Marianne Thorsen (violin) and Alasdair Strange (cello) Duo

Marianne Thorsen, first prizewinner at the 2003 Sion International Violin Competition (Switzerland), was born in Trondheim, Norway. She studied with Gyorgy Pauk at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music, London, where she was awarded the Roth Prize and the DipRAM, the Academy's highest award for performance.

Marianne is a founder member of the Leopold String Trio. They have toured extensively in the UK and broadcast for BBC Radio 3 from Edinburgh, Bath and Cheltenham Festivals. Abroad, they have given concerts at Carnegie Hall New York, Musikverein Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Philharmonie in Cologne.

The Trio recorded the complete Beethoven String Trios, the Mozart Divertimento K563 and the Mozart Piano Quartets with Paul Lewis for Hyperion to great critical acclaim. They have recently recorded the string trios by Dohnanyi, Martinu and Schoenberg. Future recordings include the Schubert 'Trout' Quintet with Paul Lewis and the complete Brahms Piano Quartets with Marc-André Hamelin (Hyperion).

Marianne is also leader of the Nash Ensemble. They are frequent visitors to British music festivals and are heard on radio, at the South Bank, the BBC Proms, at music clubs throughout the country and have a regular series at Wigmore Hall.

Marianne has performed concertos with leading orchestras including the BBC Symphony, the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Prague Philharmonia, Trondheim Soloists and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Future solo engagements include return visits to the Philharmonia, Oslo Philharmonic and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestras.

As soloist and director, Marianne is touring the complete Mozart Violin Concertos in Norway this season with the Trondheim Soloists.

Marianne teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, London and is also a Professor at the Trondheim Conservatoire of Music.

The glory of the evening was Marianne Thorsen's performance - technically first-rate and full of love for the music.

The Independent

This was masterly playing, impeccably phrased and articulated. Rarely has Mozart come dancing off the page so enticingly.

Thorsen's deeply committed playing succeeds in making the music both expressively cogent and structurally compelling.

International Record Review

Thorsen played with confidence and utter musical assurance, with a singing rich tone, great power of projection, meticulous

accuracy of intonation and attack and with deeply felt expressivity. Sheer dynamism.

The Strad

Former Principal Cellist of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Alasdair Strange won the Associated Board Scholarship to study with Derek Simpson at the Royal Academy of Music, London. On completion of his studies, Alasdair was awarded the DipRAM, the Academy's highest award for performance, as well as the prestigious Carnegie Fellowship. Alasdair was first prize-winner in many competitions, including the Alessandro Pezze, May Mukle, Herbert Walenn, Harry Isaacs, Florence Hooten and David Martin Prizes as well as the 'Young Musician of the West'.

Alasdair's concerto appearances include Penderecki's Cello Concerto No. 2 at the Barbican Hall with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain to great critical acclaim, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Alasdair Strange is privileged to have collaborated closely with the legendary composer, Gyorgy Ligeti, on his Cello Concerto for a gala performance at the Ligeti Festival, London, in the presence of the composer.

Alasdair has given numerous recitals throughout Europe with pianist Viv McLean, including appearances at the Kultur Kreis Festival, Hannover, the Southwark Festival, Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room on London's South Bank, as well as at many music societies and concert clubs throughout Great Britain.

As a chamber musician, Alasdair has performed alongside such luminary artists as Lynn Harrell, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Yuri Bashmet and Daniel Hope, and he currently performs as cellist in the Thorsen-Strange-McLean Trio with Marianne Thorsen (Leader, Nash Ensemble of London) and Viv McLean (First Prize-Winner, Barcelona International Piano Competition).

Other solo highlights include performances of the Brahms Double Concerto at the Barbican Hall, as well as concertos by Elgar, Saint-Saens, Schumann, Dvorak, Haydn D, Boccherini G and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations at venues including the Fairfield Halls, Snape Maltings Aldeburgh, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Wembley Town Hall, St. James' Piccadilly and the Royal Albert Hall. Alasdair has also appeared as a soloist at the Chichester and Dulwich Music Festivals.

As an orchestral Principal, Alasdair has worked under such illustrious conductors as Haitink, Giulini, Rostropovich, Ashkenazy, Abbado and Sir Colin Davis on extensive European tours at concert halls including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin's Philharmonie, the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London, Symphony Hall Birmingham and at the Edinburgh, Salzburg and Vienna International Festivals.

Alasdair Strange is Artistic Director of the London Ensemble (www.classicalmusicians.com) and performs on a 1690 Ruggieri cello.

Alasdair Strange was the marvellous cellist.

Stephen Pettitt, The Times

The exacting half-tones of its difficult solo part (Ligeti Cello Concerto) was caught skilfully by Alasdair Strange.

Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

Alasdair Strange performed brilliantly - with sensitive empathy for the music and charming delicacy.

Hannover Zeitung

The solo of the night came from Alasdair Strange in the Cello Concerto No 2 by Penderecki. I suspect he will turn out to be one of contemporary music's survivors - especially if cellists carry on playing him with Strange's concentration and flair.

Scarpia, The Independent

Beethoven's bidding that 'music should set the human soul alight' was satisfied to perfection by Alasdair Strange. The British artist brilliantly rendered the imaginative and vivacious style of this Czech composer (Martinu).

Nord-Deutschland Zeitung

Alasdair Strange offered a calm, unruffled integrity of delivery, ensuring that every component fell securely into place. But Strange took a dominant role in his exchanges with the orchestra.

Meirion Bowen, The Guardian