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As experienced, conservatoire-trained symphony musicians,  they find that the idea of this most traditional classical line-up playing familiar modern tunes intrigues and delights audiences of all ages and walks of life. As a result, their schedule now embraces concerts, all kinds of functions both corporate and private, together with entertaining in hotels and restaurants and on board cruise liners. TV and radio credits include the BBC Radio 2 Arts Programme and Central Television’s Pot of Gold, the peak time network ITV show hosted by Des O’Connor.

Their “Screen Spectacular!” recital programme, together with works by Haydn and Dvorak are proving very popular in a number of UK venues. In addition they entertained at the UK premiere party for the Hollywood film The Royal Tenenbaums and for the Somerfield Charity Ball on board the P&O liner m.v. Aurora. As a result of this latter engagement they were invited to perform on the Arcadia during its April Caribbean cruise, where they gave five enthusiastically received concerts. Their subsequent transatlantic crossing on the NYK cruise ship the Asuka found an entirely Japanese audience to be equally receptive, since then they have performed at a dinner given for the celebrated tenor Luciano Pavarotti, following his concert at the NEC in October, and in prestigious venues throughout the UK at the regional ceremonies of the Government-sponsored Training Awards.

They have also played for the Variety Club of Great Britain and been involved with the royal gala ceremony naming the two new P&O ships Oceania and Adonia. They recently spent 3 highly successful weeks on the Crystal Symphony, for a round UK and a Baltic cruise and their busy schedule of recitals and function work continues unabated.

A native of Saddleworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, GILL AUSTIN began playing the violin from an early age and went directly from secondary school to the Royal Academy of Music, studying with the established French soloist and teacher Maurice Hasson. She plays regularly with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and with Welsh National Opera. She has led the orchestra for the Thursford Xmas Spectacular in Norfolk for the past eight seasons, and is occasionally invited to Norway to work with the Bergen Symphony. Despite her Yorkshire roots, she is an avid supporter of Manchester United.

The newest member of the quartet, DAVE WILLIAMS was born in Rugby and educated at the town’s well-known public school before going to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Derek Collier. During his time there he was awarded the Roth Recital and the Bearer prizes as well as the Florence Whitlock scholarship. Since graduating from the Academy he has pursued a varied career both in the UK and abroad and has worked with the London Musici and Ballet Rambert and also appears regularly on TV backing singers including Emma Bunton and Dido. He enjoys shooting and the occasional game of football, being also a follower of Tottenham Hotspur.

PAUL APPLEYARD also comes from Yorkshire, being born in Dewsbury in 1951. He began learning the violin at Oldershaw Grammar School in Wallasey but soon switched to the viola and took lessons with Andrew Thomas, then Principal Viola in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. From school, he studied Law at Kings College London before entering the Royal College of Music as a postgraduate, where his professor was Frederick Riddle. He spent two years in the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra before returning to the UK to freelance. He has worked with all the major London orchestras and those of the BBC as well as spending short periods as Principal Viola with the Ulster, Scottish Ballet and London Festival Ballet orchestras. In 1988 he was invited to join the Scarborough Spa Orchestra, where the quartet was founded and where his interest in arranging began, producing many numbers for both the orchestra and the quartet. His major spare-time activity is in the classic car movement, being the proud owner of a much-cherished Triumph Stag, and is also a member of the Jaguar Drivers Club. His viola was made for him in 1974 by the celebrated modern luthier Sergio Peresson, in Haddonfield NJ

The cellist of the quartet, DIANE PORTEUS comes from Chester and started playing the cello at the age of 10, studying with Lawrence Wood from the Hallé Orchestra. At the Royal Academy of Music, where she also graduated as Bachelor of Music, her cello teacher was the eminent chamber musician Derek Simpson. Her varied career began with extra work for the Hallé and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, and continues with the City of London Sinfonia and a number of London’s other freelance orchestras. She has recorded 2 CD’s of music for cello and piano for Dunelm Records, one including works by Sibelius and Schumann and the other featuring a contemporary repertoire, and has worked with celebrated artists from the whole musical spectrum, from Alfred Brendel to Robbie Williams.

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