For over thirty years, Ian Jewel was the violist of the Gabrieli Quartet with whom he toured the world from New York’s Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House… Read More about “Our Patron”…

Sally was born in London.  She studied viola at the RNCM with Patrick Ireland and in Detmold with Bruno Giuranna and was a founder member of the Raphael Ensemble. In her early career, Beamish performed regularly with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the London Sinfonietta and was principal viola in the London Mozart Players and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Read More about “Honorary President”…

Louise Lansdown is a violist, educator, researcher and philanthropist. From September 2023 she became Assistant Head of Strings (viola) at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), along with Professor of viola and chamber music at the Yehudi Menuhin School (YMS) and Visiting Tutor in Viola at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC). Read More about “President”…

Martin Outram studied at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music. He is a member of the internationally renowned Maggini Quartet and also appears regularly as a soloist. Read More about “Vice-President”…

Sue Douglas started to learn the violin at the age of eight, which has set the scene for a life time hobby, Read More about “Secretary”…

Hywel started learning the piano when he was eight and the viola at fifteen, later joining the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. He continued playing viola through university and after moving to London was one of the founders of Corinthian Chamber Orchestra, which he now chairs and is the principal viola. Read More about “Treasurer”…

Tim Walton, from the age of 8, was a choirboy at St Anne’s Moseley, before transferring, in 1959, to St Martin’s in the Bullring where he sang for 10 years (last 5 as a Baritone). Read More about “Executive Secretary (Membership)”…

Yupeng Cai is a viola player from Chongqing, China. He is currently studying for a masters at the Royal Northern College of Music Read More about “BVS Conservatoire Coordinator”…

Peter Whitehead is a postgraduate student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and will complete his Postgraduate Diploma in Orchestral Performance in 2024. He started to take up the viola in 2013, when he was 16, while still playing the violin. Read More about “Executive Secretary (Facebook)”…

Janet Pazio’s interest in music began at junior school where she learnt the recorder and tormented the family with her various tootings. Just before starting grammar school… Read More about “Executive Secretary (Groups and orchestras)”…

Vanessa Gaidoni grew up in Herefordshire and started to play the violin at the age of eight. At thirteen she took up the viola and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior Department. Read More about “BVSYoung Violists Coordinator”…

John White was associated with the Royal Academy of Music for four and a half decades. During his national service he was awarded a scholarship to study with Watson Forbes. Read More about “Founder – John White (1938 – 2013)”…