Music Network presents Matilda Lloyd (trumpet) & Alexandra Whittingham (guitar)
Matilda Lloyd has recently been selected as an ECHO rising star for 2024/2025 (nominated by the Barbican Centre, London). Described by The Times as an “eloquent trumpet soloist”, Lloyd captivates audiences with her artistry and communication while her “flawless sound and virtuosic technique” (Saarbrücker Zeitung) bring a unique flair to every performance.
Lloyd has a fervent desire to showcase the capabilities of her instrument and collaborates regularly with leading composers and musicians. Her repertoire ranges from Haydn to Tomasi, from J.S. Bach to Ligeti. Committed to expanding the trumpet repertoire, she has premiered several new works including John Woolrich’s Hark! the echoing air at Snape Maltings in 2021 and Alissa Firsova’s Stages in 2022, both with Britten Sinfonia.
In the 2022/23 season, Lloyd makes her debut in Poland with Pomeranian Philharmonic and has concerto appearances with Bad Reichenhaller Philharmoniker and Bath Festival Orchestra. She also gives her debut performances at Cadogan Hall and St. George’s Bristol, returns to Oulu Sinfonia with Rumon Gamba and tours in France with Orchestre de l’Opéra Rouen. Other recent highlights include a UK tour with Britten Sinfonia, a Swedish tour with Camerata Nordica and concerto appearances with Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic and Johannesburg Philharmonic.
Released in April 2023, Casta Diva, Lloyd’s debut album for Chandos Records, is a stunning collection of Italian operatic arias in brand new arrangements for trumpet and orchestra recorded with Britten Sinfonia and Rumon Gamba. To celebrate the launch, she toured the programme with string quintet and harp throughout the UK, culminating in a recital at Wigmore Hall. Ongoing chamber music collaborations include her partnership with Gesualdo Six vocal consort which exemplifies the relationship between the trumpet and the human voice. Lloyd also performs regularly with Solus Trumpet Ensemble which she founded, and gives recitals with pianist Martin Cousin and organist Richard Gowers.
Music education and the wellbeing of musicians is very important to Lloyd. Alongside regular masterclasses in the UK and abroad, she also leads school workshops and gives talks, heading a Youth Session at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in June 2023. Continuing her relationship with London Mozart Players, she is now one of their Education Ambassadors, alongside Jess Gillam and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
“Lloyd plays with intense expression and immense warmth. The flawless tone, purity of line and dynamic subtlety she coaxes from her instrument are shown off to particularly impressive effect.”BBC Music Magazine
Lloyd has won many prizes at international competitions, most notably 1st Prize at the Eric Aubier International Trumpet Competition in Rouen, France in 2017. Matilda Lloyd is a Yamaha Artist.
Guitarist Alexandra Whittingham has reached listeners worldwide, not only through a busy concert schedule and competition successes but also online, where her video performances of classical guitar repertoire have collectively surpassed 40 million views.
In 2021, Whittingham’s debut studio album My European Journey, released on Delphian, received widespread critical acclaim. An exploration of the guitar’s great coming of age in nineteenth-century Europe, the album sees her passion for this era of guitar music combined with a love of discovering lesser-known composers and bringing them into the spotlight. The recording led to Whittingham being described by Classic FM as “a young artist with huge potential to shape the classical world” and chosen as one of Classic FM’s Rising Star artists in 2022.
To date, Whittingham has had an impressively diverse career with her spectacular online audience leading to live concert performances all over the world including the Cayman Islands Arts Festival and Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. She also played an extensive tour of twenty-seven concerts throughout Germany, Holland and Austria in 2022. Closer to home, Whittingham has performed at London’s Abbey Road Studios alongside singer-songwriter Imelda May for EMI Music and Sound Foundation, Milton Court Concert Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and Wells Cathedral. She has also appeared as a concerto soloist with Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dorset Chamber Orchestra and Orquestra Vigo 430.
After studying classical guitar at Chetham’s School of Music for seven years, Whittingham went on to graduate from London’s Royal Academy of Music completing her master’s degree with a distinction and received the Regency Award for distinguished studentship. She is a past winner of the Edinburgh Guitar Competition and was also awarded Gregynog Young Guitarist of the Year.
Alexandra Whittingham is an Augustine Strings artist and plays a 2011 Christopher Dean guitar.
