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 fall 2007 North American tour brings them to 10 cities, including (among others) New York, Chicago, Los Alamos, and Cedar Falls, IA.
Contracts with Philips Classics, Hyperion, and Chandos have led to the release of over thirty CDs by the Chamber Ensemble.
*Kenneth Sillito * (violin, leader) has been Artistic Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and leader of the Chamber Ensemble since 1980, taking the ensemble to new heights. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 14, studying with David Martin. A further scholarship took him to Rome to study with Remy Principe. On returning to England he became associate leader of the English Chamber Orchestra, subsequently becoming leader until 1973. In 1967 Kenneth Sillito founded the Gabrieli String Quartet and remained their leader until 1987, during which time the Quartet gained an international reputation. In 1971 he was honored by being made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.
*Harvey de Souza * (violin) is a native of Bombay, India, and began musical studies at the age of four with his father. He was awarded a scholarship to attend the Yehudi Menuhin School in England, where he studied with Mr. Menuhin, Felix Andrievsky, and Margaret Norris. He subsequently studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jascha Brodsky and Felix Galamir. He has performed extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., China, and India, and has participated in numerous festivals including Salzburg, Sienna, Gstaad, and Prussia Cove. He was a member of the Vellinger String Quartet from 1993-1999, and since 1993 has been a member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
*Paul Ezergailis * (violin) was born in Australia to Latvian parents who were both musicians and encouraged chamber music at an early age.He studied at first in Australia then later in Switzerland where he was involved in numerous chamber groups and ensembles throughout Europe including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.He is also a concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under Andre Previn and previously Mariss Jansons
*Martin Burgess *(violin) has Played with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields since 1992, and recently made his debut as guest director. He studied with Emanuel Hurwitz and the Amadeus Quartet. Away from the Academy, Martin leads the Emperor String Quartet, which won 1st Prize at the 1995 Evian International String Quartet Competition and was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the USA for their CD of the Quartets of William Walton.
*Robert Smissen * (viola) won a scholarship to Chethams School of Music aaat the age of 14, and went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music with David Takeno. While there he won prizes for chamber music and solo playing. After college he was appointed principal viola with the Northern Sinfonia, a post he held until 1986. He currently plays with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, as well as other London chamber orchestras.
*Duncan Ferguson * (viola) was born in Scotland, and won a scholarship for post-graduate study at the Royal Academy of Music after receiving his diploma from the Royal Scottish Academy in 1992. Primarily known as a chamber musician he is a multiple prize-winner for both solo performance and with the celebrated Medea Quartet with whom he played for five years. Duncan has been playing with the Academy for six years and acts as guest principal for many other orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra.
*Stephen Orton * (cello) was born in Ripon, Yorkshire. He won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music to study with William Pleeth. He has been principal cello in the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and assistant principal in the English Chamber Orchestra, and has performed as soloist with both ensembles. He was a member of the Delme Quartet for 10 years, and joined the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields as principal cellist in 1986.
*John Heley * (cello) was born in London, and began playing cello at the age of six. He was awarded a scholarship to study with William Pleeth, and continued studies with Mr. Pleeth at the Guildhall School of Music where he won numerous prizes. In 1980 he left the post of associate principal cellist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to concentrate on freelance work, which included recordings with guitarist John Williams. In 1986 he became associate principal cellist with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
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