Music for Summer Afternoons: Les Quatre Violons

Letchworth Festival – Music for Summer Afternoons

Les Quatre Violons

Programme:

• Georg Philipp Telemann – Concerto for Four Violins in C
• Ignaz Lachner – Quartet for Four Violins in G, Op. 107
• Grażyna Bacewicz – Quartet for Four Violins
• Peter Martin – Quartet for Four Violins

Interval for tea and cakes followed by:

Elly Yau

Programme:

• Haydn – Sonata in F major
• Chopin – Impromptu in F sharp major
• JS Bach – Prelude and fugue in C minor Bk1
• Debussy – Prelude General Lavine
• Prokofiev – Visions Fugitives No.10
• Laputa – Castle in the Sky

Tickets: £15 for adults, £5 for students and under 18s
Available on the door and from Ticket Source

Les Quatre Violons

Alex Collins

Alex Collins started learning the violin at the age of eight, and soon after he won numerous local competitions and a music scholarship to Bedford School to study with Martin Hughes. Alex subsequently continued his musical studies at the Royal College of Music, during which time Alex had the honour of playing under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano, Vladimir Jurowski and Thomas Zehetmair. As a member of the London based Vesta Quartet, Alex received regular coaching from the Chilingirian Quartet. After the RCM Alex was given a scholarship to complete his Master’s Degree at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Stephanie Gonley. Alex is currently leader of the Bedford Sinfonia, with whom he has enjoyed performing as soloist, and a member of the Element String Quartet.

Teresa Pople

Teresa Pople studied the violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to join the Royal Northern Sinfonia orchestra. After leaving the orchestra, Teresa’s busy musical life saw her performing with such orchestras as the Britten Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, London Festival Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and has travelled the world with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Caroline Waters

Born in Jersey, Caroline Waters studied at Chetham’s School of Music and subsequently at the Royal Northern College of Music. During her time in Manchester, she enjoyed opportunities to lead orchestras and perform chamber music. Since moving to Bedfordshire, Caroline has divided her time between performance work and teaching violin and viola. She has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and leading Bedford Sinfonia and Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra and worked with the London-based King’s Chamber Orchestra. Her concerts have taken her to Italy, Germany, France and the Channel Islands. She plays on a specially commissioned violin made for her in 2022 by Spanish Luthier, Marc Paguin.

Peter Bussereau

Peter Bussereau studied mathematics at the University of London and subsequently music at Guildhall School of Music and Drama before being invited to become a member of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra He subsequently became a principal violinist with the BBC Concert Orchestra, which he has recently left to pursue his love of solo playing and chamber music, as well as freelancing with the City of London Sinfonia and studying for a degree at the Open University. Peter also very much enjoys his role as Artistic Director of Symphonia Academica and leader of Quartet Camerata.

To be added to Peter’s Concerts Emailing List please contact him at bussereau@icloud.com.

Elly Yau

Elly is currently twelve years old and will celebrate her thirteenth birthday in July 2026. Her musical journey began at age five with the piano, followed shortly by the violin. Driven by a love for the violin’s lyrical sound and a desire to perform in an orchestral setting, she has pursued both instruments with equal passion.

Elly began to study piano as her first instrument and violin as her second at the Purcell School in Year 8 from September 2025, under the tutelage of Mrs Danielle Salamon (piano) and Mrs Sada Rashidova (violin).

Recently, she has been offered a place in the Royal College of Music Junior Department and is looking forward to developing her musicianship on Saturdays from September, 2026.