The NSO is one of the longest-established and most versatile professional freelance orchestras working in Britain today. It has an impressive recorded legacy as well as a busy diary of live concert performances.

 

The NSO is admired for both its versatility, its ability to communicate, connecting with audiences with consistent commitment and passion. The orchestra has recently found renewed energy and direction under its managing director, Justin Pearson.

 

 

NSO has toured to Spain with Katherine Jenkins and Alfie Boe and was proud to play at the ceremony marking the handover to the nation of the new DNRC Rehabilitation Centre in Loughborough in the presence of Prince William and the Prime Minister. In March 2019, NSO performed at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the Autumn of 2019 NSO appeared in a nationwide UK tour with Tasmin Little and Philip Dukes as soloists, conducted by Rimma Sushanskaya. Visits to New York and corporate concerts for Viking Cruises at London’s Cadogan Hall were highlights of the season, as well as working on new television productions for both HBO and Netflix. Performances of Beethoven symphonies and the Emperor Piano Concerto have been released on Chasing the Dragon records in 2019.

 

In 2018, NSO topped the classical charts for weeks collaborating with presenter Alan Titchmarsh and composer Debbie Wiseman for a project named “The Glorious Garden”. In 2017, NSO again occupied top spot with a recording of new music in Debbie Wiseman’s “Musical Zodiac”. The recent release of the film “Edie” starring Sheila Hancock featured NSO on its soundtrack. NSO returned to Abbey Road Studios in November 2018 with Debbie Wiseman and Stephen Fry, recording a soundtrack to Fry’s book, “Mythos”, another no.1 disc in the classical chart.

 

Maestro Anthony Inglis and the NSO are annually featured on Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2 for the latest in a series of invariably sold-out, Last Night of the Cunard Proms Cruise performances. The NSO is delighted that this relationship with Cunard continues to flourish. The orchestra has enjoyed a special relationship with Warner Leisure Hotels, performing a series of Prom concerts through 2019/20.

 

The National Symphony Orchestra was founded in the 1940’s and immediately became a significant recording orchestra. From the 1980’s the reputation and standing of the orchestra surged forwards, successfully performing and recording for audiences in a dynamic range of genres: Classical, Film and TV scores, West End and Broadways Musicals, accompanying celebrated international singers, all of which it continues to do to this day.

 

Though based in London, the NSO performs throughout the United Kingdom, drawing its fine players from all round the country. The NSO prides itself on the huge audiences that regularly support its concerts.

 

 

Paul Bateman studied piano, organ, singing and cello at the Guildhall School of Music in London and began his musical life as an accompanist, chamber musician and opera répétiteur.

 

He has since conducted recordings with the Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Symphony, Munich Symphony, Vienna Symphony, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestras and has given concerts with the BBC Concert, Malmo Symphony, Seville Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Dallas Symphony, Russian National, Tokyo Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestras.

 

Paul conducted and orchestrated Lesley Garrett’s albums A Soprano in Hollywood and A North Country Lass and his orchestrations also appear on many of her television programmes. He conducts film music concerts all over the world and has recorded many film music albums for Silva Screen Records in Prague. He has conducted over thirty albums of film music including two volumes of Hitchcock film scores, albums of the music of Bernard Herrmann, Maurice Jarre, John Williams and Ennio Morricone, and collections of Korngold, Steiner and Tiomkin.

 

His total discography now includes over seventy recordings, many of which feature daily on Classic FM.

 

Paul conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra for the album Idylls and Elegies – the music of John Jeffreys and a new recording of John Jeffreys’ Violin Concerto , yet to be released.

 

 

Violin: Samuel Staples
Samuel was born in London to a musical family and began playing the violin when he was five after a short-lived but enthusiastic career as a cellist. Aged eight he was awarded a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied with Natasha Boyarsky. His teachers and mentors since include Andras Keller, Vasko Vassilev, Boris Kucharsky, Andriy Vitovych, Sophia Rahman and Pavel Fisher. He is very excited to be a 2021/22 recipient of the Royal Northern College of Music’s International Artist Diploma.

As a soloist and chamber musician he has performed across France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Japan and the USA as well as in many major UK venues including the Wigmore Hall, St. John's Smith Square, Purcell Room, Kings Place, Menuhin Hall, Windsor Castle and Milton Court. He is a regular guest at festivals worldwide including the Sejong International Music Festival in Philadelphia, AIMS Festival in Catalonia, Agora Festival in Luxembourg, Les Flaneries Musicales de Reims, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Langvad Chamber Music Jamboree, Grieg in Bergen Festival, Llantwit Major Chamber Music Festival, Mendelssohn on Mull Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival, Cowbridge Music Festival and the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove. He has been the joint Artistic Director of the Alderney Chamber Music Festival since 2017.