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Violins
Janice Graham, Charlotte Edwards, Keith Lewis, Justine Tomlinson, Jeremy Sampson, Vernon Dean, Rebecca Alfree, Rachel Bunn, Marjory King, Nancy Taylor, Zoe Davies, Karin Newcomb, Steven Rouse, Lynette Wynn
Violas
Nicholas Evans-Pughe, Jason Glover, Fay Sweet, Maria Prowse
Cellos
Anne-Isabel Meyer, Jennifer Janse, Sharon Beale
Double Bass
Caroline Maguire, Lucy Rundle
Flutes
Timothy Taylorson, Mary Parker
Oboes
Deborah Goodyer, Gwenllian Davies
Clarinets
Neville Graham, Alan Andrews
Bassoons
Tamsin Rowlinson, Rachel Edmonds
Horns
Richard Wainwright, Clare Lintott
Trumpets
Oliver Preece, David Ward
Timpani
Mark Taylor
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Amersham Festival Chamber Orchestra
The Amersham Festival Chamber Orchestra is a professional ensemble made up of outstanding players from leading UK orchestras and ensembles.
The orchestra first performed in the 1986 Amersham Festival of Music and since then has built up a reputation for lively and polished performances of the baroque and classical repertoire characterised by freshness of approach and a real sense of enjoyment in music making.
Many of the players are soloists in their own right and have performed concertos and concertante parts in our Amersham concerts. In recent years the orchestra has performed all the Brandenburg Concertos and the four Orchestral Suites by Bach, many of Handel’s Concerti Grossi and most of the major piano concertos and later symphonies by Mozart as well as a wide range of 19th and 20th century music, often combining with distinguished soloists including Philip Fowke, Paul Lewis, Leland Chen, Nicola Loud, Frank Wibaut, Charlotte Barbour-Condini and Lynsey Marsh along with many talented singers from the Royal Academy of Music.
We are delighted to welcome renowned violinist Janice Graham who takes over as leader of the orchestra in 2025 from Charlotte Edwards. Charlotte has led the orchestra for many years and is renowned not just for her fantastic leadership but also for the many wonderful solo performances she has given with Amersham Festival and we thank her for all of her brilliant music making over a long period of time. Janice brings a wealth of experience to the orchestra having led most of the UK’s major orchestras including the RPO, where she is currently sub leader, the orchestra of English National Opera, LSO, BBC NOW, and others.
Our Leader: Janice Graham
Janice studied at the Purcell School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) with David Takeno. She was the Gold Medal winner of the LSO/Shell competition, won the string prize of the Royal Overseas League Competition, and was awarded English Speaking Union and Julius Iserlis scholarships to study at Juilliard with Glenn Dicterow.
She is Leader of the English Sinfonia and was appointed Artistic Director in 2008. Her solo recordings with them include Dohňany’s Second Violin Concerto (ASV) and Holst’s Song of the Night and Double Violin Concerto (Naxos). Janice was Leader of the ENO orchestra from 2007–2020 and performed Meditation at Kenwood with them. Notable opera productions include Jenůfa, Der Rosenkavelier and Lulu. As Leader of BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 1997–2002 her solo appearances on Radio 3 included the Britten, Nielsen and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and The Lark Ascending.
As Assistant Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra she took part in their Barbican chamber series with Andre Previn and Yuri Bashmet. She has also appeared as guest leader with most of the UK’s orchestras.
Other solo recordings include Delius' first and second Violin Sonatas and Walton's Violin Sonata (EMI). She was a professor at the RCM from 1995–2010 and is currently a professor at the GSMD.
