Kenneth Sillito violin and leader
Harvey de Souza violin
Martin Burgess violin
Jan Schmolck violin
Robert Smissen viola
Duncan Ferguson viola
Stephen Orton cello
John Heley cello
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields was formed in 1959 by a group of eleven enthusiastic musicians with the aim of performing in public without a conductor. Their first three recordings led to a succession of long-term contracts, and the Academy quickly took their place among the most recorded ensembles in history. As the repertoire expanded from Baroque to Mozart, Bartok and Beethoven, so it became necessary for the principal violin, Neville Marriner, to conduct the larger orchestra.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble was created in 1967 to perform the larger chamber works—from quintets to octets—with players who customarily work together, instead of the usual string quartet with additional guests. Drawn from the principal players of the orchestra, the Chamber Ensemble tours as a string octet, string sextet, and in other configurations including winds. Its touring commitments are extensive, with annual visits to France, Germany, and Spain, and frequent tours to North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan.
The Ensemble's spring 2005 North American tour brings them to 13 cities, including (among others) Hartford, Houston, Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham, and Columbus, OH.
Contracts with Philips Classics, Hyperion, and Chandos have led to the release of over thirty CDs by the Chamber Ensemble.
-Courtesy of David Rowe Artists |
What the critics say:
“The academy players captured the splendor in an account full of purposeful drama and poetic grace.”
— The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
“Something special….this memorable [concert] is sure to stand out as one of the area’s top events this season.”
—Denver Post
“The musicians managed to produce the sound more often made by a chamber orchestra…irresistible.”
—The Buffalo News
“Good reason to turn off the stereo and go to a real live concert.”
—The Milwaukee Sentinel
“An alert, almost improvisatory response to Dvorak’s inspiration….The playing is first class throughout.”
—Gramophone
“The sound of a chamber orchestra…the polish of a string quartet….sparkling….The embracing warmth, the precision and seeming weightlessness crested in a fairylike scherzo that sailed just above common earth.”
—Milwaukee Sentinel
“The St. Martin’s musicians played all this music like gourmet chefs.”
—The Houston Post
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