United states of music find Swineshead golden for Windmill Studios' jubilee

A Russian harpist, French flautist and English viola player with Russian-Israeli roots will be turning Swineshead golden on Friday night.

The Globe Ensemble (Valeria Kurbatova, Luce Zurita and Shiry Rashkovsky) are the guest musicians for Windmill Studio’s 50th anniversary concert at Swineshead Village Hall, North End, Swineshead, at 7.30pm.

Valeria, Luce and Shiry arrive in the village fresh after a three-week break from a frenetic schedule of touring and recording, including performances in Israel, London, Aberystwyth and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Globe Ensemble includes a range of composers in the repertoire, from the greats such as Beethoven and Mozart to more modern names like Sally Beamish and the late Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who wrote the film music for Murder on the Orient Express.

Valeria, described by none other than Prince Michael of Kent as a “fantastic musician” whose harp playing he “enjoyed...immensely”, was born in Moscow, Russia, and began studying the harp at the age of eight, going on to perform in ensembles and orchestras at concert halls across London, including the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

In 2012, Valeria was selected as a rising star by the Royal College of Music in the same year as winning its annual harp competition and in 2013, she became principal harpist for the London Electronic Orchestra.

http://valeriakurbatova.com

Meanwhile, Luce is a graduate of the world-famous Paris-Sorbonne University whose famous alumni includes the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, bridal wear designer Vera Wang, Princess Caroline of Monaco and both Pierre and Marie Curie.

Along with her flute playing through which she has played under such world-famous composers as Sir Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Askhenazy, Luce is also an expert in French and comparative literature and describes herself as a “keen advocate of creation”.

Luce Zurita is a French London-based flautist

Despite her name, Shiry was actually born in London and studied political science at Cambridge before gaining a master’s degree from the Royal College of Music.

She started playing the violin as a five-year-old under the influence of her father Itzhak Rashkovsky, now on the teaching staff at the Royal College of Music, whose academic footsteps she has followed in by becoming Professor of Viola at Royal Holloway College. University of London.

Shiry Rashkovsky pursues an international solo, chamber, teaching and orchestral career

Tickets for the concerts are available on the door, priced £12.

The proms on the car park

Village Windmill of wonders turns 50