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MUSICIANS
Here at ATS, we have a couple of resident musicians who help us out in our shows, classes and provide their ongoing support in many other ways too.
George Robertson
George was born in Scotland and studied the viola at the Royal College of Music, London.
Early in his career he was a member of the BBC Symphony, the Bath Festival and the Philharmonic Orchestras working with conductors, Klemperer, Menuhin, Boulez and Stravinsky as well as many others. Later, George was Principal Viola in the Bergen Symphony and the Stockholm Radio Orchestra under Celibididache.
For many years, George has been busy as Principal Viola in the Session World in London, working with artists Oasis, Robbie Williams, Shirley Bassey, Elton John and Tom Jones to name a few. He has also played on many film sound tracks working with composers such as Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith and Stephen Warbeck.
Nowadays, George spends much of his time giving Chamber music concerts, making films and painting.
George has painted for much of his life and has been strongly influenced by Graham Sutherland and fauvists painters Andre Derain, Dufy and Matisse. George's vibrant colours and landscapes reflect the many differing influences throughout his life.
Patricia Calnan
Patricia started to play the violin at the age of eleven and studied at the Royal Academy of Music with David Martin. The winner of many scholarships and prizes, she was able to continue her studies firstly in Freiburg, Germany with Wolfgang Marschner, then later with Helen Airoff-Dowling in Switzerland and London. Helen remains to this day, the formative influence on Patricia's philosophy of teaching.
In 1980, Patricia won the Mozart memorial prize and performed extensively both as leader of the trio 'Zingara' and as a soloist at the Royal Festival hall, Barbican, Wigmore hall and Queen Elizabeth hall, collaborating with such eminent conductors such as Sir Charles Groves, Lord Menuhin, Ivan Fischer and James Loughran.
Patricia led 'The Lyric Quartet' to great critical acclaim following their debut recital in 1991 touring extensively with them in the UK and Europe. She toured worldwide with Sir Neville Marriner as a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Throughout her career she has broadcast regularly on Radio 3 and her discography include the Brahms Sonatas and works by Dohnanyi, Ross Edwards, Herbert Howells, Glazunov, Ginastera and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Married since 1998 to the well known viola player, painter and film maker, George Robertson, Patricia has focused since the birth of their daughter Emily in 1999 on teaching the violin. Her style and methods have developed to incorporate her work as a teacher of the Alexander Technique which she now teaches at ATS. See Patricia's teaching profile by clicking here.
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