The Eris Quartet

The Eris Quartet was formed by four Scottish Music Students in Christmas 2008. After raising hundreds of pounds for Alzheimer Scotland in their first concert series that Christmas, Eris has gone from strength to strength. As well as promoting their own concerts where proceeds go to charity, Eris has performed for the Cromarty Arts Trust, The Pittenweem Arts Festival and Friends of Scottish Opera. A recent project has been the exploration of the Earl of Kelly’s string quartet music from the 1700s. This project led to Eris performing his music in various venues across Fife where the Earl was born, in St Cecilia’s in Edinburgh, where the Earl performed himself for The Edinburgh Music Society in the 1700s, and cumulated in a special concert in Kellie Castle for Friends of Scottish Opera and the current Earl of Kelly. Eris violinist, Aaron McGregor is currently researching old Scottish manuscripts, in the hopes that Eris will bring to the concert scene, music that has not been heard for hundreds of years.

Another ongoing project is the promotion of new music. So far, Eris has recorded pieces for Gemma McGregor (one of which can be heard on our myspace page www.myspace.com/erisensemble) and premiered the first string quartet of SPNM shortlisted composer, Charlie Usher. The group currently has a collaboration planned with Scottish Composer, Eve Harrison. Gemma's CD 'From Nothing' is now on sale from Watercolour Music.

Future engagements include: a Mozart Concert in Falkland Palace for Friends of Scottish Opera; a CD Launch in Orkney for Gemma McGregor; an Earl of Kelly Concert for the Cromarty Arts Trust; and a short concert series for charity. There are also plans to record a demo at the end of the summer which will include the music of the Earl of Kelly and Charlie Usher's string quartet 'black tent on the plains'.

If you would like to know more about Eris or book the group for a concert, then please go the contact page.

Emma Lloyd (violin) is in her final year at the Royal Northern College of Music studying violin with Eyal Kless. Before college, she attended the City of Edinburgh Music School, learning violin with Susan Emslie and piano with Stuart Montgomery. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the Usher Hall, Central Hall and Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. More recently, she attended the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Eilat Chamber Music Festival in Israel. At both, she studied with esteemed professor Yair Kless.

In addition to the work she does with the Eris Quartet, she has played in a number of different chamber groups including a duo with a guitarist, a piano trio, a jazz quintet, and for a recent concert, a guitar quintet performing Aaron Jay Kernis’s 100 Greatest Dance Hits. Emma has a keen interest in contemporary music and is always enthusiastic to promote the work of young composers.

This year she has taken a course in 'music for health' which has given her the chance to take music into hospitals, specialist schools and hospices, working with people who would not otherwise have access to live music. This is something she is very keen to continue in the future and hopes there will be opportunities for the Eris Quartet to include related projects into their schedule.

Next year, she will return to Edinburgh to study for a Masters in Musicology at the university.

Aaron McGregor (violin) was brought up and educated in Kirkwall, Orkney and graduated with a first class Bmus(hons) degree from The University of Edinburgh in July 2009. Whilst at University Aaron led all the University orchestras and gave numerous concerto performances, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the University Symphony Orchestra and the world premiere of Thomas Seltz’s Violin Concerto with the Edinburgh Sinfonietta. Aaron was the leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland 2008-09, led NYOS strings on several occasions and has played with Camerata Scotland since 2005.

Aaron is currently on a post-graduate course at the RSAMD, where he is learning with Ruth Crouch. In the last year, he has led the RSAMD symphony and opera orchestras, and taken part in apprenticeship schemes with Scottish Opera and the RSNO, more recently appearing as a freelance player with the RSNO

Kay Stephen (violin and viola) was born in Aberdeen and completed her undergraduate studies at the RSAMD with Katie Hull and Andrew Berridge (viola), graduating with a 1st class honours and top of her year in 2009. During her time there she was awarded many prizes including the Mabel Glover string quartet Prize, as 1st violinist in the Nova quartet, and the Bessie Spence prize for her performance of the Walton violin concerto (1st movement) with the RSAMD symphony orchestra. She was privileged to perform chamber music alongside musicians such as the Brodsky and Maggini quartets and Ilya Gringolts; under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martyn Brabbins, Ilan Volkov and Gary Walker, and participated in apprenticeship schemes with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with whom she is now on trial.

As the inaugural recipient of the Riga Heesom Award and the 2009 winner of the Ruth Waddell Memorial Prize, Kay was able to enter first year of the Masters Programme at the RNCM, where she studies with Pavel Fischer and viola with Michael Gurevich. Since arriving in October she has gained the highest violin mark in her orchestral audition, resulting in numerous leading opportunities and won a place on the BBC Philharmonic’s professional experience scheme.

Kay is grateful to the Robert Nicol Trust who also support her studies.

Sarah Spence (cello) is from the Black Isle in the Highlands of Scotland, and started studying the cello in primary school with Isobel Grant when she was ten. At the age if fourteen, she began making the four hundred mile round trip south to East Linton, to study with Pat Hair at the weekends. These lessons led to a place at the City of Edinburgh Music School where she continued her studies with Pat Hair and prepared for Music College. Whilst in Edinburgh she won medals in the Edinburgh Competition Festival as a member of the Apollo String Quartet with Emma Lloyd and the CEMS Piano Trio. Other prizes include the overall gold medal award and the trophy for cello in the Inverness Music Festival.

Orchestral experience includes: National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, Edinburgh Youth Orchestra and String Ensemble with Jullian Lloyd-Weber; Highland Regional Youth Orchestra with Susan Dingle and James MacMillan; Camerata Scotland with William Conway and James Loughran and the Highland Chamber Orchestra. She has performed as soloist with both the Highland Regional Youth Orchestra and the Highland Chamber Orchestra.

After one year in Edinburgh, Sarah chose to pursue her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. At the RNCM she took part in various groups, ensembles and orchestras, performing music ranging from minimalist jazz, to operas and symphonies. After three years studying with the Danish Cellist Kim Dinitzen, Sarah was lucky enough to receive a place in the class of Gregor Horsch, the principal cellist and soloist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. She also took part in classes with Ralph Kirschbaum and Karine Georgian.

Since graduating from the RNCM with a Bachelor of Music Honours, Sarah currently lives in Duesseldorf, where she is continuing her studies with Gregor Horsch at the Robert Schumann Hochschule. In Germany, she is also attending the Orchesterzentrum NRW where she recently played for the principal cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic and Duisburg Symphonia.