Closing Concert - Cuban Lift

Anna Noakes has given recitals at all the major London concert halls, making many festival appearances, including City of London, Brighton, Salisbury, Leicester and Dartington.

She has recorded numerous CDs featuring music by Martin Yates, Cecilia McDowall, Jean-Claude Damase, Andre Jolivet & Astur Piazolla, receiving Gramophone Magazine’s coveted ‘Critics Choice’ a number of times.

As well as broadcasting for BBC Radio3 and Classic FM she works as Guest Principal Flute with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House among others and is Professor of Flute at Trinity College of Music.

Julie Murray is a well-known flute teacher and free-lance performer in the North west of England. Julie is a graduate of RNCM and has acquired a wide reputation as a teacher of distinction incorporating the Dalcrose and Kodly techniques.

She has performed with some of the UKs biggest orchestras including Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camarata, Manchester Motzart players, Northern Ballet and Opera North. She is a regular performer with the Carlton Ensemble and in recent years has performed in various festivals including Buxton festivals and Yoxford festivals.

Julie is currently planning a project of lunchtime recitals in Churches around the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France.

Claudia Figueroa was born in Santiago, Chile with her interest in the folk music of Latin America stemming from the time when, as a child, she first picked up the guitar.

Since moving to London in 1976 she has played an active role in the international music scene playing with different bands including Quimantu, Working Week (with whom she sang on the critically acclaimed single “Venceremos”) and with world famous guitarist John Williams both recording and touring.

Claudia was a member of the world famous group “Incantation” with whom she recorded the soundtrack for the film “The Mission” and was the singer and guitarist with the Rambert Dance Company on the classic ballet by Christopher Bruce, “Ghost Dances”.

Gary Kettel became co-principal percussionist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez at the age of 20 and since then has become one of Britain’s most sought after percussionists.

Working with every major London Orchestra as Principal Percussionist including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia and Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

For many years he was the percussionist with the Nash Ensemble and Peter Maxwell Davies’ ‘Fires of London’. Well known for his stylistic versatility, he has a huge experience in all musical fields from Latin American and Ethnic through straight Classical to Pop and Contemporary. John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein and Paul McCartney are just a few of the great composers he has worked with on films including the Star Wars series, James Bond series, Harry Potter series and Pirates of the Caribbean to name but a few.

He gives master-classes and coaching sessions to the percussionists at the Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the London Symphony Orchestra’s Sheel Competition and is a regular Examiner for the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Grant McFarlane Dowse started playing guitar in 1999. In 2007 he gained a place to study at Trinity College of Music with guitarist Graham Devine.

Whilst at college he played in many concerts throughout London in both solo guitar and chamber music recitals and performed in master classes with guitarists such as John Mills, Jose Antonio Escobar, Sven Lundestadt and the great Cuban composer and guitarist Leo Brouwer.