Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Composer
His times: Born half-a-dozen years before Mendelssohn and Schumann, Hector Berlioz arrived on the musical scene just as Romanticism in all its passion and glory was beginning to take flight. Music was becoming ever more emotional; orchestras were expanding to embrace new colours and sonorities; composers were looking increasingly to other art-forms for inspiration. This…
Read MoreCeri Jones
Projects Director
Hi, I’m Ceri and I’ve worked at the OAE since 2004 (from Intern, via office admin, and right through the Projects team!). Amongst a gazillion different tasks my role as Projects Director mainly involves managing the projects team to get the OAE show on the road, specifically managing the relationship with our visiting artists to…
Read MoreGeorge Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Composer
His times: Handel’s Europe was ruled by what must have seemed like a clique of wealthy cronies, especially as the composer’s one-time boss the Elector of Hanover later became his new boss as King of England. It was to this land that Handel committed the greatest part of his life, settling here in 1712 and…
Read MoreIsabelle Tawil
Development Manager, Individual Giving
Hello, I’m Isabelle and I’ve been in the Development Department of the OAE since the end of September 2009 and now work as the Development Manager for Individual Giving. It is my aim to give the Benefactors and Chair Patrons who support the Orchestra as much information about what is happening at the OAE as…
Read MoreLudwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Composer
His times: In Beethoven’s late twenties, France overthrew its monarchy and a wave of rebellion spread through Europe. The composer, a devout Republican, was presented with an opportunity not only to change music, but to change the social standing of ‘the artist’. He did both: from the early 1800s, music would never be the same…
Read MoreJohann Peter Salomon (1745–1815)
Composer
When Joseph Haydn’s patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy died in 1790, Haydn was relieved of his musical duties at court (although he maintained his court salary!) and decided to leave Hungary for Vienna. Hearing of his departure from the court, a German musician named Johann Peter Salomon made it his business to find Haydn, in the…
Read MoreJan Schlapp
Viola
After studying English Literature in Edinburgh, Jan Schlapp came to London to study violin at the Royal Academy of Music with Sidney Humphries. By the time she left she was playing mainly viola and when she met Catherine Mackintosh she was enticed into the world of period performance, joining the English Concert shortly after. There…
Read MoreCarl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Composer
His times: Weber’s Germany was shaped by war and upheavals both social and intellectual. In that context, Weber had to chart a careful course between the demands of emerging middle class audiences, existing aristocratic patrons and influential musical theorists. One result of that was the composer’s quest to educate the former by including vernacular styles…
Read MoreFelix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Composer
His times: Felix Mendelssohn was born into a privileged family at a time when creativity was in vogue: young, talented men were encouraged to travel and drink in the inspiration of foreign climes. Mendelssohn’s ‘grand tour’ prompted his links with the UK; he was a frequent visitor here (he had a particular penchant for Birmingham)…
Read MoreJoseph Haydn (1732 – 1809)
Composer
His times: The central change in Joseph Haydn’s career prophesised the big transformation in store for composers in the 19th century. He spent nearly three decades in the service of one aristocratic Austro-Hungarian family, while building a reputation abroad via the distribution of published works. When his services at court were suddenly dispensed with, Haydn…
Read MoreFranz Schubert (1797-1828)
Composer
His times: Or perhaps ‘his place’ would be a better starting point, because Franz Schubert is the only leading19th-century composer stylistically associated with the city of Vienna who was actually born there. But he wasn’t part of the city’s cultural elite; he struggled with poverty and was physically weak, dogged by illness until his untimely…
Read MoreWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Composer
His times: In Mozart’s Austria, musicians were servants – usually employed in the service of an aristocratic family for the performance and provision of music for aristocratic consumption. Mozart’s impulsive creativity famously jarred against this feudal order, and in the long term he arguably helped to destroy it. For all its perfection, Mozart’s music would…
Read MoreStephen Rock
Finance Officer
Hi, I’m Stephen and I am the Finance Officer at OAE. I generally make sure invoices are paid, and that each payment is recorded in the orchestra’s accounts.
Read MoreNatasha Stehr
Marketing and Press Officer
Hi, I’m Natasha and I’ve been working for the OAE since 2008, first as Marketing Officer and now as Marketing and Press Officer in the Communications team. My role is pretty varied but some of my jobs include running the Orchestra’s student scheme, Attitude, attending freshers fayres, producing our concert programmes and our Friends newsletter,…
Read MoreSusan Addison
Trombone
Sue Addison was born in Louth Lincolnshire, which is situated in the heart of England and also at the heart of the brass band movement. It was during her teenage years as a member of the Market Rasen Town Band that Sue fell in love with playing the trombone. She then went on to study…
Read MoreChi-chi Nwanoku
Double Bass
Chi-chi Nwanoku is half the size of her double bass, yet has gained a reputation as one of the finest exponents of her instrument today. The eldest of five children from Nigerian and Irish parents, she was seven years old when she discovered the piano at a neighbour’s, who taught her to play a 12-bar…
Read MoreCharles Fullbrook
Percussion
Charles Fullbrook was born in London and studied at the Royal Academy of Music under James Blades OBE. He has participated in literally hundreds of recordings and performances in a career that has spread over four decades.
Read MoreMegan Russell
Projects Manager
Megan is the OAE’s Projects Manager, responsible for orchestral logistics such as travel, accomodation and touring, visa applications, scheduling and the OAE Experience Scheme. Megan can be contacted by email or phone on 020 7239 9378 Read Megan’s Speed Interview here
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