Shelley Katz

Montreal born pianist Shelly Katz holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Julliard School. While in New York he was the pianist for the New York Contemporary Ensemble with Skrowaczewski and also played under the batons of Bernstein, Osawa and Solti. As a chamber musician he performed extensively with the Canadian violinist Jean-Francois Rivest and the French flautist Alain Marion with whom he did a North American tour, including Carnegie Recital Hall.

Shelley has been based in Europe since 1986 and currently serves as Musician in Residence at the International Study Centre of Queen's University. He spent several years conducting in German opera houses including as Assistant to the General Music Director in Mainz. He has developed performing and recording relationships with some of the world's greatest opera singers including Nicolai Gedda, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Katia Ricciarelli and Jochen Kowalski. As pianist/accompanist Shelley performs in the leading venues and festivals including the Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President von Weizecker of Germany, the late President Rau of Germany, and at the Kremlin in Moscow. He has broadcast in Japan, Germany, Canada and the US.

Tristan Fry

Tristan Fry began his career by joining the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of seventeen. He was a founder member of a number of ensembles including the Nash, Fires of London, and the London Sinfonietta. He also became involved in many commercial recordings, TV shows and films, playing on such diverse soundtracks as the Beatles records, James Bond films, Dr Who and the Rolf Harris shows. Tristan is the timpanist with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and has performed on the majority of their recordings and in concert. He is the drummer with the pop group SKY, has done many solo concerts of avant-garde percussion repertoire, and has hosted a TV show 'Countdown to the Festival'. He played in John Dankworth's orchestra, recorded the Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion three times, and has performed in concert with such legends as Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Fred Astaire and Stravinsky.

Alastair Hume

Despite being an unpromising boy treble, Alastair managed to win a choral scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, which he took up after a couple of years playing double-bass in the National Youth Orchestra. There followed a stint in the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra (now the BBC Philharmonic) and then a move to London, freelancing on bass in most of the major symphony orchestras, and on voice in St Paul's Cathedral Choir, the Monteverdi Choir and other ensembles, as well as the embryonic King's Singers. This grew to be full-time and after twenty-five years singing around the world, Alastair plays his double-bass a bit more than he did, sings a great deal less than he did, and is also a full-time house father for ten year-old Alexander. Alastair's own website is at www.alastairhume.co.uk

Photos of Bach Plus Two, by Barbara Stott: