LORRAINE McASLAN violin leader of London Octave  “spellbinding, she persuades you to listen by dint of her utter sincerity and her total absence of outward display” The Daily Telegraph  “vibrant passion allied to consummate musicianship” The Gramophone   Initially trained in London with David Martin, Lorraine McAslan moved to New York at the age of seventeen on the recommendation of Isaac Stern to study with Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School. Since then she has shared the concert platform with many of Britain’s greatest orchestras including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra, and with conductors such as Andrew Davis, Raymond Leppard, Jerzy Maksymuik, Libor Pešek and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Her European debut with the Bern Symphony Orchestra under Eliahu Inbal was broadcast live on Swiss Radio.   Lorraine started her recording career in 1985 with an acclaimed disc of the Elgar and Walton violin and piano sonatas for the ASV label. Since then her numerous recordings for ASV, Collins and Naxos include concerti by Mozart and Hoffman, and sonatas by Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, Saint- Saëns, Martinů, Janáček, Holst, Bridge and Britten. Her interest in neglected British composers has led her to record several discs for Dutton Epoch including works by Arthur Benjamin, Kenneth Leighton, Sir Granville Bantock, Richard Arnell, Dorothy Howell, Benjamin Dale and two discs by Rebecca Clarke. Lorraine’s performance of the York Bowen Violin Concerto with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by the late Vernon Handley, was released in 2006. Her recording of violin concertos by Creith, Arnell and Pitfield has received universal acclaim. “Lorraine McAslan plays these engaging rediscoveries with a virtuoso passion and soaring intensity that is hugely compelling” Julian Haylock Strad magazine CD of the month June 2009. For a time Lorraine was leader of the Maggini String Quartet, during which time she continued to champion British music by recording the Sir Lennox Berkeley and William Alwyn quartets for Naxos.  Lorraine pursues a busy teaching career at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2007 Lorraine was elected an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music NORBERT BLUME viola At 18 Norbert Blume won first prize in the German national competition of "Jugend musiziert". In 1977 he joined the English Chamber Orchestra as Co- Principal Viola,     He is now principal viola in the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He often appears as a soloist. Recently he partnered Lynn Harrell in Strauss’s Don Quixote. He has made many recordings including versions of Vivaldi's Concerto for viola d'amore and Lute for Decca, Sony Classical and RCA.. His performance of the solo viola d’amore part in Hindemith's Kammermusik No.5 with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra for Decca, was awarded the Gramophone Prize. WILLIAM BENNETT flute has been principal flute in the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra. He has made solo recordings with Yehudi Menuhin, Geoge Malcolm, the Grumiaux Trio, I Musici, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra. In addition to recording the standard repertoire not only  has he  made pioneering recordings of many neglected 19th century works but has also recorded with Jimi Hendrix and Wynton Marsalis. DIETRICH BETHGE cello and director has been co-principal cellist with the English Chamber Orchestra for several years with whom he has appeared several times as a soloist. He formed the London Octave fifteen years ago. He recently performed Bach duets with Nigel Kennedy in Madrid and London’s Barbican Hall. CHRISTOPHER BEVAN harpsichord was a member of the Strange Quartet at Sussex University, and then one of the first violins of the English Chamber Orchestra. He has always been a brilliant keyboard player and soon started to play the harpsichord with the ECO.  As a continuo harpsichordist he has accompanied  artists such as Zukerman, Stern, Perlman, Vengerov and Rostropovich.

Prominent Octave Players