Madeleine Mitchell, violin and Nigel Clayton, piano

Three Great Violin Sonatas
 
Beethoven Violin Sonata no.10 in G, op.96 (1812)
Debussy Violin Sonata (1917)
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Elgar Violin Sonata op.82 (1918)
 
Distinguished artists Madeleine Mitchell and Nigel Clayton present three great violin sonatas, all late works. Beethoven’s final violin sonata, number 10, composed in 1812 is a very special work ranging from the profound serenity of the Adagio to the lively scherzo and the last movement variations. Debussy’s succinct and colourful Violin Sonata of 1917 is his final work. Elgar’s sole violin sonata was composed the following year in 1918 and is a passionate work which these artists have been performing for many years including for Elgar’s 150th anniversary and on BBC Radio 3.
 
Madeleine Mitchell, described by The Times, London as “one of the UK’s liveliest musical forces”, has performed as solo violinist and chamber musician in 50 countries in a wide repertoire, frequently broadcast for radio and TV, in festivals including the BBC Proms. 2024/25 saw her make a major tour of Japan and return to the USA as well as directing the Red Violin festival throughput Leeds and releasing a quartet album with the London Chamber Ensemble of Howells and Wood Quartets, highly praised. Her album, Violin Conversations premiere recordings of works with living UK/US composers, several written for her, was reviewed in The Telegraph: ‘Is Madeleine Mitchell the future of classical music? An album of subtle charm’.
 
Madeleine Mitchell has performed concertos including with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Polish and Czech Radio Symphony, Wurttemberg and Munich Chamber, Kiev Radio/TV, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestra de Bahia Brazil, the Royal Philharmonic and other London orchestras.
 
As a recording artist with a wide discography, Madeleine has been nominated for Grammy and BBC Music Awards. Her popular albums include Violin Songs, Violin Muse and FiddleSticks in a unique collaboration with percussion. She’s also championed early 20th century music including Grace Williams Chamber Music (no.2 in the Classical Charts), and the solo violin piece by Michael, Lord Berkeley featured on his album Collaborations – one of the Sunday Times best albums of 2024.
 
In recital Madeleine Mitchell represented Britain in the Canberra International Music Festival, UKinNY at Lincoln Center and for the Queen’s Jubilee in Rome. She has given recitals at Sydney Opera House, Seoul Center for the Arts – part of a 3 month world tour, in Vienna, Moscow, London’s Southbank Centre as well as Singapore, Wigmore Hall and for BBC Radio 3. Later this year she performs in the Three Choirs and English Music festivals.
 
A highly creative artist, she devised the eclectic Red Violin, the first international festival celebrating the violin across the arts, Founder Patron Lord Menuhin (inspired by Le Violon Rouge paintings). She won a Royal Philharmonic Society Enterprise Award to make a short film with the V&A Fabergé exhibition and the live quartet concert she curated with the London Chamber Ensemble which she founded.
 
Madeleine Mitchell won the Tagore Gold Medal as a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music, where she is now a Professor, followed by the Fulbright/ITT Fellowship to study in New York for a Master’s Degree at the Eastman and Juilliard schools. She frequently gives masterclasses and teaches all ages and levels at www.lmfl.org in the summer in Yorkshire 2026. www.madeleinemitchell.com
 
Nigel Clayton studied with Stephen Savage and Angus Morrison at the Royal College of Music, London, where he won prizes in every category of piano performance and was awarded the College’s yearly prize for his Bachelor of Music Degree. Whilst there, a particular interest in chamber music and accompanying developed and was further encouraged by international prizes from competitions in London, New York (Concert Artists Guild) and from the English Speaking Union. Since then his worldwide travel has included Japan, Taiwan, four major tours of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with the Indian cellist Anup Kumar Biswas, tours of the Middle East and America with Wissam Boustany, of Scandinavia with Gerard LeFeuvre and throughout every European country. He has played at most of the music clubs and festivals in his native Great Britain, appearing regularly on the BBC’s radio network, at Wigmore Hall and the South Bank Centre, where he has already performed over fifty recitals. Nigel also continues to perform as a concerto soloist and has given more than one hundred solo recitals on board British cruise liners.
 
Apart from several long standing partnerships, Nigel has appeared alongside such artists as Michael Collins, Sylvia Marcovici, Ofra Harnoy, Tasmin Little and Bryan Rayner Cook, the Chilingirian, Sorrel and Bingham Quartets. He has performed with Madeleine Mitchell for many years, including recitals at Wigmore Hall, Singapore’s Victoria Hall, St John’s Smith Square 2023 Americana Festival and Leeds International Concert Season. Their album ‘Violin Muse’ has been highly praised. He is engaged as Official Accompanist each year for the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Switzerland, and has recorded six commercial compact discs. He was Professor at the Royal College of Music for many years, where he was awarded FRCM.
 
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