The Musicians
Moray String Quartet has been playing at weddings,
concerts, receptions and other events throughout Scotland
for over 15 years.
The current members are principal players in the Moray
Chamber Orchestra and between them have many years experience
of playing, composing, arranging and teaching a variety
of musical styles.
Members
Peter Zanre: Violin
James Alexander: Violin
Elaine Stables: Viola
John Mustard: Cello |
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Peter Zanre, Violin
Peter studied in Elgin with Harry Innes Simpson and with
Reginald Morley at the Guildhall School of Music, London.
An Associate of the Royal College of Music, he won two Corporation
of London Scholarships, the Goldsmiths’ Scholarship
and the Cecilia Barzoni Scholarship for Musica Antica et Nuova.
Peter is Founder and Director of the Moray Chamber Orchestra
and Leader of the Inverness Opera Orchestra. He is a former
leader of the Grenadier Guards Orchestra, Grampian Symphonia,
Inverness Choral Sinfonia and member of the British Concert
Orchestra.
He has porformed solo Radio and TV broadcasts and has toured
Italy and Germany performing and lecturing on Scottish Fiddle
Music.
Peter adjudicates at major music festivals including Aberdeen,
Inverness, Musselburgh, the Royal National Mod, the Glenfiddich
Fiddle Championship and the Highland Fiddle Masters at Oban.
He has taught at the Guildhall School of Music in London
and at Elgin Academy, and now teaches privately.
A noted expert on bowed string instruments, Peter has been
a violin dealer for 30 years. His violin is by Gennaro Gagliano
(1764) and his bow is by Persoit.
James Alexander, Violin
James’s grounding is in classical violin, having been
taught by Stephen Merson, Peter Mountain and Hugh Bean. James
teaches on a part time basis for Moray Council’s music
instruction service.
He is widely acknowledged as a leading exponent, composer
and teacher of Scots traditional music and plays and tours
with a number of acclaimed school and professional groups
including the Fochabers Fiddlers and the Explosive Fiddlers.
James adjudicates at most major Scots music festivals and
is also in demand to conduct workshops and master-classes.
He also teaches privately and works regularly as a recording
musician, having produced well over 100 albums with various
groups and as a solo fiddler.
Elaine Stables, Viola
Elaine studied music at Glasgow University and received tuition
in viola at RSAMD. During her four years in Glasgow she played
viola in the University Orchestra, Chamber Group and Kelvin
Ensemble.
Elaine graduated BMus (Hons) and worked in a variety of jobs,
including music therapy assistant, auxiliary/music teacher
in a SEN Base and for four years as a string tutor at the
Moray Music Centre.
After completing postgraduate training she worked as a visiting
music specialist in primary schools in Moray and is now based
in East Lothian.
John Mustard, Cello
John studied with Kim Murray, Jane Cowan, John Gwilt, Richard
Kapuscinski and Steven Doane among others. His qualifications
include a MMus degree from the University of Akron, and a
BMus from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, both located in Ohio,
USA. John also studied at the International ‘Cello Centre
in Duns, Scotland for 3 years.
John is currently Head of the Music Instruction Service at
The Moray Council, which provides music instruction to over
800 pupils in Moray schools. As part of the service, John
runs the Moray Music Centre, providing 265 pupils the opportunity
to perform in one of six groups, one of which he conducts.
In addition, John organises and coaches at the Moray Schools
Youth Orchestra, which meets for an intensive orchestral course
every summer. John is an integral part of the music instruction
service as the ‘cello instructor for the Moray area.
John can be seen performing with a number of local groups
including Cantare Women’s Choir, Culbin Singers, Buckie
Choral Union, Elgin Musical Theatre, Inverness Opera and the
Moray Chamber Orchestra.
His extensive playing experience includes Akron, Canton and
Youngstown Symphony Orchestras, National Repertory Orchestra,
Chautauaqua Festival Orchestra and Music from Oberlin. He
has toured across America, Korea for the 1988 Olympics, Japan,
China and Hawaii playing in venues including Carnegie Hall,
New York and the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC.
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