Eleanor Alberga was born in 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica. Her mother founded, and subsequently ran, her own high school in Jamaica and believed passionately in the Arts. Consequently, Eleanor was introduced to classical music at an early age. As a teenager she had piano lessons at the Jamaica School of Music and in 1968 she won the biennial Royal Schools of Music Scholarship for the West Indies, which she took up two years later at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying piano and singing. 2001 was a turning point when she was awarded a NESTA Fellowship and chose to give up her career as a concert pianist and concentrate full-time on composition. Her distinctive creative output encompasses instrumental, chamber and orchestral pieces, as well as works for stage and film. With its vibrant rhythms, rich harmonies and idiomatic writing for every instrument, her music has the authentic stamp of an experienced performer and an accomplished executant.

Thomas Bowes is one of the UK’s finest violinists. His concerto appearances in Europe and the USA have included highly praised performances of concertos by Elgar, Britten, Szymanowski, Walton and Eleanor Alberga. He is very active in the realm of cinema, and millions have heard him on the soundtracks of his 200+ film credits.

Morgan Pearse is already established as one of the most exciting baritones of his generation. A member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio he sang the roles Papageno (The Magic Flute), Yamadori (Madame Butterfly), Anthony (Sweeney Todd) and the cover of Guglielmo (Così fan tutte). He made his UK debut at English National Opera singing Figaro / Barber of Seville and was immediately reinvited to sing the role again in a future season.

A multifaceted musician, Joseph Swensen is an active composer and orchestrator. A sought-after pedagogue, Joseph Swensen teaches conducting, violin and chamber music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, while he and Victoria Swensen present year-round workshops and offer residencies for chamber-music, conducting and instrumental study at their 250-year old, farmhouse in Vermont.