Born in South Tyrol, Johannes Pramsohler completed his modern violin studies at the Conservatory 'Claudio Monteverdi' in Bozen before going to London to study with Jack Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During this time he started taking lessons on the Baroque violin from Rachel Podger, with whom he then continued his studies.

In 2005 Johannes moved to Paris where to study at the Conservatoire National de Région with Patrick Bismuth, and has since gone on to establish himself as a successful soloist and chamber musician, performing throughout Europe and playing with many of the leading period instrument orchestras. He was a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra and is regularly invited to play with Concerto Köln, Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. International concert tours have taken him to all major European concert halls, to North and South America and to the Near East.

Alongside his work with IBP and his own chamber music group Ensemble Diderot Johannes is enjoying an increasingly busy career as a recitalist and orchestra leader; he has given solo concerts at major festivals in France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Johannes regularly leads Le Concert d'Astrée (Emmanuelle Haïm) and the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra.

Future engagements include solo recitals and CD recordings for Sony, Channel Classics, Virgin and Brilliant Classics. Since October 2007 Johannes has played on the famous 'P. G. Rogeri' from 1713, previously owned by Reinhard Goebel.

Patrizio Germone was born in 1987 in Mondovi', in the north west of Italy, and when he was eleven years old he began studying violin. At the age of thirteen he became passionately interested in baroque violin and began attending workshops as well as receiving regular lessons from prominent Italian baroque violinists Luigi Mangiocavallo & Enrico Onofri, and outside of Italy with Lucy Van Dael & Micki Gaigg. He graduated in 2006 from a musical Liceo and in July 2007 at the Conservatorio G. F. Ghedini di Cuneo. He is currently a student of Patrick Bismuth at the Conservatoire de Paris.

He has been the concertmaster of the baroque youth orchestra Accademia Montis Regalis under the direction of Amandine Beyer, Fabio Bonizzoni, Alessandro De Marchi and Alessandro Palmeri in 2006. He was a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra in 2007, playing under Maggie Faultless and Lars Ulrik Mortensen. Patrizio has also performed and recorded with a number of baroque ensembles in Europe and abroad, including Concert Francais, Academie d’Ambronay, Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra, Il Divino Sospiro and Affetti Musicali.

Image © Eleonore de Bonneval

Historical Performance has always been of great interest to Holly and she has recently graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, specialising in Baroque violin with Rachel Podger, Simon Jones and Andrea Morris. Holly has worked for The Sixteen and The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment, being a recipient of the Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience for Young Players and has been a member of the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Most recently, Holly appeared on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' programme with the group 'The Little Baroque Co.' of which she is a member.

Image © Jonathan Nicholl

Born in 1984, Lucy began learning the violin at the age of 2. As a member of the London Suzuki Group, she had frequent opportunities to play in orchestras and chamber groups, as well as joining several local youth orchestras. In 1996 Lucy became a student at the junior department of the Royal Academy, which she attended for the next 6 years, having lessons and chamber coaching and leading the Symphony Orchestra in her final year. From 1998 until 2002 Lucy attended the prestigious London specialist Music School, The Purcell School, receiving excellent coaching and taking advantage of regular performance opportunities.

In 2002 she declined the offer of a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music, in order to study Baroque Violin with Rachel Podger at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, becoming it's first ever undergraduate student to complete a full degree on Principal Study Baroque Violin. She graduated in 2006, after taking leading roles in various projects, including the solo violin part in Bach's fourth Brandenburg concerto. In November 2006, she was asked to make a final reappearance and take a starring role in the Wandsworth Children's Music Festival's Gala concert at St John's Smith Square, where she performed Biber's Passacaglia to great acclaim. In July 2007 Lucy completed a Masters Degree in Early Music also at the Guildhall.

Before the end of her Masters year, Lucy was invited to take part in a tour of Italy in July 2007, with the newly formed Greenwich Baroque Orchestra. Lucy plays regularly with the London Handel Orchestra and Charivari Agreable.

Born in Madrid, Leonor started learning the violin at the age of 6. After completing her studies in the Conservatorio de la Comunidad de Madrid she moved to London to study with the late Mr. Yfrah Neaman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After 2 years of studies on modern violin she decided to switch to baroque and finished her studies with Rachel Podger, who was also her teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, where she completed a Postgraduate degree after being offered a scholarship to study there.

Leonor was a member of I Giovani della Montis Regalis in 2009. She has performed under directors such as Enrico Onofri, Laurence Cummings, Alessandro De Marchi, Amandine Beyer, Margaret Faultless, and Catherine Mackintosh, to name but a few.

Leonor is currently working as a freelance player in the U.K and Spain.

Adam Lord comes from Bognor Regis in the United Kingdom and began playing the violin at the age of eight. After successfully completing his GCSEs he moved to Chetham's School of Music in Manchester where he studied violin with Richard Deakin. After his time at Chetham's he gained a place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where he continued his studies with Richard Deakin. During his time at the RNCM he pursued an active musical life which included discovering his interest in period performance. He graduated with a BMus (Hons) GRNCM in 2003. Adam then continued his studies at the RNCM attaining the Post-Graduate Diploma and the MMus (perf) with merit in the class of Dr. Christopher Rowland.

In October 2005 Adam moved to Würzburg in Germany to concentrate on studying period performance in the class of Dr. Pauline Nobes. He attained his Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik in February 2008. During his time in Germany Adam has performed with various ensembles including Les Favourites, La Banda and Collegium Cartusianum with Peter Neumann, as well as being a founding member of the Hamburg baroque orchestra Shirokko.

Stephen comes from Stoke–on–Trent in the United Kingdom. He read music at Selwyn College, Cambridge where he pursued an active musical life as a member of the University Instrumental Awards Scheme. Upon graduating in 2005 he went to study modern violin with the late Howard Davis and baroque violin with Nicolette Moonen as a postgraduate performance and research student at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Since completing his studies at the Academy last year Stephen has played with a number of groups including the Gabrieli Consort and Players, Ex Cathedra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He was selected as a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra in 2008 and has toured with them extensively. Also an active chamber musician, one of his ensembles Les Mélomanes work regularly under the privileged guidance of Daniël Brüggen and were winners of the 2009 Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize. Most recently Stephen was awarded a place on the apprenticeship scheme of the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.

Born in Granada into a musical family, Ignacio Abalos studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music 'Victoria Eugenia' in Granada and the Barenboim-Said foundation in Seville before moving to London to study with Jacqueline Ross and Jack Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he obtained a BMus (Hons) in 2008 and MMus in 2009. At GSMD he started taking baroque violin lessons from Oliver Webber and Pavlo Beznosiuk. Since completing his studies he has played with a number of groups including Florilegium, Britten-Pears Baroque orchestra and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Ignacio has attended masterclasses with Walter Reiter, Rachel Podger, Pavlo Beznosiuk, Gary Cooper, Lucy van Dael just to name a few. He plays both modern and baroque violins and has performed on both instruments under conductors such as Richard Egarr, Masaaki Suzuki, Jean Jacques Kantorow, Sir Colin Davis, Vladimir Askenazy and Daniel Barenboim in many prestigious venues across Europe.

Image © Eleonore de Bonneval

Born in Florence, Beatrice has benefited from an eclectic range of musical experiences in both in Italy and the UK. As a violinist she is equally at home in both the modern and period performance spheres. Beatrice has worked under the direction of artists such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Rachel Podger, Laurence Cummings, Richard Egarr, Masaaki Suzuki, Lisa Beznosiuk and Jonathan Cohen. She has also performed with ensembles including Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra Europa, Britten-Pears Orchestra, Camerata Serafin and Camerata Kilkenny. She has recently performed Vivaldi's 'Summer' with the Flackton Players.

Beatrice trained at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence, graduating with full marks and honours in 2006, then at Trinity College of Music, gaining a Postgraduate diploma with Distinction. She was subsequently awarded the Newby Trust Scholarship to continue her studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Lydia Mordkovich and Mateja Marinkovic. She is now specialising in Historical Performance under the guidance of Walter Reiter.

Image © Eleonore de Bonneval

Siv Thomassen was born in Norway and studied the violin there, obtaining a first class Cand. Mag. Degree at the Grieg Academy of Music, Bergen. Siv then went on to undertake a Postgraduate Diploma course on the baroque violin at Trinity College of Music, achieving a Distinction. While at Trinity, Siv was chosen to participate in the English Concert ⁄ TCM Mentor Scheme. She was a member of the the European Union Baroque Orchestra of 2005 and 2006.

Siv is a founding member of the exciting new chamber ensemble Melopoetica, recipients of the English Concert Junior Fellowship at Trinity in 2006. With Melopoetica she has performed in festivals in England and Europe, including the London Handel Festival; Hexham Abbey Festival; Greenwich Early Music Festival and Alte Music Feldkirchen, Austria.

Siv is active as a freelancer and has been playing with ensembles including Florilegium and Gabrieli Consort and Players with whom she has participated in two CD recordings.

Aliye Cornish was born in 1985 and graduated with a BMus (Hons) from the Royal College of Music, London in July 2008 (modern and baroque violas) before graduating with an MA in Historical Performance from the Royal Academy of Music in 2009. During her time at the Academy she was the recipient of the San Martino Award and also won the Deutsche Bank Award in Performance 2009 to help further the work of the International Baroque Players. She is sought after on both her modern and baroque violas and has recently played with the World Youth Orchestra, European Union Baroque Orchestra (principal), English Baroque Soloists. Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Retrospect Ensemble and Gabrieli Consort and Players.

The idea of using music to reach out to people is very important to her and alongside her teaching commitments in Oxford and London she has participated in many outreach and education projects. These include childrens concerts in the UK and in Poland as well as appearances at homes for the elderly. Last year her work was officially recognised when she was nominated for Young Achiever of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2008. Following on from this she has been appointed as an Ambassador for the Women of the Future Scheme 2009/2010 which is run in partnership with the Awards.

In the next few months she will appear as principal viola with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and tour to London, Paris and Berlin with the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir under Sir John Eliot Gardiner on their Advent tour.

Raquel grew up in a coastal town in Portugal, where she started musical studies at the age of 4 playing xylophone at the local music school.

Her journeys as a student and as a young professional range far and wide, to Chicago, London, Malaysia and back to Lisbon in Portugal where she found a new source of creativity studying baroque viola with Richard Qwilt. Lately she has widened her repertoire by playing viola d’amore.

Now living in Berlin, Raquel has been playing with various early music ensembles and orchestras such as the Wallfisch Band, Al Ayre Español, Concerto Köln and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.

Emile de Roubaix, born in Cape Town, South Africa, started taking violin lessons at the age of 10. After matriculating in 1998 he completed the B.Mus and B.Mus.Hons (cum laude) degrees in violin performance at the University of Stellenbosch, having studied with Louis van der Watt and Suzanne Martens (Swanepoel) respectively. During the latter course he was violinist of Trio Stellenbosch, which represented the US at the Universität für Darstellende Kunst und Musik in Graz, Austria, during their 30th International Week, and gave a series of concerts in Portugal. It was also during this course that he started studying the viola as 2nd instrument.

In September 2005 he commenced his postgraduate studies as violist at the RNCM as a student of Predrag Katanic. He also received baroque viola tuition from Annette Isserlis. He has performed and recorded with groups such as the Hallé, the Avison Ensemble, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic working with conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Vladimir Jurowski, Thomas Zehetmair and Sir Simon Rattle. In June 2007 he received 3rd prize at the RNCM viola competition. He graduated from the RNCM with the MMus in Performance degree with distinction in December 2007.

Sally Woods has played with many of the country's leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic, English Touring Opera and Yorkshire Baroque Soloists. She recently performed a series of Vivaldi concertos across London and often performs on television, including ITV's Lewis series and X Factor.

Sally has performed under the direction of artists including William Christie, Trevor Pinnock, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Richard Egarr. She was invited to perform again this year for the Brighton Early Music Festival after appearing last year as one of their Young Artists and has been invited to give a recital with Greg Tassell for the London Handel Festival 2009.

Originally from Cornwall, Sally continued her musical education at Wells Cathedral School as a specialist musician and in 2004 graduated from the RNCM with a First Class Honours degree having studied with Hannah Roberts. She finished her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 2007 receiving a Postgraduate Diploma in Historical Performance with Jenny Ward Clarke and modern cello with Professor David Strange.

Sally plays on a 1746 John Simpson cello and kindly received funding from the Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust and Elise Beckett-Smith.

Jan Robert Zahourek moved to London in October 2005 from Padua (Padova) Italy. His work includes playing the doublebass, violone and recently the viola da gamba in concerts, recordings and film scores with groups such as Zefiro, the Royal Philharmonic, International Baroque Players, London Musical Arts, Ensemble Telemania, La Nuova Musica, the Saraband Consort, Cambridge Baroque Camerata and with the Festpiel Orchester at the Gottinger Handel Festival.

In Italy Jan is a founding member of the chamber group Ensemble Musagete with which he performs in chamber music concerts in northern Italy two or three times a year. Jan was born a mile above sea level in Denver Colorado and grew up in New York City and Amherst Massachusetts. He now he lives with his wife Francesca in South Norwood, London. He enjoys watching the members of the sailing club navigate the small lake at the bottom of his road in their small, one-person sailboats.

Christopher Bucknall read music at Oxford and recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a Distinction for his Post-Graduate Diploma studying harpsichord and fortepiano with Carole Cerasi and conducting with Paul Brough.

As a continuo player, Christopher has worked with Harry Bicket, William Christie, Laurence Cummings, Christian Curnyn, Richard Egarr, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Massako Suzuki. Recent engagements include assisting Laurence Cummings on Handel, Alessandro for the London Handel Festival, assisting Christian Curnyn on Cavalli, Eliogabalo for Grange Park Opera, being Chorus Master for Bach St. Matthew Passion under Massako Suzuki in Snape. Future projects include assiting on Handel, Il Pastor Fido for the London Handel Festival.

Christopher is building up a portfolio of conducting engagements including directing IBP's performance of Handel, Apollo e Dafne last June. Other projects have included Handel, Messiah and Acis and Galatea, Bach, St John Passion, Alessandro Scarlatti's opera, Marco Attelio Regolo, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

He is the artistic director of The Rare Theatricall who are Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music for 2009⁄10.

Magnus Andersson, born in 1981 and raised in Arboga, Sweden, holds a masters degree in music from the Royal College in Stockholm where he graduated in the spring of 2008. He has studied all kinds of historical lutes and guitars.

In the summer of 2008, Magnus was the first lute player ever to win the 'Jörgen Rörby scholarship'. Together with fellow lutenist Dohyo Sol, Magnus forms the Ferrara Lute duo, who won the 'Ear-ly' competition for early music ensembles in Sweden 2008. He has performed in Swedish Radio several times and played concerts all over Europe.

Joel Raymond studied at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. He has performed with many groups throughout Europe including The Hanover Band, The Academy of Ancient Music, Ex Cathedra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Siècles (France), Barokanerne (Norway) and the European Union Baroque Orchestra. Joel also produces oboes based on historical models.

Tomasz Wesołowski studied bassoon in Gdańsk with Wojciech Orawiec, supported by a scholarship from the President of Gdańsk and received his Masters Degree with distinction in 2004. From 2004 to 2008 he studied historical bassoon with Donna Agrell and Wouter Verschuren at the Royal Conservatoire in Den Haag and later on with Alberto Grazzi at Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan.

Tomasz has been involved in orchestral, chamber and solo music projects in Europe, USA and South Korea, and has worked with conductors such as Paul McCreesh, Alfredo Bernardini, Richard Egarr and Lars Ulrik Mortensen. He has performed with Musica ad Rhenum, Musica Poetica Lübeck, B'Rock, the Netherlands Bach Society and the European Union Baroque Orchestra and has recorded CDs for Channel Classics and ORF Edition Alte Musik.

Tomasz is also member of groups such as InVento & Nova Silesia and holds a historical bassoon class at the Academy of Music in Poznań.