Smart String Quartet

with Simon Underhill, Trinity College of Music, Young Musicians' Festival, 2001

Helena Smart, violin
Laura Bell, violin
Rebecca Jones, viola
Lucy Payne, cello
Simon Underhill, clarinet

The Smart String Quartet was formed at the Royal Northern College of Music where their members are all currently students. The Quartet receives regular lessons from Christopher Rowland (formerly of the Fitzwilliam Quartet) and Roger Bigley (formerly of the Lindsay String Quartet) and has received coaching from the Vermeer, Sorrel and Lindsay Quartets as well as from members of the Fitzwilliam Quartet. They performed Bartok's Second Quartet during the Twentieth Century QuartetFest held at the RNCM in January 2000 and have performed in concerts throughout the North. In Spring 2001, they are to undertake a number of concerts with clarinettist Simon Underhill (also a student at the RNCM) in performances of Brahms's Clarinet Quintet.

Helena Smart is 20 years old and comes from North Yorkshire. She joined Chetham's School of Music in 1990 where she studied with Roger Raphael and Wen Zhou Li. Awarded a scholarship for the RNCM, she is now in her third year and continues to study with Wen Zhou Li.

Laura Bell is 19. She received a scholarship for her studies at the RNCM where she is in her second year of the Joint Course with Manchester University. Her tutor at the RNCM is Wen Zhou Li, with whom she has been studying for 5 years.

Rebecca Jones learns the violin as well as the viola, her tutors being Wen Zhou Li and Roger Bigley. After leaving Chetham's School of Music, she entered the Royal Northern College of Music where she has received a Major Scholarship Award to support her studies, as well as winning the Thomas Barratt Memorial Prize for Viola.

Lucy Payne began playing the cello at the age of 10. Two years later, she won a place at Wells Cathedral School to study with Dr laon Davies under the Specialist music scheme, and later received a DfEE scholarship. In 1998, Lucy was awarded an entrance scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music where she is currently studying with Emma Ferrand. At the end of her first year she received the Diane Bolton Award for Cello. Lucy uses a Charles Buthod bow (1870) which was purchased with the help of the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation.

Simon Underhill was born in Birmingham and after a highly successful school career, spent a year in Australia as an assistant teacher in Music and Drama and gained his A. Mus. A. performer's diploma for clarinet playing which greatly spurred his interest in following a career as a clarinettist. Having obtained a first-class Honours Degree in Music at Birmingham University (where he also followed his acting and theatrical interests), Simon went to the Royal Northern College of Music, and was awarded a major scholarship in Performance. His tutors are John Bradbury, Principal of the BBC Philharmonic and Nicholas Cox, Principal of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Simon has been leader of the RNCM Wind Orchestra, has recorded a commercial CD with the RNCM New Ensemble and was recently winner of the RNCM Sidney Fell Prize for Clarinet and recipient of a further major scholarship for Performance. On completing his Mus. M. Performers degree, he plans to go to the USA next year to continue his career as a soloist and orchestral player.

Programme details