Meet Us

Matthew Souter, Artistic Director

For the past 28 years Matthew Souter has been a member of The Alberni  String Quartet, one of Britain’s most distinguished ensembles and  described in the New York Times as "one of the finest half dozen quartets in the world". The Alberni String Quartet succeeded The Amadeus  String Quartet as Quartet in Residence at The Royal Academy of Music. Both in this capacity and also as an instrumental teacher Matthew Souter has been a Professor at The Royal Academy of Music in London for 18 years where he has attracted many exceptionally talented violists and violinists from across the world wishing to study with him, many of whom  now have gone on to enjoy highly distinguished musical careers themselves. Matthew Souter has also helped countless younger students to achieve exceptional scholarship places at the world’s finest conservatoires. One such pupil was awarded first prize in the 2021 Cecil  Aronowitz International Viola Competition. Matthew Souter has given masterclasses worldwide including at the prestigious Xinghai  Conservatory in Guangzhou, China and has been fortunate in his career to have been lent some outstanding instruments including a 1585 Gaspar da Salo and an Antonio Stradivari of 1696.

As a conductor Matthew Souter has worked with orchestras in London, Hong Kong, Bahrain and China. In this capacity has collaborated and performed with distinguished soloists including; countertenor Iestyn Davies, cellists; Robert Cohen, Julian Lloyd Webber and Jamie Walton and soprano Verity Wingate.

In “complete command of his instrument” and “very musical in the finest  way...”, so wrote the world-famous conductor Antal Dorati about Matthew  Souter when proposing him for the principal viola position in the Royal  Philharmonic Orchestra at just 22 years of age. Leonard Bernstein and  Claudio Abbado, who Matthew Souter also worked with in a principal  capacity likewise assisted Souter in his early career; Abbado described  him as “an outstanding viola player”.

As a soloist he has performed across the world both as a recitalist and with professional orchestras from the UK, Europe, Russia and South East Asia. He has recorded and broadcast as a soloist on the BBC, NHK,  Deutsche Rundfunk networks and on CD for Signum Classics, Regent Records and Hyperion.

Matthew has also guest-lead the viola sections in virtually all of Britain’s  most celebrated orchestras such as the Academy St Martin-in-the-Fields,  the English Chamber Orchestra and The London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been a regular guest at international chamber music festivals  in the UK, Europe and South East Asia, often collaborating with world-famous artists.

Eleanor Corr, Concertmaster

Eleanor is winner of the Royal Overseas League Competition 2020 and in 2022 was awarded Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. 

Much in demand as a concertmaster, Eleanor has recently guest led Ulster Orchestra, Trondheim Symfoniorkester, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, London Concertante, Paraorchestra, Orchestra Nova London, Norrlandsoperan, and Orkester Innlandet. She has led English Touring Opera for 3 years, including 4 months leading associate period instrument orchestra Old Street Band, is leader of Buxton International Festival Orchestra, regular guest leader for Orpheus Sinfonia, where she has recently been named Principal Violin, and has been Orchestral Mentor for the Royal Academy of Music.

Solo appearances include regular festival recitals, including at Oslo Chamber Music Festival, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room, and on BBC Radio 3, recent performances of concertos by Mendelsohn, Sibelius, Mozart, Vaughan Williams, Vivaldi, Bruch and Schnittke, which she recorded at Abbey Road Studios for broadcast on Sky Arts. 

Her quartet, Pocket Sinfonia, are winners of St. Martin-in-the-Fields International Chamber Music Competition Audience Prize, REMA European Early Music Network Showcase Artists 2021 and Continuo Foundation Awards 2021 and 2022, and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and WDR.

Eleanor's passion for period performance has taken her to Berlin Philharmonie and the BBC Proms with Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, and for contemporary music most recently led to recording new works commissioned by the Music and Meditation Podcast for string trio/quartet and choir with The BBC Singers.

“It was Corr who was crowned winner. This was no surprise because it was a distinctively confident, technically and musicologically accomplished set of readings…all expertly judged. It was also fiery, with strong vibrato and muscular richness…and bucketloads of kick – the precision with which her up bow attacked the G string for the opening note of Tzigane commanded attention.” - The Strad

“Special mention must be made of Eleanor Corr’s supremely agile violin playing... Rarely has Stravinsky’s septet scoring sounded so alive, responsive and daring as this.” - Europadisc

  • Phoebe Tarleton

    FOUNDER

    Phoebe is an English violinist based in Amsterdam. She is a sought-after orchestral and chamber musician, having performed with almost all of the major orchestras in the Netherlands and worked with many leading conductors.She has been part of the Netherlands String Quartet Academy, the Mahler Chamber Academy and Grafenegg Academy. Phoebe completed her studies in Amsterdam studying with principal players of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

    In addition to performing, Phoebe enjoys organising concerts, bringing people together and thinking of new creative projects. Her dream is to combine these interests with her biggest passion - playing in a chamber orchestra, and to create and develop something meaningful which can inspire generations to come.

  • Laura Hampe

    FOUNDER

    Laura is currently completing her masters degree in violin performance in Norway and Austria. She is an experienced orchestral player, currently performing with the Wiener Jeunesse Orchester, Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein and Bergen Kammerorkester.

    In addition to performing Laura also holds a music education and outreach degree, which she hopes to use to further her passion of teaching and expand the classical music audience.

    She is thrilled to be reuniting with her youth orchestra friends and conductor Matthew Souter, and confident in their ability to create memorable musical moments and outstanding concerts.

  • Amelie von Feilitzsch

    FOUNDER

    As a member of the Parzival Quartett, Amelie von Feilitzsch is enrolled in a masters degree at the Musikhochschule Leipzig, aiming to further perfect her chamber music skills. She has already achieved a 1st. class honours degree as a solo violinist at the Royal Academy of Music, London. As a great enthusiast for chamber music playing Amelie is aspiring to belong to an outstanding ensemble uniting talented and dedicated string players like herself. She hopes for this ensemble to continuously work on the mastery of conveying deep-felt passion and emotions, captivating and transcending audiences around the world.

    Amelie founded the „Pieter Schoeman, Students and Friends“ Octet, organising its annual tour across Europe.

    Together with Laura Hampe, Amelie embarked on an innovative project: „Tanz des Lebens“ (The Dance of Life), successfully uniting duo violin playing with a recited dialog.

  • Raphael Papo

    FOUNDER

    Raphael is a violinist based in Berlin and London. He has worked extensively with the BBC symphony orchestra and served as associate concertmaster for the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. He is the co-director of the Seida Ensemble and Director of Chalk, an interdisciplinary artist collective based internationally. Raphael was the 1st prize winner of the Bruno Frey award of Southern Germany, the MTNA competition and is supported by the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation with a violin by Fiorini.

    His passion is finding creative ways to bring the highest level of classical music to people’s lives, and he recognises the huge potential that an orchestra has in bringing this passion to the world.