Position: Co-Principal Bass

What year did you join the LMP?
I started playing with LMP in 1984, don't remember when I joined - sometime around 1990.

At what age did you start playing?
15

Apart from the London Mozart Players, what other musical activities are you involved in?
I'm a member of Academy St Martin in the Fields and Rambert Orchestra. I also work as a teacher specialising in school age bass players age 5-18. Past students play in various professional orchestras, studying at Music College in UK and abroad, and even more past students enjoying life with or without their bass!
I'm Chair of the European String Teachers' Association 2004-2010 and I'm involved in professional development for string teachers. I also work as mentor and consultant for Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
I co-authored the Millennium Award winning Essential String Method, published by Boosey & Hawkes. I was recipient of the 2009 International Society of Bassists award "Young Bassists Ambassador". I run a small publishing company, Bartholomew Music, specialising in music for teachers and students of the double bass.

What do you love about your instrument and why?
I love being at the bottom of an ensemble, providing the foundation of the sound.

Which player of your instrument do you most admire and why?
Edgar Meyer is a hero for his versatility in so many styles. The double bass adapts to just about every style of music and I love watching students as they realise how easily they can play in just about any musical group - classical, pop, jazz. My favourite players are those who develop their own styles, I admire them all for their creativity and the way they express themselves so personally through the double bass.

What is your favourite piece of music and why?
Current favourite is Piazzolla's Four Seasons because the bass has such a great role and it generates so much excitement in audiences.

What other types of music do you listen to?
I listen to very little music, I prefer Radio 4!

How do you spend your spare time, if you have any?
Spare time is not something I do very well but any white spaces in the diary will mostly be filled with a trip to Venice, a place very close to my heart since living there for the best part of a year when I finished studying in Rome.