlot).

Philip lives in North London with his wife and two sons.
 

Alison Mitchell (Flute)

 

Hailing originally from Melbourne, Alison Mitchell was appointed Principal Flute with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2003. She maintains a very successful  career having performed with many major orchestras both in Europe and Australia, most notably The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Northern Sinfonia.

Alison performs and records regularly  with SCO chamber ensembles and as a concerto soloist. Her performances have included concertos by Mozart, Bach Poulenc, Osborne, Cimarosa and Honegger. Alison’s recording of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G major with the SCO on Linn records has received glowing reviews. 

Alison also has a continuing relationship with the Australian Chamber Orchestra as guest Principal and tours with them regularly. She joined Angela Hewitt and ACO in the award winning recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 and the Triple Concerto for flute, violin and piano

Alongside her busy SCO schedule Alison performs as soloist and chamber musician, most notably, in collaboration with, Christian Zacharias, Hebrides Ensemble, Mr. Mc Fall's Chamber, pianist Scott Mitchell, and guitarist Allan Neave and at East Neuk festival as a regular guest artist. She is also a member of the Scottish Chamber Soloists who will, after a series of subscribers concerts for SCO, travel to Nassau, Bahamas for performances there at the end of March.

Alison also gives  specialist woodwind coaching and has worked closely together with many youth orchestras and ensembles namely the Baltic Youth Philharmonic with Musical Director Kristjan Jarvi, the Australian Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and at the Australian National Academy, the Sydney Conservatorium and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where she is currently lecturer in Flute.  

Yann Ghiro (Clarinet)

 

Yann Ghiro was born in 1971 in Nice and began clarinet lessons at the age of eleven. After studying for six years at the Paris Conservatoire where he gained first prize in clarinet and bass clarinet Yann furthered his studies at the Julliard School of Music in New York graduating in 1996 with his masters degree. 

On his return to France he became principal bass clarinet in the Pasdeloup Orchestra in Paris whilst also appearing regularly with Paris opera, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since 1998 Yann has been living in Scotland where he is currently the principal clarinet in the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He often performs with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as guest principal and is a teacher at the RSAMD.