Beverley Davison
Encyclopedia
Beverley Davison is a British
violin
virtuoso, currently fronting an act she founded called Classical Cabaret: Hot Strings (ensemble) or "Classical Cabaret Duo" (solo with piano).
where she studied violin with Yehudi Menuhin
himself. At 21, she was invited to guest-lead London Sinfonietta
and Fires of London
. She continued her studies at the Royal Academy
and performed with the London Schools' Symphony Orchestra.
At the age of 21 she joined Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Fires of London
. Suffering from stage fright
and eating disorder
s she stopped performing at the age of 25, and worked in various jobs including as a beauty therapist, a driving instructor, and in telesales. She returned to music when she took a teaching post at the Birmingham School of Music. She formed Hot Strings in 1990, after turning down an offer from Simon Rattle
to be co-leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
.
Davison collaborated with Rudolf Nureyev
on a ballet
based on Arnold Schoenberg
's Pierrot Lunaire
. On the Cameo label, she has recorded Carl Nielsen
's Violin concerto and Mozart's Violin Concerto in D Major. She has taught the violin at the University of Surrey
in Guildford and has tutored at the summer orchestral course, ECSOC, In Guernsey
, Channel Islands
.
Davison has performed with Bolshoi Orchestra, Rambert Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Orchestra, English National Orchestra and Harlem Ballet Orchestras, the Michael Nyman Band
and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
virtuoso, currently fronting an act she founded called Classical Cabaret: Hot Strings (ensemble) or "Classical Cabaret Duo" (solo with piano).
Biography
The daughter of conductor Arthur Davison, at the age of nine, she was selected for the Yehudi Menuhin SchoolYehudi Menuhin School
The Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school in Surrey, England. It was founded in 1963 by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin.The School also gives pupils the best musical education any specialist schools can with a number of internationally main teachers, Simon Fischer , Natalya Boyarskaya ,...
where she studied violin with Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
himself. At 21, she was invited to guest-lead London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
and Fires of London
Fires of London
The Fires of London, first formed in 1965 as the Pierrot Players, was a British chamber music ensemble which was active from 1965 to 1987....
. She continued her studies at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and performed with the London Schools' Symphony Orchestra.
At the age of 21 she joined Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Fires of London
Fires of London
The Fires of London, first formed in 1965 as the Pierrot Players, was a British chamber music ensemble which was active from 1965 to 1987....
. Suffering from stage fright
Stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially . In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, one of the most common...
and eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s she stopped performing at the age of 25, and worked in various jobs including as a beauty therapist, a driving instructor, and in telesales. She returned to music when she took a teaching post at the Birmingham School of Music. She formed Hot Strings in 1990, after turning down an offer from Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
to be co-leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
.
Davison collaborated with Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Russian dancer, considered one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women.In 1961 he...
on a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
based on Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's Pierrot Lunaire
Pierrot Lunaire
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
. On the Cameo label, she has recorded Carl Nielsen
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
's Violin concerto and Mozart's Violin Concerto in D Major. She has taught the violin at the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
in Guildford and has tutored at the summer orchestral course, ECSOC, In Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
.
Davison has performed with Bolshoi Orchestra, Rambert Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Orchestra, English National Orchestra and Harlem Ballet Orchestras, the Michael Nyman Band
Michael Nyman Band
The Michael Nyman Band, formerly known as the Campiello Band, is a group formed as a street band for a 1976 production of Carlo Goldoni's 1756 play, Il Campiello directed by Bill Bryden at the Old Vic...
and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is a chamber orchestra based in Birmingham, England. BCMG specialises in the performance of new and contemporary music. BCMG performs regularly at the CBSO Centre and Symphony Hall in Birmingham...
.