Matthew Chadbond - Leader
Matthew started learning the violin at school aged 9, and went on to lead Bolton Youth Orchestra and the Halle Youth Orchestra. From 2015 to 2021 he studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with a first class Bachelor's degree in 2019 and achieving a distinction in his Master’s in 2021. He led all of the major orchestras at the RNCM, with highlights including directing the RNCM String Ensemble in performances at the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte 2018.
Matthew now enjoys a busy and varied freelance performing career, performing a multitude of genres of music with professional orchestras and ensembles across the country including the Halle, Manchester Camerata, Manchester Concert Orchestra and London Concert Orchestra. He is the leader of the Northern Film Orchestra, an orchestra that specialises in recording music for Film and TV, and has also led Symphonia Verbum and the Manchester Video Game Orchestra.
Matthew works in the Opera North Education Department where he teaches on their award-winning in Harmony programme in Leeds. He also regularly works with Manchester Camerata in the Community, delivering workshops for schools across the region.
Rebecca Stubbs - Principal Viola
Rebecca is a freelance violist who performs and teaches in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. She holds a Master of Music from the Royal Northern College of Music, where she recently completed her studies with Vicci Wardman and Alex Mitchell. During her studies, Rebecca won the RNCM Viola Prize. Prior to this, Rebecca was an undergraduate student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under the tuition of Louise Lansdown, Robin Ireland and Lucy Nolan.
A passionate orchestral player, Rebecca has performed with orchestras across the UK including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé and Manchester Camerata. She has also worked on recording projects with the Northern Film Orchestra and Manchester Video Game Orchestra, and West End shows and radio broadcasts with the London Musical Theatre Orchestra.
Rebecca is a member of several chamber projects in and around the North West. She is the violist in the Meliora Collective, a recently established wind and string dectet and flexi-ensemble which performs a range of styles and genres, including new commissions and arrangements of lesser known repertoire. Rebecca regularly performs with the Lindow Ensemble, a string ensemble with a unique three-tiered structure comprising leading orchestral experts, senior and alumni RNCM students and amateur musicians. Other projects include the recently reformed Orchestra of the Light Music Society, and Lasham Classical Music Festiva
Rebecca thoroughly enjoys her work as an instrumental tutor. During her undergraduate degree, she mentored for the ARCO project, a long-distance learning initiative between the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and young musicians from the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto. Between 2016 and 2019 she was a chamber music coach and conductor of junior ensembles at Sandwell Music and Arts Service, West Bromwich. Alongside her private teaching, Rebecca is an upper strings tutor and workshop coordinator at Hanson Arts.
Oliver Clark - Principal Cello
Oliver is a fourth year undergraduate cellist studying with Gillian Thoday at the Royal Northern College of Music and hails from the north east of Scotland. Oliver was first introduced to the cello at the age of nine and is a former pupil of St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh where he studied with Ruth Beauchamp.
Over the years, Oliver has enjoyed working with many orchestras including Grampian Youth Orchestra, Hebridean Ensemble, Scottish Opera, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. Through orchestral work, Oliver has been fortunate enough to play at venues such as the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Perth Concert Hall, Queens Hall in Edinburgh, Kings Theatre, Glasgow City Halls, Cardiff Concert Hall and played at BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Oliver has also received awards and sponsorship from the Cross Trust, Agar Trust, EMI award, Berryburn award, The Wrightsons Charitable Trust and The Schools Music Association of Great Britain.
Matthew Clarkson - Principal Bass
In December 2018, Matt graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music where he studied with Ronan Dunne and Jiri Hudec. He is currently studying for a masters in orchestral performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under the tutelage of David Stark, principal of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
During his time at the RNCM, Matthew played with some of Manchester's top orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata.
In May 2018, Matthew gained a prestigious scholarship from Help Musicians UK. In November 2018 Matthew performed in Gary Numan's UK 'Savage' tour, selling out the Royal Albert Hall among other major UK venues. In 2018 Matt performed with notable ensembles such as the European Union Youth Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Jac Thomas - Principal Trumpet
Jac is a trumpet player from Aberdare, South Wales. He began trumpet lessons aged 10 and became a member of the National Youth Brass Band, Wind Orchestra and Orchestra of Wales during his school years.
In 2015 he won a scholarship to study at RWCMD in Cardiff, where he studied with Philippe Schartz and Dean Wright, during which time he appeared as a freelance player with WNO and BBC NOW. Jac then moved north to study at RNCM, under the guidance of Rhys Owens and Murray Greig which was generously supported by the Oglesby Charitable Trust.
He graduated holding a Masters degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in advanced musical studies.