Barber Concerto sponsored by Rentokil

As I was practising for a recent performance of the Barber Concerto, I came across some of the disgusting things about violin playing they never warn you about in music college. Just as I was leaving my flat to go to my concerto rehearsal, I did something I’ve never done before. I decided to check that my spare bow was in good working order. I picked it out of the case…and to my horror, all the hairs had fallen off!! ALL! It looked like someone had cut the hair. Not panicking, I went to my spare case to get another spare bow. But the same thing happened with that, and a third!! All the hairs were hanging off. Trying to stay calm, I rang a violin shop and they informed me that my bows had ‘bow bugs’ or, basically, nits. The microscopic creatures love organic hair, and if you don’t touch a spare bow for months, and keep it in the dark, they just start munching their way across the hair! And other bows can catch them, if you leave them alone together. Bow STDs. I was told that the only thing I could do is fumigate my case with fly spray. The only bow left intact in my flat was a plastic bright pink one my Quartet bought me for my last birthday. I was running late for my train, so sprayed some fly spray in my case and prayed that my main bow would hold out, as I did not fancy reading the reviews if I played the Barber Concerto with a pink bow.

The tricky passage in the last movement was now the least of my worries. I just had to hope my main bow hadn’t caught nits, and didn’t collapse mid-performance. Luckily, my bow stayed in one piece, and I felt much relief as the final chord echoed across the hall. Accompanied by a faint whiff of fly spray.



I have discovered I’ve made it into ‘Q’ Magazine. There was a picture of me playing in the Royal Albert Hall with Noel Gallagher, with 8,000 Oasis fans singing along to Wonderwall. (photo saying Wired Strings). There were hundreds of Oasis fans waiting outside and to my surprise, I had several offers of sex as I left the stage door. This never happens when I play at the Proms.


I did play in a Prom this year with the Philharmonia. I also played with them in Buckingham Palace. To get through Palace security, we were asked to bring a passport and a utility bill, for proof of address. I took the only bill I could find in my flat, and entered Buckingham Palace with a Final Demand water bill. Prince Charles came and chatted to the orchestra afterwards and enquired if I liked the acoustics in the Palace Ballroom. I replied that I think they might be improved if the thick red carpet was removed, and he agreed; I can’t believe I gave my opinion on the interior design of Buckingham Palace.







This summer, I followed my boyfriend (percussionist Colin Currie) to the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming, USA. He was performing the Jennifer Higdon Concerto (which won a Grammy this year!) in the final concert of the Festival. The orchestra was fantastic; some of the best players from orchestras all over the States. Their regular orchestras have finished for the season, and the players all love coming to spend 7 weeks of their summer in the mountains, 6, 000 metres above sea level, playing some great repertoire with conductor Donald Runnicles. Apart from a singer requiring an oxygen mask before a performance, due to the altitude, the Festival had been a great success, and Colin’s performance even got a standing ovation in the dress rehearsal. They have these great open rehearsals over there, where you get a coffee and a doughnut afterwards! Jennifer Higdon was there with us, and we got a private tour of the National Park with our very own ranger! Here's me with Ranger Mike.














After the hot Wyoming weather, it was refreshing to get off the plane and head straight to the Proms queue to sit in on the pavement in the rain. We watched our friend Huw Watkin’s brand new violin concerto played at the Proms. It’s so great that you can watch such great music for a fiver!







Eric Whitacre’s CD ‘Light and Gold’ is launched on September 20th. My Quartet (the Pavao Quartet) are playing on it. After we finished playing in the launch concert, we were asked if we would play the handbells in the last piece with the choir. I was placed on the front row of the balcony, handbell in each hand; I was landed with the biggest ones, F# and G#, which I could barely lift. The handbells don’t come in until near the end, by which time my hands were so sweaty with nerves that I was scared one of my bells would slip out of my hand, killing someone below. The house lights were down, so I couldn’t see the music, and wasn’t entirely sure which bell was G#. The moment came, a dramatic pause and Eric turned to the balcony to conduct us. The hall was filled with important people from the recording industry, who all shuffled round in interest to see what was about to occur on the balcony. He gave the upbeat for my first solo G#, I raised my handbell and…. total silence! The note didn’t speak. In my fear of dropping the bell over the balcony, I hadn’t rung it hard enough, and there was an embarrassing silence (broadcast on Classic FM) until someone rescued me with the next note. Then on the way to the dressing room I dropped the handbell on my foot. I should really stick to playing the violin.