Feargus Hetherington (violin)

Feargus Hetherington, completed his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the USA having received batchelor and post-graduate awards from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, the city of his birth. His teachers have included Angus Ramsay, Elizabeth Layton, David Russell, Peter Salaff and Jerre Gibson. His viola studies have been with Catherine Marwood and Michael Beeston. He has also worked with distinguished soloists Ilya Kaler, James Buswell and Ivan Straus at summer academies in Canada and Austria. As an invited participant of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival for six consecutive years, Feargus has performed alongside leading musicians in chamber and string orchestra repertoire. He is grateful for the guidance he has received, more recently from Peter Lissauer, Joseph Swensen and Andrew Watkinson.

Whilst a student, Feargus led the Sonoré String Quartet for five years. The group premiered quartets by Eddie McGuire and David Fennessey, and performed in the RNCM’s Quartetfest, RSAMD’s Summerfest and ‘Academy Now’ series and the Halifax Young Musicians Festival. He also led a string sextet, which provided him with the opportunity to explore and perform some of the great works of the medium, including Schoenberg’s ‘Verklaerte Nacht’. Feargus has worked extensively in the medium of violin with guitar, through which he has uncovered some interesting and varied repertoire, from Italian classical to traditional music and tango. His diversity stems from his childhood during which he was a winner in national competitions for jazz and traditional music. He continues to develop his fascination with traditional celtic music, working on new arrangements to include in his performances. His group ‘Maelasta’ with Matthew McAllister, guitar, perform throughout the UK and Europe.

An experienced orchestral leader, Feargus has led under conductors such as Joseph Swensen, Sian Edwards and Takuo Yuasa. He has been leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, RSAMD Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, and numerous freelance ensembles. Feargus is the violinist for the Glasgow based new music ensemble, Symposia, and has worked extensively in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Feargus has given numerous solo concerto performances with orchestras including the Scottish Bach Consort with whom he made a solo debut at the age of 16. He has performed as a soloist with the orchestral societies of Glasgow, Helensburgh and Kirkcaldy, the Kelvin Ensemble, the Edinburgh University Chamber Orchestra, Fife Youth Orchestra, Sinfonia Excelsior, Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, Harrow Symphony Orchestra and was selected to perform his final exam at the RSAMD with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with conductors including William Conway, Peter Cynfryn Jones, Garry Walker and Bashar Lulua. He has acted as rehearsal soloist for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

Feargus has been awarded many prizes including the Ian D Watt, John Ireland, and Dunbar-Gerber prizes for duo performances with pianist Gavin Brady. He has also been kindly supported in his studies by the Scottish International Education Fund, the Cross Trust and the Caird Trust as well as the Cleveland Institute of Music.

http://www.feargushetherington.com

Discography:

Maelasta / Maelasta

Blue Rose Code / Rawlnish

Artist’s Itinerary (click dates for more info):

01/04/08 - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen
12/04/08 - St John's, Smith Square, London

Matthew McAllister / Merula @ Tokafi.com

It has almost become a general consensus that classical and contemporary repertoire need to be treated fundamentally different. “Merula”, however, works exactly because it defies the dogma. For his debut album, Matthew McAllister has taken the liberty of showing his abilties within the most diverse contexts, of organising a time-travel package through the ages and of recording his own interpretations of “a choice selection of classic guitar repertoire, alongside newer styles of contemporary guitar music.”

Agnew & McAllister / Recital @ Classical Guitar

The Agnew/McAllister duo once again show their talents as arrangers in a superb presentation of the Fantasie from “Carmen” where Aisling Agnew displays her highly polished, fluid technique to its best advantage … Throughout this recording the duo handles all the technical and musical requirements with aplomb and have produced a most alluring disc.

Agnew & McAllister / Recital @ Tokafi.com

If you can’t catch this duo live, then “Recital” is the next best thing … a work which lures you into loving it by its unintrusive nature … it is vivid and full of the pleasure of being alive