New season of concerts are ready to hit the high note

The violinist and pianist will perform at the concert on Saturday, September 6th at 11 a.m. and the programme will include pieces by Dvorak, Beach and Grieg.

Admission is £7, free for under 18's and students and includes refreshments served from 10-30 a.m. and parking in the Rawcliffe Street car park until 1 p.m.

Ruth grew up in York and began learning the violin aged two. She went on to read musicand Mathematics at the University of Birmingham, studying violin with Kath Gittings.

After deciding that maths wasn’t for her, Ruth moved to Manchester in 2015 to study for a Masters in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music with Steven Wilkie.

Whilst studying, Ruth played with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy in Germany and twice successfully auditioned to be a member of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme.

Since graduating, Ruth has built up a busy freelance career which includes chamber music, professional orchestral work and outreach.

She currently enjoys playing with orchestras including the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and has worked under conductors including Marin Alsop, Daniel Harding and John Storgårds in concert halls across the country and elsewhere in Europe.

Ruth recently enjoyed touring China as part of the band for a musical theatre production called The Reunion.

James began piano lessons at the age of five with Rosemary Johnson. From 2009 to 2014 he studied Civil Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, where he also took piano lessons with Peter Evans, and regularly performed as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician.

Since returning to York, James has combined his professional work as a civil engineer with his love of music. He performs regularly as a recital accompanist and has been a repetiteur for York Opera since 2015, with whom he also occasionally appears on stage and as a conductor.

He achieved the ABRSM Diploma in Piano Performance with distinction in 2017, and in 2019 performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.414 in A major with a chamber orchestra at St Olave’s church, Marygate. James currently takes lessons from Sarah Beth Briggs.

Aside from piano, James plays violin and viola with the Academy of St Olave’s and City of York Guildhall Orchestra, as well as singing tenor in the choir of St Olave’s church.

For more information, check out https://stpetersburnley.com/music/saturday-morning-concerts/