Violin: Stephen Bryant
Stephen Bryant was born in Croydon, London and began playing the piano at the age of 5 and the violin at 6. At 18, he won a joint first study scholarship to the Royal College of Music studying violin with Professors Kenneth Piper and Hugh Bean – both pupils of the great English violinist, Albert Sammons and piano with Professor Angus Morrison. Whilst there, he won every violin prize open to him and, in addition the medal of The Worshipful Company of Musicians, two Leverhulme Scholarships, the Craxton Trust Award and first prize in the Royal Overseas League Competition. After further study with Professor David Takeno he was appointed co-leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 24 – a position he held until taking up his present post of Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1992.
In addition to his BBC role, he is in demand as a guest leader and has led all the major British orchestras and a number of orchestras in America, Europe and Asia. As a concertmaster he has collaborated with some of the world’s finest conductors including Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Witold Lutoslawski, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Michael Tippett, Maxim Shostakovich, Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Andrew Davis, Sakari Oramo and the late Jiri Belohlavek.
As a soloist, Stephen has appeared regularly with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras. Among the works he has performed and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 are violin concertos by Korngold, Delius, Goldmark, Khachaturian, Mendelssohn and Lutoslawski. In 1982 he gave the UK premiere of the Korngold Violin Concerto at the Royal College of Music in London. Other notable first performances are the UK premiere of the Detlev Glanert Violin Concerto (London 2011) and the world premiere of Elgar’s “Etudes Characteristique” (London 1987).
Stephen has given chamber music recitals and masterclasses in Europe, Asia and the US as well as in the UK. He teaches privately and coaches students at all four London music colleges. Alongside his teaching he has sat on the panels of the BBC Young Musician Competition, Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and the charity Help Musicians UK. He has also been a visiting artist at “The Music Academy of the West” in Santa Barbara, California.
In March 2017 Stephen was made an Honorary Fellow of The Guild of Musicians and Singers in recognition of “his outstanding contribution to orchestral music, solo performance and orchestral coaching”.

Piano: Caroline Jaya-Ratnam
Caroline Jaya-Ratnam began her fledgling music career in Middlesbrough UK where she lived aged 3-9. She was a frequent winner in local music festivals and, at the tender age of 9, sang solo on Radio Cleveland as winner of her song class.
Caroline studied music at Cambridge University holding an Instrumental Award and a Choral Exhibition and playing the violin in the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra (CUCO). She completed her Master’s Degree and Professional Performance Diploma in solo piano and was later appointed the Geoffrey Parsons Junior Fellow at the Royal College of Music.

Caroline is in particular demand as an accompanist and accompanied Bryn Terfel on the Alan Titchmarsh and Good Morning Shows (Dec 2010) on TV. She also accompanied Danielle de Niese (Aug 2010) on the Andrew Marr show, the launch of the Classical Brit Awards and at the opening of the Grace Kelly Exhibition at the V & A Museum in London. She has also accompanied Rolando Villazon on the Andrew Marr show (Feb 2010). Caroline could be glimpsed on the 2010 and 2011 ITV show “Popstar to Opera Star” as one of the pianists in the mentor coaching sessions with Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon.
She was interviewed twice and performed five times (between 2005 and 2011) on Radio 3’s “In Tune”, with Sean Rafferty, with violinists Charles Siem (with whom in July 2010 she recorded a CD licensed to Warner Classics), Fanny Clamagirand (winner of the International Kreisler competition), Alan Oke (tenor) for ENO and members of the “Lost in the Stars” cast with Charles Hazlewood.
She appeared on BBC television and Radio 3 accompanying instrumentalists in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2000 and 2004 competitions as well as Belgian Radio and television in May 2005 accompanying in the Queen Elizabeth competition.
Caroline was the featured piano soloist on the soundtrack of the film Wer Liebe Verspricht released on ZDF on Easter Monday 2008.
Her Prom performances at the Royal Albert Hall have included: piano in the “Evolution Prom” for the BBC Concert Orchestra in August 2009 featuring Goldie's composition “Sine Tempore” conducted by Charles Hazlewood, the LSO Prom playing in Stravinsky's “Firebird” conducted by Gergiev, the “Human Planet” Prom featuring the music of Nitin Sawhney conducted by Hazlewood and the “Comedy Prom” - both for the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Competition successes include the accompanists' prizes in: the “Great Elm Vocal Awards”, “Performing Australian Music” Competition, “Haverhill SInfonia Soloists Competition”, the John Ireland and Sir Arthur Bliss prizes for song accompaniment and Sir Henry Richardson Award.
Caroline has performed internationally as far as New Zealand and her London appearances have included duo recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Purcell Room. Her concerto performances include Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto in g minor and Mozart's Concerto K.456 which she directed. She has worked with several national competition winners such as Rafal Payne (former BBC Young Musician of the Year winner), performing alongside him on several occasions and in a private lesson with the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin.
Caroline was the on-stage pianist in English National Opera's 2015 production of Tchaikovsky's “Queen of Spades” - in full costume with directorial instructions.

Program:
Brahms: Sonatesatz
Korngold: Adagio
Grieg: Violin and Piano Sonata No.2
Debussy: Violin and Piano Sonata
Fishermans Song at Dusk
Kriesler: Schon Rosmarin
Williams (Theme from Schindlers List)
Rachmaninov/Kriesler: Italian Polka
Paganini: Moses Fantasie Variations
(Please check program updates at the concert.)