Ebony Duo &
Fraser Gordon
Fiona Macleod - piano; Lesley Bell -
clarinet; Fraser Gordon - bassoon
Tuesday 15th May 2012
Programme
Trio in B flat major Opus 11 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)Trio Pathétique in D minor Mikhail Glinka (1804 - 1857)
Afro Paquito d'Rivera (b. 1948)
Konzertstück No. 1 in F minor Felix Mendelsshohn (1809 - 1847)
Lesley Bell grew up in Fife and was a pupil at the Junior Academy of Music in Glasgow. After two years at Napier University in Edinburgh she transferred to the BA Music course at the RSAMD where she graduated with a First Class Honours in 2003.
Lesley now combines teaching at Aberdeen City Music School and St. George's School for Girls in Edinburgh with a freelance career. She has performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal ScottishNational Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She also performs with the Cameo Clarinet Quartet.
Lesley is also a musician in the Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and has performed with them in France, Luxembourg, Nova Scotia and Romania.
Fiona Macleod gained Batchelor of Music Degree in solo performance and a postgraduate diploma in accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. In 2003 Fiona was a Junior Fellow Accompanist at the RSAMD for two years where she gained a PGDip in Advanced Accompaniment and won the accompanist prize in 2004.
Fiona worked in Glasgow as a freelance pianist and teacher from 2005-2009. She was a teacher and an accompanist at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, RSAMD Junior Academy, Strathclyde University and Napier University.
She is the pianist of the ‘Scottish Tango Ensemble‘.
Fiona is currently working as the assistant pianist at the Opera school of Mirella Freni (CUBEC) in Modena, Italy, where she lives and works.
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Fraser initially trained as a violinist, graduating from the RSAMD with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Following this, he continued his studies at the Academy on the bassoon, studying with David Hubbard, Janet Bloxwich and Alan Warhurst, and gained a BMus (performance) with 1st Class Honours and a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction, finishing in June 2008.
During this time Fraser was successful in winning The Governors’ Wind Recital Prize, The Mary D Adams Prize for Chamber Music, The Mozart Concerto Prize and The Concerto Competition as well as being awarded the Peter Morrison Prize for overall excellence and contributions to the corporate life of the Academy.
His solo appearances have included Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and Weber Bassoon Concerto with RSAMD Symphony Orchestra as well as several performances of Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis in full 1970's Las Vegas gear!
Fraser is a committed chamber musician and freelance orchestral player, regularly performing both bassoon and contrabassoon with all the professional orchestras in Scotland as well as having performed with the Northern Sinfonia, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. Fraser has been generously supported in the past by grants from The Wolfson Memorial Trust, The James Caird Trust and The Dewar Awards, for whom he performed Elgar's Romance for bassoon for their fifth anniversary showcase concert, broadcast live from the Scottish Parliament.