Lizzie Ball -
biography
“her sound is filled with a golden, reflective quality…. rainbow
colours” Oxford Times 2006
“dazzling and pioneering…. crucial experience in jazz giving just the right Grappelli twist where needed”
Plymouth Herald 2007
Born in 1981, Lizzie enjoys a versatile musical career which stems from her strong affinity with and love of all good music. She is a graduate of St.John’s College, Cambridge, the Royal College of Music, and more recently commenced studies as a scholar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama school to learn intensively with David Takeno until July 2008. She has won numerous prizes and scholarships including the Robert MacFadzean Whtye Scholarship and the John Lewis Partnership Scholarship, Kathleen and Margery Elliot Trust, and is a Making Music Artist for 2007-2008 under the Harrison Professional Development Programme.
As a solo artist and chamber musician Lizzie’s classical, jazz and latin credentials include working with Bernard Gregor-Smith, Huw Watkins, Morgan Szymanski, Ahmed Dickinson, The Chilingirian Quartet, London Concertante, Soloists of the ROH, Covent Garden, Omara Portuondo (Buena Vista Social Club), Simply Red, Michael Nyman, Kanye West and many more. With these artists and with her own groups Classico Latino and Eclectica, Lizzie has performed in many of the the UK’s top venues and festivals, including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St.John’s Smith Square, St.James Picadilly, St.John’s Waterloo, Peterborough Concert Series, Dartington International Arts Series, Aldeburgh, Boxgrove, Windsor and Buxton Festivals. Further afield with these artists, Lizzie has toured giving sell out concerts to most of Europe (Simply Red),and as a solo classical artist in Costa Rica, Colombia, Switzerland, Sweden and more recently completed a series of solo recitals in Northern Argentina for the Fundacion de Salta Argentina.
Lizzie has been an orchestral leader/principal for all the major ensembles at the Royal College, and has held guest leader positions for the Opera Group (Shostakovich The Nose), Brandenburg Sinfonia, I Maestri, and more recently Guest Concertmaster for the Santiago Philharmonic in Chile (Tristan und Isolde and various symphonic concerts).
Lizzie is also regularly invited to perform with the Britten Sinfonia, with tours to Portugal, South America and performances in Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Snape Proms, BBC Proms in Cadogan Hall. Lizzie recently returned from a tour of Europe with Ensemble Modern Orchestra and Pierre Boulez, performing in venues such as the Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, and Die Konzerthaus, Berlin.
Lizzie is passionate about working with young musicians and was leader of Elastic Band (a venture with the Philharmonia) for many years giving countless workshops across the UK. During her frequent trips to South America, Lizzie has given masterclasses to children in 4 countries, at the specialist music schools in Sao Paulo (Brazil) Buenos Aires (Argentina), Ibague (Colombia), Santiago and Vina el Mar (Chile).
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