As a flexible group of freelance musicians, the ensemble are able to perform a wide variety of styles in groupings ranging from duos to music for 10 players or more. Click on the tabs below to find out more about recent players.
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Uchenna Ngweoboe | oboe d'amore | cor anglais
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Rowland Sutherlandflutes
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Berginald Rashclarinet
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David Oxleyfrench horn
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Tania Passendjiviolin
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Hazel Correaviolin
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Natalia Senior-Brownviola/violin
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Clifton Harrisonviola
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Samara Ginsbergcello
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Davina Shumcello
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Nathan Knightdouble bass
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Caroline Jaya-Ratnampiano
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Andrew Taitpiano
Born in North London, Uchenna Ngwe studied oboe and cor anglais at Trinity College of Music, gaining a BMus (Hons) and later returning on a scholarship for a postgraduate diploma. Since then, her playing has taken her across Europe, Africa and Asia.
Solo engagements have included recitals at Lauderdale House and St Alfege Church in Greenwich and a performance of the rarely heard Oboe Concerto No.1 by Gordon Jacob with St Paul’s Sinfonia, while orchestral performances have included Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Belmont Ensemble of London and the UK tours for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Les Miserables. She spent a season as Guest Principal Oboe with KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa.
Uchenna is very interested in music education and has also recorded music for educational use including Abracadabra Oboe (A&C Black Publishers) and Ready, Steady, Blow (Oboe Classics).
Rowland has performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centre, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and North Sea Jazz Festival. Regularly performing with new music ensembles including, Lontano, Icebreaker, notes inegales and Colin Currie Group, Rowland is also active in the orchestral field and has played with such orchestras as: Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony, London Philharmonic, European Community Chamber, City of London Sinfonia and BBC National Orchestra Of Wales.
David Oxley
David studied at Wells Cathedral School as a DfEE Music Specialist and continued his education at Royal College of Music as an Alice Templeton Scholar, where he was awarded the Herbert Samuel Horn Prize. He now works across the European Union with the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, RTE National Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Stavanger Symphony, Britten Sinfonia & Southern Sinfonia Orchestras. However, whilst studying he realized he loves performing various styles of music and has explored a diversity of avenues during his career.
His first professional contract was with McFly & he later went on to work with other pop artists including The Clientele, Jeremy Warmsley, Leona Lewis & The Killers. As a jazz player David has had the pleasure of performing with Frank Sinatra Jr, Johnny Mathis, Liza Pulman, Dionne Warwick and Dame Shirley Bassey.
David’s various ventures also naturally led him to working in music theatre, beginning by touring with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, eventually working on the World Premiere of Lend Me A Tenor and the revival of Miss Saigon in the West End. David now enjoys a busy freelance career combining work in the West End with commercial, orchestral and ensemble playing as well as teaching at London Oratory School.
Tania Passendji
As a student in Switzerland, Tania was fortunate to play under the baton of Emmanuel Krivine, Kazuki Yamada and Tomas Netopil and has participated in several master classes with Ivry Gitlis, Stefan Picard, Sylvie Gazeau and Olivier Charlier. During her studies, Tania won a bursary to play for a year as Principal Second Violin with La Sinfonietta de Genève, performing as a soloist with the orchestra for various concerts including Haydn’s Symphonie Concertante for violin, cello, oboe and bassoon. Tania has also appeared as a soloist at the
festival of the International Music Academy of Solsona in Spain and performed a concerto for four violins with the orchestra of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana.
A keen chamber musician, Tania plays regularly with a quartet, recently winning a competition to perform a concert at the Theatre du Passage of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Tania also plays regularly as a violin-piano duo.
In 2016 Tania took part in the Southbank Sinfonia programme and since then, has performed with orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, Chineke! and the Royal Scottish National orchestras.
Hazel Correa
Hazel Correa studied the violin at the Royal Northern College of Music, and has since enjoyed a busy and varied career as a freelance violinist. She works regularly with orchestras such as the Ulster Orchestra and London Mozart Players as well as taking part in collaborations with musicians such as Courtney Pine (saxophone) and Kuljit Bhamra (tabla). She runs a Bollywood band called the Bombay Gold Orchestra, and was also a member of a multi-cultural collective “Ku-da mix”, made up of 18 musicians from around the world. Hazel has recorded for film, television, CD and radio broadcast, and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Northern Lights Symphony Orchestra and the London Novello Ensemble.
Also committed to music education, Hazel teaches violin, and conducts a string orchestra, Camerata, at Harrow Young Musicians. She has also given many solo performances with HYM Philharmonic Orchestra including concertos by Bruch, Piazzolla and Vivaldi.
Natalia Senior-Brown
Natalia is an avid orchestral, chamber music and session player performing with orchestras such as the Chineke! Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic. She has also performed for notable artists such as Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and Adele. Born in Manchester, Natalia studied both violin and viola at Chetham’s School of Music, where she also played with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She then attained a Masters degree with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music, where she also completed her Bachelors degree. During her studies she completed her orchestral work experience with the BBC Philharmonic and won the 2018 RNCM Viola Prize competition.
Clifton studied at the Julliard School with Dorothy Delay (violin) and Karen Tuttle (viola) and at the Royal Academy of Music with Yuko Inoue and Jane Rogers (baroque).
Samara Ginsberg
Samara Ginsberg is establishing herself as one of the most versatile cellists of her generation. Born in London in 1982, she began piano and composition lessons at the age of six. She began cello lessons at secondary school age 14, gaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama three years later where she studied with Stefan Popov.
Samara now works predominantly as a chamber musician with several established ensembles. She is the founder, arranger and artistic director of the Jukebox String Quartet, an ensemble specialising in virtuoso rock covers. In addition to her work in chamber music she is a regular freelancer with many of the UK’s top orchestras, tours the world with comedy string quartet Graffiti Classics, and is in increasing demand as a session musician and string arranger. She is a regular contributor to Classical Music and The Strad magazines.
Samara lives in a converted pub in South London with her partner, pianist Leo Nicholson, and their incredibly spoiled Persian cat. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, sleeping, and popping bubble wrap.
Davina Shum
Nathan Knight
Caroline Jaya-Ratnam
Caroline is in particular demand as an accompanist. Television appearances include accompanying international opera singers Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon and Danielle de Niese whilst BBC Radio 3 performances include numerous ‘In Tune’ broadcasts. She is the recipient of several national accompanists prizes and has given duo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and RFH in addition to accompanying String Finalists in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. She has appeared in various Proms within the London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev) and BBC Symphony Orchestra (Bychkov/Oramo) and has broadcast live as a concerto soloist from the QEH. Caroline is a freelance repetiteur for English National Opera and Glyndebourne. As a pianist she tours internationally with violinist Charlie Siem with whom she has recorded a CD licensed to Warner Classics. As a singer (high female treble!) she tours with Synergy Vocals specialising in Steve Reich. She is a vocal coach on staff at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a former Director of Music at St Matthew’s Church, Croydon.
Andrew Tait
Andrew has performed throughout the world from Sweden to South America. He comes from a distinguished line of teachers; Gordon Fergus-Thompson, James Gibb, Edith Vogel and Mikael Kazakaevitch. He studied as an undergraduate and post graduate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest, and Trinity College of Music. Andrew’s concert activities are diverse and extensive, encompassing solo piano specialising in Bach and modern related works, vocal and instrumental accompanist, and occasionally organ and harpsichord continuo. As a chamber musician specialising in repertoire for Piano, Clarinet and Cello, he has also won many prizes at international competitions and performed at major concert halls both in the UK and abroad. Internationally, he has also recorded for radio, television and film.
The lighter side of his career includes performing on Top of The Pops with ‘Boy Bands’ of the 1990’s. He has a keen interest in choral music and currently directs Koruso! Southwark Community Choir.