Evans Theatre
Wilmslow
Leisure Centre
Tickets
01925 756144
| Jem Bradley | Leader |
| Upper Strings | Lower Strings |
| Woodwind | Brass |
| Horns | |
| Wind Soloists | Brass Soloists |
| Horn Soloists |
Jem began to study the violin at the age of 5, and at age 11 won the Saxton Noble Memorial Prize for the highest mark in Grade 6 that year. After leading the Norfolk County Youth Orchestra, he read Music at Lancaster University, specialising in performance.
In 2005 he co-founded Cheshire Sinfonia and was its leader until leaving to form Musica Nova in 2011; a year that also saw Jem as guest Leader for Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Lancashire Chamber Orchestra and North Staffs Symphony Orchestra, as well as completing his second season touring Viennese Proms concerts with the National Concert Orchestra of Great Britain.
Having freelanced with various orchestras for the last 14 years, Jem currently divides much of his time between leading Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra and Musica Nova, and working with Liverpool Sinfonia and Skipton Camerata. He is also in great demand as principal violinist for musicals throughout the North West.
Born in Altrincham, Geoffrey began to play the clarinet at the age of eleven. He studied in London for several years with the well known clarinettist Thea King and gained a clarinet performer's ARCM at the age of eighteen. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, he performed in many concert halls in England, toured Poland and Switzerland and took part in several televised performances.
Geoffrey gained an honours degree in Mathematics at Manchester University and whilst there he gave first performances of solo clarinet works by Hans Gal and Joachim Stutschewsky in addition to numerous other concerts.
He has played principal clarinet with Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra for many years, has been principal clarinet in Stockport Symphony Orchestra since its inception in 1975 and is also principal clarinet in Cheshire Sinfonia. He has been concerto soloist with Lancashire Chamber Orchestra, Beethoven Society Orchestra, Salford Symphony Orchestra, Amaretti Chamber Orchestra and North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra. He also enjoys playing chamber music, performing regularly with the Dulcian Wind Quintet, is a member of the Krommer Wind Ensemble and gives occasional concerts with piano, voice and string groups.
Outside music Geoffrey spent his working life in the teaching profession before taking early retirement. He held positions at Bramhall High School as Head of Mathematics and at Cheadle and Marple College as Head of Mathematics and Senior Tutor. He enjoys walking, playing with his three grandchildren, travel and has always been keenly interested in railways.
After making little progress on an unplayable student oboe bought for him when he was eleven, Robert was offered the opportunity to learn the bassoon at the age of fifteen. Two years later he was fortunate enough to find himself living in Vienna where the nephew of Karl Öhlberger, the principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic, discovered that he needed a little technical help and arranged for him to have free lessons with his uncle at the Hochschule für Musik. Over the many years since, Robert has derived enjoyment and frustration in approximately equal measure from wrestling with his bassoon. He has been principal bassoon with the WSO for over fifteen years.
Alfred comes from a family of wind players and has been Principal Oboe at Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra for many years. He also enjoys playing chamber music and performs regularly with the Dulcian Wind Quintet, the Telemann Baroque Ensemble and the Krommer Wind Octet. He has recently begun studying with Stephane Rancourt, who has advised him not to give up his day job as a busy doctor just yet.
Frank Procter was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme and started to play the horn at school, initially having lessons from his father, who was an amateur horn player. After studying engineering, Frank went to the Royal Manchester College of Music to study with Sydney Coulston, the renowned horn teacher and principal of the BBC Northern Orchestra. During this period at college, Frank did a great deal of freelance work with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Northern Orchestra, the Manchester Mozart Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia, thus gaining invaluable professional experience. After this, however, he returned to engineering to follow a management career, but has continued to play all over the North West as a principal horn, soloist and chamber musician.
Born and brought up in Burton upon Trent you may expect Fiona to be a fan of Real Ale but you would not necessarily expect her to be a horn player. As with many young children Fiona initially played the recorder. At the age of nine the music teacher suggested she play a 'proper' instrument! Fiona had no hesitation in asking to play the French horn, having seen a picture of it on the classroom wall and thinking it was so pretty!! Fiona initially had lessons in school from Eric Johnson the local peripatetic brass teacher. She then went on to study with Nigel Mainard and at the age of 15 became principal horn with Staffordshire Youth Symphony Orchestra.
On leaving school she read German at Hull University and eventually went on to complete a Masters in Librarianship in Aberystwyth. For her 'day job' Fiona manages Manchester Metropolitan University's Crewe Campus Library.
In addition to Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra Fiona plays for many other groups and societies such as Stockport Symphony Orchestra, Bolton Symphony Orchestra and Liverpool Sinfonia. She currently takes lessons from Mark Brook of the BBC Phiharmonic Orchestra. Incidentally, true to her roots, Fiona is a real ale fan and AFTER the concert can be found in a nearby hostelry enjoying a well earned pint!
Gareth Brown began playing the trombone at the age of 7. At the age of ten, he began playing in the National Children's Orchestra, and throughout his teenage years, he played with the Stockport and Cheshire Youth Orchestras. He went on to study music at Goldsmiths' College, University of London, graduating in 1994, and whilst he was there, obtained a diploma in trombone teaching from the Royal College of Music. Gareth now has a career as a brass teacher, teaching at the King's School in Macclesfield and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. He also runs and assists in the running of various brass groups and jazz bands in these schools.He has been the principal trombonist in the Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra since 1996, and plays in a number of other orchestras in the area on a more occasional basis.
Gareth is a committed Christian, and had the wonderful opportunity of being able to bring his faith and musicianship together when he found himself in the position of being able to start a marching band in the town of Jinja in Uganda.
Gareth lives in Handforth and now attends his local church, St. Chad's, Church of England, where he can usually be found playing the piano on a Sunday morning. Gareth is married to Tracy and they have a white West Highland Terrier dog named Mackintosh
John Bush
John Bush was born in Southampton and studied the trumpet with Graham Ashton. John began to play first the cornet and then the trumpet from the age of seven, and chose to combine a career in Engineering with amateur music making. He read Chemical Engineering at University, completing a PhD at Pembroke College Cambridge in 1984.
After leaving University, John joined ICI in Middlesbrough taking an active part in music making as principal trumpet of the Cleveland Philharmonic and Teesside Symphony Orchestras. In 1992 his work took him to Japan where he continued to pursue "extra curricular" musical activities including a year as principal trumpet of the Takarazuka Symphony Orchestra. On returning to the UK in 1994 John returned to ICI at Runcorn, choosing to live close to Manchester where he could become involved in the many musical activities that the City has to offer.
John has performed with a number of local orchestras including Lancashire Chamber Orchestra, Bolton Symphony Orchestra, Cheshire Sinfonia and Stockport Symphony Orchestra and has played concertos by Haydn and Hummel as well as the solo trumpet part in Copeland's Quiet City, Shostakovich' first piano concerto and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No2. He has recently found opportunities to combine musical performance and charity work, giving concerts in the Wesley Chapel in Chester and organizing a concert by Tempore Brass in aid of Uganda Development Services.
He lives and works in Cheshire and is the principal trumpet of the Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra.
John was the soloist for Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in our February 2010 concert.
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