Stefan Kate Becca Piotr
Stefan Defilet, Violin
I began playing the Violin on my 6th Birthday and have continued ever since! As a school boy in the Bournemouth area I was very much involved in the local music scene, eventually leading the Bournemouth and Dorset Youth Orchestras, and the orchestra of "Gli Amici Della Musica". Then followed 4 years at Trinity College of Music in London, achieving a Bmus(TCM). Within two weeks of leaving Trinity I found myself a job as a stage violinist with the Canadian based violin show Barrage. Four years later, I'd played with the show in 16 countries on 4 different continents.
I felt it was time to move onto new pastures, so I moved to New Zealand for 6 months, where I played with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and several string quartets.
I came back to Dorset in 2005, where I now enjoy a varied freelancer's career, regularly playing with orchestras (Including the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Brandenburg Sinfonia, Havant Chamber Orchestra), string quartets, playing for recording sessions (www.session-violinist.co.uk), private, school and music centre violin teaching (www.bournemouth-violin-teacher.co.uk). I also coach the strings of the Bournemouth University Orchestra, which I guest lead.
My other interests apart from music include cooking, eating the results of the cooking, travelling and exploring new areas of the world! And flying my kite.
Piotr Kopec, Violin
I was born in Londonand moved to Bournemouthwhen I was 5. I started playing the piano at this time,and the violin three years later. Growing up in BournemouthI played in the local youth orchestras and sung in St. Peter's Church Choir. I was also organist at Sacred Heart Churchfrom the age of 10-18 I earned Honours Bachelor of Music degree after four years of study with Diana Cummings at Trinity College of Music in London. After college I went travelling overland to West Africa, covering Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and the Gambia. Happy days.
I currently live in Bournemouth and freelance locally.
Becca Ware, Viola
Becca also grew up in Bournemouth and started playing the Viola aged 13, soon playing with the Bournemouth, Wessex and Dorset Youth Orchestras. She then accepted a place at Guildhall School of Music, where she went on to gain her Bmus and Pdot. While at college, Becca built up many contacts, which opened up several different avenues for her freelancing career in London for the next 12 years. Highlights include touring Europe with bands such as "My Life Story" and "The Tindersticks", regularly performing on the BBC's "Top of the Pops" with artists such as "Jamiroquai", recording for artists such as George Michael, and Morrissey, and playing live with Neil Diamond.... to name a few!
She also enjoyed writing for, and playing in some London based folk and country bands. She was leader of the Viola section of the London Pilharmonic Youth Orchestra and her Orchestral tours took her to Portugal and the USA. She also enjoyed touring the UK with the show "Timeless" (Suspect Culture Theatre Company), highlights including the Edinburgh Festival and "The Donmar Warehouse".
Now that Becca has settled back in Bournemouth, she is kept very busy with her five year old son, her violin and viola teaching at 4 local schools, and as much chamber music and orchestral playing as time permits!
Becca loves walking, camping and being in the great outdoors, and is an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga.
Kate Redwood, Cello
Kate has been playing the cello since the age of 15, and gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London (Which she declined, to carry on with her life in Southampton!) She currently studies with Michael Mace. Her aim has always been to participate in as much music-making as possible, so Kate regularly performs with many orchestras including "Musical Score", "Solent Symphony Orchestra", "City of Southampton Orchestra", the "Wessex Chamber Orchestra", "The English National Baroque Orchestra", "Oadby and Wigston Civic Orchestra" and "Southampton Pops Orchestra".
As a touring musician, Kate has travelled to many countries including China, the USA, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and France. Kate has played for more than 35 shows/musicals to date on the french horn, and often works as a piano accompanist. She teaches the cello and has more than 40 cello students. As a soloist, Kate has performed the concertos of Haydn, Vivaldi, Elgar, Dvorak and Saint-Saens on numerous occasions, notably the Dvorak for the 40th anniversary concert of the Southampton Youth Orchestra in the Southampton Guildhall. Her solo performances have helped to raise more than £1,500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. When she is not playing music, Kate is studying for a degree in Humanities from the Open University.