Philharmonia Orchestra Players perform Dvořák string quintets

The Programme

Dvořák: String Quintet in G major, op 77, B 49
Dvořák: Intermezzo (“Andante Religioso”)

Philharmonia Players

Benjamin Marquise Gilmore (violin)

Philharmonia concert master Benjamin Marquise Gilmore grew up in England and studied with Natalia Boyarskaya at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Pavel Vernikov at the Vienna Conservatory, as well as with Julian Rachlin, Miriam Fried, and members of the Artis Quartet and Altenberg Trio.

Benjamin was awarded first prize at the Oskar Back violin competition in Amsterdam, and was a prizewinner at the Joseph Joachim competition in Hannover and the Mozart competition in Salzburg As a soloist, he has performed with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the NDR Hannover, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

A member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe from 2011, Benjamin was appointed leader of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2016. He performed with the SCO as soloist and director on several occasions and was also involved in the its chamber music series at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. He has appeared as guest leader with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and as leader and director with the Camerata Salzburg.

Rebecca Chan (violin)

Philharmia associate leader Rebecca Chan was born in Melbourne and studied violin with Alice Waten at the Australian National Academy of Music and Sydney Conservatorium and with William Hennessy at Melbourne University. She has played as soloist with many of Australia’s major orchestras, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Adelaide, Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras; Orchestra Victoria; Melbourne Chamber Orchestra; and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. She has been the winner of the string section, and Nelly Apt Scholarship in the ABC Young Performers Awards, the ANAM concerto competition and the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition, and was a prize winner at the International Citta di Brescia Violin Competition.

As a chamber musician, Rebecca has toured Australia, Europe and Asia, and has played in numerous festivals around the world. She is a member of the Australia Piano Quartet and the Hamer Quartet (winners of the first prize, the audience prize and Musica Viva award in the 2009 Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition).

Yukiko Ogura (viola)

Principal viola with the Philharmionia Yukiko Ogura was born in Nara in western Japan. Having studied the violin at Kyoto City University of the Arts, Yukiko won a position as a member of the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, which specialises in string repertoire.

Encouraged by Nobuko Imai, Yukiko became more interested in the viola, eventually giving up the violin completely in order to study with Mazumi Tanamura in Tokyo. She emigrated to the USA in 2000 and continued her studies there with Li-Kuo Chang at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She became the violist of the Eusia String Quartet, which subsequently won the gold medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2001. In the same year, Yukiko was appointed a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Richard Birchall (cello)

Philharmonia cellist Richard Birchall read Music at Cambridge University and studied as a postgraduate cellist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Louise Hopkins. He later completed studies in film music composition at Goldsmiths College.

Richard pursues a varied and colourful career as cellist, composer, arranger and orchestrator. As a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, he performs regularly in the great concert halls of the world. He has appeared as guest principal cello with the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Irish Chamber Orchestra, and as concertmaster of the London Cello Orchestra. Richard’s solo and chamber work has ranged from Wigmore Hall to the catwalk at London Fashion Week. He is a founder member of cello octet Cellophony – now firmly established as the UK's leading cello ensemble – and cellist of the Minerva Piano Trio.

Tim Gibbs (double bass)

Only the fourth principal double bass in the Philharmonia Orchestra’s history, Tim Gibbs regularly appears as a guest principal with a variety of ensembles and symphony orchestras in the UK and has also spent considerable time in Japan as guest principal double bass with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa. Tim was the first double bassist to be invited to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School and has since appeared regularly as a soloist and recitalist throughout Europe.

As an avid chamber musician, Tim has performed at Southbank Centre’s International Chamber Music Series and at the BBC Proms. Significant collaborations include projects with guitarist John Williams, the Aronovitz Ensemble, trumpeter Alison Balsom, the London Conchord Ensemble and recordings with the Doric and Sacconi quartets. He has also broadcast live on Classical FM radio, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Digital Interactive.