MARK BEBBINGTON
Mark Bebbington studied at the Royal College of Music where he was the recipient of numerous international awards and prizes including the Leverholme Scholarship, a Winston Churchill Fellowship, the Chappell Silver Medal and the Ivan Sutton Recording Prize, the latter awarded to the most outstanding graduate of the combined London Music Colleges. He later studied in Italy with the legendary Aldo Ciccolini.
Over recent seasons he has toured extensively throughout Central and Northern Europe (both as recitalist and as soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras), as well as the Far East and North Africa. Within the UK he has appeared with the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, the London Mozart Players and the Orchestra of the Swan, at most major London concert halls and at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. He has featured on BBC Television and Radio and also on major European Television and Radio networks.
The critical plaudits which have greeted his performances and recordings, of which there are many, have singled him out as a pianist of the rarest refinement and maturity: " ... a stunning performance", "...fewer artists poised to make a bigger international impact than Mark Bebbington", "... awesome technique", "... it would be hard to imagine better performances than Bebbington's", "... brilliantly and sensitively played", "... a virtuoso performance", "... intrepidly communicative", "... there have been several fine recordings but Bebbington surpasses them all". Mark's most recent recording received two five stars (for musicianship and for quality of recording) in the BBC Music Magazine - very rarely achieved.
JULIAN WILKINS
Julian Wilkins is a versatile, dynamic and inspiring conductor, organist and pianist, working throughout the UK and overseas with prestigious musical organisations including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and Choruses, Association of British Choral Directors, and Sing Up - the Music Manifesto's National Singing Programme.
Educated at Wells Cathedral School as a chorister and specialist musician, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge as an organ scholar, Julian has performed in many of the world's cathedrals and leading concert venues as a soloist and accompanist. He has appeared on BBC and independent television and radio, and on the film soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ".
Julian is the Music Director of Cambridge Chorale, CBSO Youth Chorus, and the Cambridgeshire-based Phoenix Chorale - an SATB youth choir, mixed voice training choir and primary school singing network. He is the Associate Conductor of the CBSO Chorus, working with Simon Halsey to prepare them for conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Ed Gardner, Sakari Oramo, Martyn Brabbins, Gianandrea Noseda, James MacMillan, Jac van Steen, Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Mark Elder. As a respected member of the teaching faculty at Sherborne Summer School of Music, Julian directs the Choral Course, and with David Lawrence co-directs the Art of Choral Direction Course. He is the vocal coach for the City of Birmingham Choir, conducted by Adrian Lucas, and teaches alongside Ghislaine Morgan in Portugal at the Sintra International Singing and Choral Conducting Course. Julian is in demand as a guest conductor, recitalist, accompanist and choral workshop leader, popular with musicians and audiences of all ages. He has adjudicated for the Cambridge Competitive Music Festival and BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.
GEOFFREY PRATLEY
Geoffrey Pratley has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as one of Britain's best-known accompanists. After study at the RAM he went on to accompany many world famous instrumentalists and singers in concerts world-wide, especially the mezzo soprano Dame Janet Baker, the French cellist Paul Tortelier and the leading British violinist of his time, Ralph Holmes; others include Placido Domingo, Leon Goosens, Jack Brymer, Rita Streich, Takayoshi Wanami and many more. Geoffrey has broadcast widely on radio and television; especially notable were his appearances on BBC2 as accompanist to Tortelier's famous Cello Masterclasses.
He taught Piano Accompaniment and coached singers at the RAM from 1965 until June 2005, and at TCM from 1990 until 2009. Publications from Kevin Mayhew Ltd include "Great Operatic Melodies" arranged for piano duet, "Great Orchestral Melodies for Violin" (1 book) and for Cello (2 books), all arranged with piano accompaniment, "Six Irish Folksongs" and "Six English Folksongs," most of which were written for Dame Janet Baker's recitals. Other publishers include OUP, Faber Music, and Stainer and Bell. His Dorothy Parker songcycle for voice and piano will shortly be available to purchase. He has performed and taught in many countries, especially the Far East. His two-piano and piano duet partnership with Cambridge pianist Anne Applin performs a wide range of unusual items as well as more standard duet repertoire. He has also had a busy schedule as an ABRSM examiner and Festival adjudicator for many years.