October 9 Concert 7.45pm

Shulah Oliver-Smith – violin
Simon Marlow – piano

Programme:
Stravinsky: Suite Italienne, Introduction
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Beethoven:  Sonata for Violin and Piano No 1 in D major
Kreisler: Introduction and Allegro
Elgar: Sonata for Violin and Piano

Shulah Oliver-Smith is a well-respected soloist who has regularly been invited to perform around the U.K and Europe and has performed in Sri Lanka in the presence of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister. She is a sought-after chamber musician including lead violinist/founder of Selina Bella Strings, The Musical Storytellers, Fordante and Duo Armande. As a soloist and ensemble member she has played in many of the leading concert venues in Europe and been invited to play in festivals such as the Paganini London Festival, Norfolk & Norwich, Three Choirs, and St. Endellion Festivals. Shulah freelances with orchestras including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Hallé, Opera North, English Symphony Orchestra, Longborough Festival Opera, Northern Ballet Sinfonia, and has been invited to guest lead and principal 2nd for orchestras including Scottish Ballet, Orchestra of the Swan, Bampton Classical Opera, Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and CHANDOS Symphony Orchestra.
In 2021 Shulah was delighted to be appointed Artistic Director of The Midland Sinfonia and alongside her innovative and accessible concert programming she has established a varied Outreach and Education Programme. During the COVID Pandemic she set up a Lunchtime Concert Series online and since lockdowns ended it has become an established ‘in-person’ concert series at St Georges Church, Barbourne, Worcester.
She gained a Distinction for her Masters at the Royal Academy of Music, having studied violin with Howard Davis and was awarded the Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music for an outstanding Final Recital. Her studies were assisted by awards from the Elmley and EMI Music Sound Foundations, Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and Winifred Disney. In 2004, Shulah graduated from the Royal College of Music with a First Class Honours Joint Principal (violin / viola) degree. 
She has been a finalist and received commendations in competitions including the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition, Delius Prize, Wilfred Parry Prize, Winifred Small Prize and Sir Arthur Bliss Prize, and received awards including the John Mundy and D-Day Fund Prize Awards from RAM. 
Shulah enjoys researching and performing the works of composers who are little known or works that have been forgotten and has recorded and has released two CDs featuring some of these works including a recording of Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending.
Shulah is also involved in many Education and Outreach projects including Family Concerts, School Workshops and performances in community settings such as nursing homes, hospices and day care centres. She recently trained with ‘Mindsong’, a charity that works through music and song, with people living with dementia and has gained experience of presenting both concerts and videos specially designed for people living with dementia
Shulah loves to spend time with the guide dog puppies her family walk and has raised nearly £60,000 by performing recitals and busking at Christmas. Shulah also raises funds for other charities – she has organised two concerts in aid or Young Lives VS Cancer (formerly known as CLIC Sargent) in Worcester Cathedral, raising over £25,000 for the charity. She has also run the Worcester City 10k in aid of Guide Dogs, Young Lives vs Cancer and Support Dogs.
In her spare time she loves spending time walking with her 2 golden retrievers and her other half Simon.
 

After reading music at Cambridge University, Simon Marlow established a successful career as chamber musician, soloist and accompanist. He is frequently on the concert platform in Britain and Europe and has given recitals in America, Iceland, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong, where he has also given master classes at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He has appeared with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, broadcast and made many recordings. Recently Simon took part in a Dutch project to perform and record music composed by Nietzsche which also included works by other composer who were inspired by his philosophy. Among the many musicians Simon has worked with, he has built an outstanding partnership with violist Ivo-Jan van der Werff, with whom he has recorded music by Max Reger and all the viola/piano works of Arnold Bax. Over the past few years Simon has also established a recital and recording partnership with the violinist Shulah Oliver-Smith, with a particular emphasis on the many marvellous works by English composers for violin and piano. In addition to his musical interests, Simon worked for ten years with the Lucis Trust, an educational charity.