Savitri Grier_1000

SAVITRI GRIER (VIOLIN), RICHARD UTTLEY (PIANO)

ST MARGARET'S CHURCH, EAST TWICKENHAM, TW1 1RL 51.4561, -0.32
Schubert:
Sonatina in D, D384 (Op.posth. 137 No. 1)
Messiaen:
Theme and Variations
Poulenc:
Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 119
Bartok:
Romanian Dances
Beethoven:
Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30

Born in 1992, Savitri Grier read Music at Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with First Class Honours, and is currently completing her Artist Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama studying with David Takeno. In 2015 she was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust.

Over the last year Savitri has made her debut at Carnegie’s Weill Hall and appeared as soloist with the Bournemouth Symphony, English Chamber, Welsh National Opera and Birmingham Sinfonia orchestras.

Throughout 2015/2016 she gave recitals and took part in festivals and masterclasses across Europe including IMS Prussia Cove, the East Neuk Festival retreat, the Holland International Music Sessions, Musique à Marsac in France, the Sage Gateshead, Newbury Spring and Roman River Festivals.

Engagements this season include her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a series of performances of the Mendelssohn Concerto. She returns to Wigmore Hall, takes part in the Avigdor Classics Festival in Bern, and continues to give recitals throughout the UK including the Bury St. Edmunds, Harrogate, St. Magnus and Portsmouth Festivals. During 2017 she is Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra’s Featured Young Artist and in the autumn takes part in the IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music and ensemble tour.

Previous highlights as a soloist have included performances of the Sibelius and Tchaikovsky Concertos with Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozart with the Barbican Young Orchestra and Mendelssohn with the English Festival Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.

A committed chamber musician Savitri has collaborated with Susan Tomes, Christoph Richter, Steven Isserlis, Andrew Marriner and Alasdair Beatson, and regularly gives recitals with the Grier Trio (including her sister Indira and father Francis). In 2014 the Trio gave their first performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, and performed Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with Andrew Marriner at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.

Savitri is grateful for support from Help Musicians UK, the Philharmonia Orchestra/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, Hattori Foundation and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. Awards include 1st Prize at the Oxford Philomusica and Tunbridge Wells International Competitions. In 2015 she was selected for the Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concerts Artists. She has participated in masterclasses with Ferenc Rados, Johannes Goritski, Maxim Vengerov, András Keller, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Thomas Adès, among others.

Savitri plays on a Matteo Goffriller violin on generous loan from the Aidan Woodcock Charitable Trust.

Richard Uttley is noted for the integrity and breadth of his musicianship as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He has been recognised for his “musical intelligence and pristine facility” (International Record Review), “amazing decisiveness”, and “tumultuous performance” (Ivan Hewett, The Daily Telegraph). His playing is regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and has featured on BBC Two, BBC Four and Sky Arts. Richard was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2011.

Recent highlights include solo recitals in Bridgewater Hall, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Cité des Arts, and concertos by Mozart, Brahms and Grieg. In collaboration with violinist Callum Smart, last season Richard released a CD of French music on Orchid Classics (La voix, selected as a Recommended Recording by The Strad magazine) and gave recitals in Wigmore Hall, Auditorium du Louvre and Konzerthaus Berlin. This season includes a solo recital tour in China, return visits to HCMF and Saffron Hall (solo recitals), Wigmore Hall with Savitri Grier, tours of China and Columbia with Peter Moore, Multi-Story with Kate Whitley, and live radio broadcasts with Mark Simpson.

Richard has released three solo discs to critical acclaim. Ghosts & Mirrors (ARC, 2014), was the first recording to be made at Milton Court Concert Hall. Richard spent a Winter Residency at The Banff Centre (Canada) preparing the programme and the disc was launched with live visuals in collaboration with artist Nat Urazmetova.

A passionate advocate of new music, Richard won the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 2006 and has made several recordings for NMC.

Richard is a contributor to the Tido Music app, an innovative educational project with Edition Peters, filming performances and tutorials for their Piano Masterworks series. He also recorded for the CDs that accompany the ABRSM Piano Syllabuses 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Born in Bradford, Richard studied piano with Ian Buckle, then Music at Clare College, Cambridge (graduating with a Double First in 2008), and at Guildhall School with Martin Roscoe. He was mentored by Rolf Hind through the RPS/YCAT Philip Langridge Mentoring Scheme. In 2014, Richard was invited to attend Open Chamber Music at IMS Prussia Cove.

Richard is on the teaching staff at Guildhall School and City University, and is a trustee of New Dots, a charity supporting emerging composers and performers.