Lunchtime Music: Debussy

Photo: Simònne Viljoen

Emma Crooks bassoon
Joanne Sealey piano

Schreck Bassoon Sonata Op.9

Ricardo Brown Roger violin

Telemann Solo Violin Fantasy No.7

Simònne Viljoen violin
Robert Markham piano

Debussy Violin Sonata

Emma Crooks is a bassoonist currently in her fourth year of her undergraduate degree, studying under Nikolaj Henriques and Gareth Twigg. In March 2022, she was the winner of the Nicholas Hunka Bassoon Prize.

Originally from Hampshire, Emma started playing the bassoon at the age of nine through her local music service. She has previously been a member of several Hampshire ensembles such as the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, which gave her the opportunity to perform regularly in venues such as The Anvil and Winchester Cathedral. More recently she has been a member of the CBSO Youth Orchestra, alongside several performances in the RBC Symphony Orchestra. Emma is also a keen chamber musician and enjoys playing regularly with her wind quintet, Millennium Quintet.

Having made his Wigmore Hall debut with the Hestia Quartet in 2021, Spanish violinist Ricardo Brown Roger has proceeded to make a prolific career as a chamber and orchestral musician. Following his Wigmore debut, Ricardo’s career was propelled further, having won prizes at both the Leamington Chamber Music Competition and Ambache Prize with the Félicité Piano Trio. It was these successes that earned Ricardo a place in the prize-winning Saorsa Quartet, where he enjoys exploring new and varied repertoires. Alongside his passion for chamber music, Ricardo is an enthusiastic orchestral player. He has led the London Film Music Orchestra, is a member of the Orpheus Sinfonia, as well as having performed with the Longborough Festival Opera Orchestra, Knighton Chamber Orchestra, RBC Symphony Orchestra, RBC Strings Orchestra and RCM Symphony Orchestra.

Ricardo began his musical education in Valencia, where he studied with Vincent Balaguer, Enric Buñuel and Miguel Ángel López Gómez. At the age of 18, Ricardo secured a place at the Royal College of Music, London, where he studied with Radu Blidar. Ricardo is currently in the final year of postgraduate studies at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he is pursuing a Master of Music Performance Degree under the tutelage of Susanne Stanzeleit.

Ricardo has delivered a variety of lunchtime concerts and recitals in venues such as the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, RCM Recital hall and Parry Rooms, The Bradshaw Hall, Derby Cathedral and Birmingham Symphony Hall, alongside other solo recitals on behalf of the Royal College and Royal Birmingham Conservatoires. Ricardo’s repertoire is not solely restricted to classical music; folk and popular music are genres Ricardo enjoys exploring and performing throughout his various musical endeavours.

Simònne Viljoen is a South African violinist from Johannesburg, currently in the final year of her undergraduate degree at  Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She has been studying under the tutelage of Pavel Fischer and Caroline Pether. She has played with several South African youth orchestras, including Simfonia Juventi (which she led in 2016), the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, the South African National Youth Orchestra (which she led in December 2016) and the MIAGI Orchestra, with whom she toured internationally in 2018. She loves playing with her piano trio (The Kisumba Trio) and string quartet, and she enjoys all things chamber-music related. In February 2022, she was selected as an ambassador for the Benedetti Foundation. She has been teaching since 2019 and is constantly looking for ways to develop her creativity and curiosity.