Meet the Players
Described by The Birmingham Post as “a pianist of amazing maturity and concentration,” David Quigley has established an international reputation as a performer of rare depth and versatility. His playing – praised for its expressive range, stylistic insight and captivating presence – has enthralled audiences across Europe, the USA and Asia.
Following early success in major competitions including BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition, and as the UK representative for the ECHO Rising Stars concert series, David has gone on to perform in many of the world’s leading concert halls. These include Carnegie Hall (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Musikverein (Vienna), Mozarteum (Salzburg), Philharmonie (Cologne), Wigmore Hall (London), and Symphony Hall (Birmingham).
As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, Southern Sinfonia, and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
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A passionate chamber musician, David is pianist of the Fews Ensemble, one of Ireland’s leading chamber groups. He also collaborates with distinguished artists including oboist Nicholas Daniel, clarinettist Michael Collins, cellist Jonathan Aasgaard, and sopranos Ailish Tynan and Mary McCabe.
His growing discography includes acclaimed recordings such as Piano Music from Northern Ireland, Rediscoveries: Old and New Music of Ireland, Piano Music by Philip Hammond, Piano Classics, Piano Nocturnes, and The Fair Hills of Éire: Irish Airs and Dances. His performances are regularly featured on BBC, RTÉ, Classic FM, and RTÉ Lyric FM broadcasts
Alongside his performing career, David is deeply committed to education. He teaches at both the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the University of Birmingham, and is co-founder of Newry Chamber Music, a concert society dedicated to performance and outreach in his hometown and surrounding communities. He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and adjudicate across Ireland and the UK, including serving as a juror for BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2018 and 2020.
David recently founded the Cecilia Ensemble, one of the UK’s newest and most dynamic chamber music groups, and looks forward to developing new artistic collaborations as the ensemble establishes its presence on the international stage.
David is proud to represent Kawai Pianos UK as a Kawai Artist and brand ambassador.
Caroline Pether
Caroline is the Leader and Artistic Curator at Manchester Camerata, often assuming the role of Soloist and Director with the orchestra. Chamber music sensibilities are at the heart of Caroline’s music-making; she enjoys regular chamber music with Camerata’s principals, and guest leads chamber music projects and chamber orchestras across the UK. Caroline was the Leader of Welsh chamber orchestra Sinfonia Cymru from 2016 until 2021. In 2022, Caroline was made an Associate Member of the RNCM (ARNCM).
From 2010 to 2019 Caroline was the first violinist of the Zelkova Quartet, winners of the 2017 St Martin’s Chamber Music Competition and the 2014 Royal Overseas League Elias Fawcett Award for Outstanding Chamber Ensemble. Through her work with chamber orchestras and her quartet, Caroline has been fortunate to study and work closely with many incredible musicians including Gábor Takács-Nagy, Ferenc Rados, Hatto Beyerle and Peter Cropper.
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As a soloist, highlights include directing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Manchester Camerata and performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto in Bridgewater Hall with conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier. Caroline holds a Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and a Postgraduate Performance Award from Help Musicians UK (formerly known as Musicians Benevolent Fund).
Caroline is passionate about enthusing and educating the next generation of musicians; she coaches and performs alongside students from the Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Chetham’s School of Music, and youth orchestras across the country. Caroline also works closely with Camerata’s 360 Scheme participants – teaching, mentoring and contributing to the design of their individual programme of study. She was a Violin Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire from 2016 until 2024.
As a young musician, Caroline began her studies with leading violin educator Lucy Akehurst at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s esteemed Young Strings Project, and later studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music. Caroline plays on a violin made by the internationally acclaimed maker Stephan von Baehr.
Marie Schreer
Marie Schreer is a musician whose work pushes at the limits of expression through the violin and through the shifting territory between composition and improvisation. Her practice is driven by a persistent curiosity about how music takes shape — how it breathes beyond notation, and how it communicates in ways that can be both precise and deeply felt. Her artistic path moves deliberately between control and unpredictability, structure and spontaneity. With exacting technique and unguarded energy, Marie fuses discipline with risk, crafting performances where detailed writing and impulsive expression exist side by side.
Marie’s work thrives on collaboration and trust and spans a wide range of settings, from chamber music to experimental ensembles. She has held key orchestral roles, including sub-principal violin of Royal Northern Sinfonia and section leader of the second violins in The Hallé. She is co-artistic director and violinist of Riot Ensemble, and regularly appears as principal player with leading ensembles across Europe.
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Her latest solo album, ‘until between’ (Coviello Contemporary/Deutschlandfunk, November 2025), consolidates her artistic profile as a curator, creator and commissioner, presenting three major new works – including her own – that reflect her commitment to collaboration, innovation, and expanding the expressive possibilities of the violin.
David Chadwick
Violinist David Chadwick has been a member of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House since 2016, and previously held positions with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has toured extensively worldwide with ensembles including the Academy of St. Martin the Fields, the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2024, David was invited to perform at the coronation of King Charles III as part of the Coronation Orchestra, and he performs regularly at the BBC Proms.
David studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Hochschule für Musik, Weimar, before being awarded a Weingarten scholarship to study at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest. He is also one of the few of players of the rare nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) in the UK, with a particular interest in the traditional music of Sweden.
David Aspin
David Aspin studied at the RCM and has served as principal violist of the Orchestra of Opera North since 2007. David is also a regular guest principal with many of the UK’s finest orchestras. He is a founder member of Chroma, resident at Royal Holloway, University of London and the Pleyel Ensemble in Manchester. As a chamber musician he has performed at the BBC Proms, toured in the UK and overseas as well as recording for CD and radio.
As soloist, David has performed at the RNCM’s Turnage Festival, Mozart in Gstaad and Britten at the Three Choirs Festival. David has also performed and recorded the Telemann viola concerto with the Lancashire Sinfonietta and performed the Walton concerto with the Orchestra of Opera North and Sinfonia of Leeds. He has also performed concertos by Bartok, Vaughan Williams, Berlioz, Bruch and Mozart.
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David taught at the RNCM for 10 years until 2020 and is a coach for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Ulster Youth Orchestra. He was recently elected to join the Bliss Society with an Honorary Membership in recognition of his work on the Bliss Sonata and Concerto in 2025. He also sits on the Culture and Heritage Investment Panel for his home town Accrington in Hyndburn, Lancashire.
In the bars rest, David can be found on a yoga mat or walking the Pennine Hills with his dog, preferably with a pub enroute.
Nicholas Trygstad
A native of Minneapolis, USA, Nicholas came to Manchester to study cello with Hannah Roberts and Ralph Kirshbaum at the Royal Northern College of Music. As a student he won many awards and prizes, most notably 3rd prize in the LSO Competition, performing the Schumann Concerto with the LSO, and the RNCM’s Gold Medal.
Having previously been Principal Cellist of the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Nick became Principal Cellist of the Hallé Orchestra in 2005, a position he held until 2024. He also has guest led the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, Welsh National Opera, Philharmonia, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. A passionate educator, Nick has taught for many years at the RNCM and regularly tutors the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and NYO Inspire. In 2024 he took on the role of Head of Strings at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
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Nick still freelances, particularly with Manchester Collective and sits on their board as a player representative. He is also a trustee of Manchester Concert Hall Ltd, the body that oversees Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, making sure it delivers a world class experience for artists and all the people of Manchester.