21st February David Watkins

Michael Bochmann
Jane Leslie Mackenzie
‘An Evening of Musical Delights’
 Celebrated harpist David Watkins and violinist Michael Bochmann collaborate with soprano Jane Leslie Mackenzie in a varied musical concert. 

Sponsored by MRS MARY CANHAM.

Michael Bochmann Biography

 Brought up in Turkey and England, Michael Bochmann has been well known in British musical life for several decades. He has performed in the USA, all over Europe and in India.

While still a student Michael was a finalist and winner of the British Prize in the 1972 Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. A year later, he was a prizewinner in the Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris. At only 19, he made his first solo broadcasts for the BBC.

During his time as a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London  he was a pupil of the famous teacher Frederick Grinke. Later he received lessons from Sándor Végh and Henryk Szeryng

In February 1990 Michael partnered Sir Yehudi Menuhin in the Bach Double Violin Concerto in a most successful tour of 16 concerts throughout the USA and Canada.

His appearances as a soloist throughout Britain have taken him to major concert venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and St. James's Palace, London; Gloucester, Hereford and
Worcester Cathedrals; Tewkesbury Abbey in the Three Choirs Festival; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

He frequently directs the English String Orchestra and has performed as soloist with them many times in the UK and abroad. His recording of “The Lark Ascending” by Vaughan Williams with the ESO on the Nimbus label has been broadcast many times on Radio 3 and Classic FM.

He formed the Bochmann Quartet in 1977 with which he made over 50 broadcasts within their first 10 years.

He has an immensely successful duo partnership with the harpist, David Watkins. Their recent CD ‘Sacred and Profane” is a favourite on Classic FM.

Michael performs with several pianists, most recently making a recording of short pieces “Rondino I” with Michael Blackmore.

He is very active as a teacher and is a professor of violin and chamber music at Trinity College of Music in London. He also gives private lessons, master classes and residential courses at his home in Gloucestershire.

Jane Leslie MacKenzie

soprano

 Jane Leslie MacKenzie was born in British Columbia, Canada and following a degree in music from the University of Victoria where she studied with the Canadian recitalist Frances James Adaskin, came to London to continue her vocal studies. As part of her studies, she attended the Britten Pears School in Aldeburgh, attending masterclasses given by Sir Peter Pears, Nancy Evans, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Galina Vishnevskaya and consequently performed at the Aldeburgh Festival performing with the Britten Pears Orchestra. She made her operatic debut with Kent Opera as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and since then has performed with most of the major British opera companies. With English National Opera she has sung the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Marzelline (Fidelio); with Opera North, Pamina (Die Zauberflö te), Anne Truelove (The Rake's Progress), Marzelline, Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), Fiordiligi (Così fan Tutte) , Mimì (La Bohè me) and Donna Elvira; with Scottish Opera, Micaë la (Carmen), Pamina and the Countess, with Welsh National Opera, Mimi and with the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now the Birmingham Opera Company) the title role in Zaï de, Margué rite (Faust) and the acclaimed production of Fidelio which was televised live for BBC4 and won Graham Vick the Southbank Show Award in 2003.

In 1994, she made her Covent Garden debut as the Countess in Massenet's Cherubin , a role she later performed with the Opera de Monte Carlo. Other performances abroad both in opera, concert and recital include Pamina in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver, Micaë la in Edmonton, the Governess (the Turn of the Screw), Dafne (Apollo e Dafne) in Batignano, First Lady (Die Zauberflö te) in Geneva, Margué rite and Alice Ford (Falstaff) for the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. She and David have done several recitals together including a private recital in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales at Gwydir Castle in Wales in 1998.

Miss MacKenzie now lives in Kent with her husband, two children and an odd assortment of livestock and bees!