About Us
About
Us
Having studied for 4 years at the Royal College of Music, Anna then studied for 10 years with Jonathon Snowden, one of Britain’s premier solo flautists. She freelanced in the London area as an orchestral musician and soloist as well as playing for shows and musicals. Anna also worked with several chamber groups and performed at various venues including stately homes, churches, The Savoy Hotel and BBC Good Food Show (Olympia).
Since moving to Norfolk, Anna performs regularly with various chamber ensembles as well as doing solo recitals, and is often a guest soloist with choral societies. She has performed at venues throughout the country in recital series including St Martin-in-the-Fields (London), St Georges (Hanover Square), Southwark Cathedral, King of Hearts (Norwich), St Peter Mancroft (Norwich), Aylsham music, as well as at various music festivals. Anna is co-principal flute with the Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra and principal flute with the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra. Anna also teaches flute and is an examiner for Trinity College London, a career that takes her across the country and abroad.
Sylvia started playing the bassoon when she was 12 and played in school then area and county youth orchestras and bands. She went on to do a Music degree in Cambridge where she studied with Ian Cuthill, one of the country’s busiest professional bassoonists. She then trained to be a secondary school Music teacher in London. Sylvia has taught Music in secondary education throughout her career but playing the bassoon has always been her first love. As well as being principal bassoon for a number of large symphony orchestras throughout her playing career, Sylvia has also been a soloist and played bassoon concertos with several orchestras as well as playing in countless chamber groups, musical productions and choral societies. As part of her teaching role, Sylvia has coached many chamber groups and arranged music for many different sized ensembles from wind quintets to big band. In addition to playing the bassoon, Sylvia has also done a lot of conducting as part of her teaching role, and has conducted many musicals, as well as a variety of bands and orchestras, and led ten music tours to various countries in Europe. She is currently principal bassoon with the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra.
Karen started off like many children do, on the recorder and won her first competition between Norfolk school children at the age of 7. She went on to start learning the clarinet at the age of 9.
At 18, Karen joined the Army, having auditioned for a place in the Staff Band of the Women’s Royal Army Corps which at that time, was the only all women’s military band in Europe.
Here she stayed for 6 years during which time she had the privilege of spending a year at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, and played with some of the finest musicians in the Army, RAF and Marines all over the UK and abroad, including Hong Kong, Cyprus and Germany.
Karen has been principal clarinet of the Norfolk Symphony orchestra for a number of years and has enjoyed broadening her horizon of orchestral music. She has had some great opportunities with them to play solos and ensembles.
Her other musical love is playing alto saxophone and clarinet with the Galaxy Big Band, a traditional 40’s style big band based in Newmarket.
