The Pirani Trio was founded in 2006 by three postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The group aims not only to consolidate the standard Horn Trio repertoire but also to encourage new compositions and to explore less well-known Trios which have been rarely performed.
All three members held scholarships at the Royal Academy of Music and all graduated with Distinction in June 2008. Whilst studying at the Academy the group gave frequent concerts and received coaching from Michael Thompson and Julius Drake. As well as winning the Academy’s Max Pirani Trio prize in 2007 they individually won numerous other competitions, including the Dennis Brain Prize, the Delius Prize, the Sir Arthur Bliss Prize, and the Bache Fund Prize. They have each performed with a wide range of orchestras and ensembles, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the London Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, the London Metropolitan Orchestra, Orchestra Europa, the Dmitri Ensemble, the London Contemporary Orchestra, and the European Union Youth Orchestra.
The Horn Trio is an established chamber group, but is currently surprisingly under-represented in the chamber music world. The Pirani Trio aims to expand the repertoire by working with contemporary composers, and they have recently asked students from both King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Music to compose new works for Horn Trio.
The Trio takes an active interest in education work: the diversity of having keyboard, strings and brass in one ensemble gives great potential for wide-ranging outreach projects. All three members already have significant teaching experience, including as part of the education departments of both the London Sinfonietta and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
The Pirani Trio gives frequent recitals, most recently appearing in London (Traveller’s Club, Pall Mall and Ripley Arts Centre, Bromley), Bristol, Aylesbury, Cambridge, Hertford and Maidenhead. In 2007 the Trio was invited to perform Berkeley’s Horn Trio, op. 44 at a Memorial concert for Dennis Brain given by the British Horn Society. Since 2007 they have been the musicians in residence at the Festival des Arts de Parisot in France. Forthcoming engagements in 2011 include a series of recitals in London.
Alexandra Reid
Originally from Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, Alexandra attended Wycombe High School before going on to read Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge. From the age of eleven she studied the violin with Peter Hanson, and subsequently with Sophie Langdon. Whilst at University she received an Instrumental Award, led the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, and appeared as soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto in A major. She graduated in June 2006 with a first class honours degree, after which she continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music.
In June 2008 Alexandra graduated with Distinction from the Academy having completed the two-year Postgraduate Diploma course, studying with Erich Gruenberg. During her time at the Academy she led the RAM Concert Orchestra, was a member of the Royal Academy Soloists, and in her final year was appointed Project Manager of the Leverhulme Orchestral Mentoring Scheme. She also received tuition from chamber musicians including Hartmut Rohde, Thomas Brandis, Aleksander Pavlovic, Marianne Thorsen, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Zvi Zeitlen.
Alexandra was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for five years, being appointed leader for its 2004 season. Whilst with the orchestra she performed under conductors such as Mark Elder, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Andrew Litton, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Colin Davis and Sir Simon Rattle. She also led a string quartet in a live performance on Radio 3’s In Tune to showcase the NYO. In 2007 she gained a place in the European Union Youth Orchestra, with whom she has toured Europe and the Far East.
Alexandra is a keen chamber musician, and as well as playing with the Pirani Trio she performs regularly with the Hampden Quartet. She also enjoys playing in a Violin Duo with her sister, with whom she has given numerous recitals. Recent performances include concerts in Winchester, High Wycombe, Marlow, Cambridge, Sussex, Somerset and London.
Since graduating Alexandra has been working in London. In addition to frequent chamber recitals she holds the position of No. 3 Second Violin with Britten Sinfonia, with whom she has toured the UK and abroad. She has also worked with the London Sinfonietta (including a performance at last year’s BBC Proms) and plays frequently with the London Chamber Orchestra with whom she was privileged to perform at April’s Royal Wedding in Westminster Abbey. Alexandra also works with the education department of the Philharmonia Orchestra and toured the UK in both 2009 and 2010 as part of their MusicQuest project. Since 2006 she has been leader of the Orchestra of St Paul’s, Covent Garden, with whom she has given a series of concerts at the Purcell Room.
Timothy End
Timothy End graduated with a first class honours degree in Music from King’s College, London in 2006 before beginning Postgraduate study in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music, where he gained the prestigious DipRAM award for an outstanding recital in 2008. He held the Shinn Fellowship at RAM for 2008-09 under the tuition of Julius Drake and Patsy Toh.
A multiple first-prize winner, Timothy was awarded the Parnell Award for an Accompanist at the ROSL Annual Music Competition in 2010. In June he accompanied the baritone Jonathan McGovern and the trumpeter Huw Morgan in the Grand Final at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Timothy and Jonathan will be making their Wigmore Hall debut in January 2012.
In November Timothy was awarded the Gerald Moore Award for Piano Accompaniment at the Henry Wood Hall in London. In April 2011 Timothy was awarded the MBF Accompanist Prize at the Finals of the Kathleen Ferrier Vocal Competition at the Wigmore Hall.
Timothy is much sought after as a chamber musician. Recent engagements include a song recital with the bass Sir John Tomlinson at the Saville Club in London, a lunchtime recital at St James Piccadilly with Jonathan McGovern and Timothy’s debut concert in June 2010 with the City of London Choir at St. John’s Smith Square marking a tribute to the late John Dankworth. Further recitals have included accompanying the baritone George Emney at the National Opera Studio and a lunchtime recital in Perth Concert Hall with the bassoonist Karen Geoghegan.
Other engagements include ROSL operatic galas in memory of Sir Charles Mackerras in London and Edinburgh and a lunchtime concert with the horn player Elise Campbell at Colston Hall, Bristol. In January Timothy and Huw made their debut at the Purcell Room for the Park Lane Group Artists together with a recital at St James Piccadilly. Timothy has been chosen as a soloist for the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra to perform for Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace in May.
Other forthcoming engagements include recitals with Huw Morgan at St Martin in the Fields, St James Piccadilly and at the Sounds New Festival in Canterbury. Timothy and Jonathan will perform at the Chester Festival in July. Timothy will be accompanying the Australian bass-baritone Abraham Singer in August with recitals in London and Edinburgh.
Francesca Moore-Bridger
Francesca began playing the French Horn at the age of nine and within a year was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra. She went on to become a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain while studying at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and whilst in the NYO she performed under conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis, Mark Elder and Andrew Litton.
Francesca graduated with a BA Honours degree in Music from Newnham College, Cambridge in 2005 and whilst there held an Instrumental Award Scholarship. She was principal horn of the University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and performed both Strauss and Mozart Horn concertos during her final year.
After leaving Cambridge Francesca won a full scholarship, awarded by the ABRSM, to study for a Post-graduate Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music where she learnt with Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson and graduated with Distinction in 2008. She held the Principal positions in all the RAM Orchestras and was a multiple award winner, including winning the prestigious Dennis Brain Memorial Prize. Her studies were kindly supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
After graduating Francesca worked as a freelance musician in London, working with the London Concert Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra among others. She toured with the London Chamber Orchestra and worked regularly with the London Sinfonietta including an appearance with them at the BBC Proms in 2008.
Francesca then moved to Chile where she worked as the Principal Horn of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She performed Operas ranging from Wagner’s ‘Tristan’ to Rosinni’s ‘Italian Girl in Algiers’, alongside many ballet and concert programmes.
In 2011 Francesca moved back to the UK and has returned to London to pursue her freelancing career and is very happy that she is again working with The Pirani Trio.
