Janice Graham

”...Janice Graham’s magical violin solo…was a heart-stopping moment…” The Times

”...what makes the interpretation of Janice Graham so exceptional is her uncanny ability to project like a soloist while connecting with the orchestra (ES) like a chamber musician..” The Strad

Janice Graham is one of the UK’s most distinguished and respected violinists of her generation; her achievements and awards as soloist and leader of major orchestras within the UK mark out a unique position and national profile.

Early musical influences came from her family and from teachers Frederick Grinke, Purcell School, David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and New York Philharmonic’s concertmaster, Glenn Dicterow at the Juilliard School in New York City, USA. It was during these years that her solo career was given the backing of awards such as the Gold Medal of the LSO/Shell competition which subsequently led to concerto appearances at the Royal Festival Hall, The Barbican, and other major London concert venues. Janice’s solo work elsewhere in the UK has covered major venues such as Symphony Hall Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall Manchester, and St David’s Hall Cardiff, as well as numerous solo broadcasts for BBCR3, and recordings on ASV and EMI Records.

As orchestral leader Janice has worked with the world’s greatest conductors including Solti, Davis, Tilson Thomas, Previn and Rostropovich; as such she is a sought after guest leader of all the major UK opera and symphony orchestras including London Symphony Orchestra where she was Asst Leader, Covent Garden, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and many of the top regional orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales where she was Leader for seven years.

Given her dynamic playing profile, Janice’s work embraces many other areas from contemporary work with London Sinfonietta to chamber work with the Nash Ensemble, and includes leading many film soundtracks such as Braveheart and Notting Hill; she is often asked to perform notable solo work from film scores with the conductor/composers such as John Williams and Nigel Hess.

In 2005 Janice was appointed Artistic Director of English Sinfonia, one of the earliest established chamber orchestras in the UK, and with whom she will build a dynamic new artistic product reflective of her natural musicianship and unique range of musical experiences.