Hereford
	String
	Orchestra

THOMAS BOWES

THOMAS BOWES is now recognised as one of the UK's leading violinists, but his career path has not been a conventional one. Since leaving Trinity College of Music and the masterclass of Bela Katona he has been a member of the London Philharmonic and the Academy of Saint Martin's, was the founding leader of the Maggini String Quartet and was leader of the London Mozart Players. He has guest-lead many of the country's finest orchestras - the LSO, RPO, AAM, London Sinfonietta and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. With his wife, the composer Eleanor Alberga, Thomas formed the duo Double Exposure, travelling extensively, performing and recording a wide range of music to great critical acclaim.

But it is as a solo artist that he is now gaining wide recognition and upon which role he now devotes all his time and energies. 2002 included performances of the Britten, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Bruch concertos. A performance of Szymanowski's Second Violin Concerto with Takuo Yuasa and the Ulster Orchestra was followed by a specially commissioned recording of this work for the BBC 1998 Proms season. Thomas recently made his debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, giving the world premiere of John Metcalfs violin concerto Paradise Haunts.... Performances abroad include Mozart and Tchaikovsky concertos with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra during its tours of the USA, and the Elgar Violin Concerto in San Francisco and Montana.

He worked closely with Eleanor Alberga on the composition of her Violin Concerto, which had been commissioned by Joseph Swensen and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The premiere in December 2001 at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, "was given a breathtaking performance by soloist Thomas Bowes - a stunning virtuoso" (The Herald).

Thomas Bowes is deeply committed to music as a living, developing art, and feels that commissioning and playing new music is vital not only to the growth of present-day composers, but also to artists and audience. He is constantly seeking new works to perform and avenues to explore the creation of fresh commissions. Thomas plays a "grand pattern" Nicolo Amati violin of 1659.