Iakov Zats

Born in Moscow, Iakov Zats attended the prestigious Central Music School and then the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 1994, he settled in Italy where, between 1996 and 1998, he was principal viola with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. In 2001, he was invited by Claudio Abbado to play in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. During his distinguished career, Zats has performed at many of Europe’s leading concert venues. He has expanded his instrument’s repertoire with viola adaptations of Ysaÿe’s Cello Sonata, Op. 28, and Schumann’s Three Romances, Op. 94 and Intermezzo. He is currently viola professor at the Conservatorio di Reggio Calabria. His performances are characterised by their expressiveness and warmth of sound, and by a spontaneity always underpinned by a strict logic of phrasing.

Paul Neubauer

Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at the age of 21, Paul Neubauer has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and English Chamber Orchestra. He has premiered works by Bartók (revised version of the Viola Concerto), Glière and Aaron Jay Kernis, among others. A two-time Grammy nominee, he has recorded on numerous labels, and his recording of the Kernis Viola Concerto is set for release in 2017. He teaches at the Juilliard School and Mannes College, and is the newly appointed Artistic Director of New Jersey’s Mostly Music series.

http://www.paulneubauer.com

David Adams

Equally at home on violin and viola, David Adams is leader of the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Co-Artistic Director of the Goldberg Ensemble and violin tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has guest-led the BBC Scottish Symphony, Philharmonia and Swedish Radio Symphony orchestras, among many others. He appears, records and broadcasts with leading chamber ensembles; his recording of Stanford’s Piano Quartet with the Gould Piano Trio was a Gramophone ‘Editor’s choice’. He regularly attends the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, and plays an 1800 Johannes Gagliano violin and a c1840 Betts viola.

Richard Boothby

Richard Boothby, Professor of Viola da gamba at the Royal College of Music, founded the Purcell Quartet in 1984 and was a founder-member of Fretwork in 1985. He has enriched the viol-consort repertory by commissioning works from composers such as Elvis Costello and Nico Muhly, among others. With Stephen Preston (Baroque flute) and Jane Chapman (harpsichord) he recently formed the Trio Aporia to explore both radical contemporary compositions and music dating back to the Baroque and beyond. His many acclaimed recordings include Alio modo, featuring his transcriptions of Bach keyboard works, and the 2013 release of his Goldberg Variations arrangement.

www.fretwork.co.uk