Ben started playing the violin at 7 years of age, learning with Paul Clarke while studying for his A-Levels before gaining a place at The Royal Academy of Music under Carmel Kaine. Whilst there he was ‘Very Highly Commended’ in the Academy’s most prestigious competition and was a finalist in his first year in the ‘Croft Early Music’ prize. On leaving the Academy he toured the UK with Ballet Rambert and London Musici, and made several recordings in a string quartet under the ‘Oxford Classics’ label. After four years of freelance work in London, Ben returned to Norwich where he plays in the following ensembles:

Norwich Philharmonic – Violin
Academy of St. Thomas – Violin
The Mozart Orchestra – Violin
Norwich Pops Orchestra – Violin
The Cavick String Quartet – Violin
Richpickins – Vocals, Piano & Violin

Alison began studying the violin at the age of eight with Paul Clarke, and during her high school years played with the Norwich Students’ Orchestra, the Norfolk Youth Orchestra and was leader of the City of Norwich School Orchestra. She then went on to study Music and Maths at Royal Holloway College, during which time she lead the band for a production of West Side Story and played with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Upon returning to Norfolk, Alison became leader of St. Gregory’s Orchestra, a position she held for 14 years. She has also played for a number of choral societies and choirs including the Great Yarmouth Choral Society, where she led the orchestra for two years, Claxton Opera, and South Norfolk Operatic Society. In 2012 she started to learn to play the cello, which was a longstanding ambition of hers. Current positions include:

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