Laura Samuel
Violin
Tonights solist was born in London and studied as a junior exhibitor and Undergraduate Scholar at the Royal College of Music with Itzhak Rashkovsky.

She made her debut with the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at the Fairfields Halls, Croydon, and has since gone on to perform as a soloist at major venues throughout the UK and Europe, most recently the Bach Double with the English Chamber Orchestra.

In 1996 she won the Tunbridge Well International Young Concert Artists Competition and in the same year made her Purcell Room debut. Other prizes include the string section of the Royal Overseas League Competition and the Musicians Benevolent Fund Manong Parikian Award.

Laura is a founder member of the Belcea Quartet.

The Belcea Quartet
The Belcea Quartet are rapidly gaining an enviable reputation as one of the leading quartets of the younger generation and have just been announced as the Resident Quartet of Wigmore Hall from October 2001. Whilst sustaining a demanding schedule of professional engagements, they are continuing to study at the highest possible level with the Alban Berg Quartet in Cologne.

The Quartet's first CD for EMI with quartets by Debussy, Ravel and Dutilieux has recently been released. Future recording plans include works by Janacek and Brahms.

For further information of Belcea concerts at the Wigmore Hall contact the box office on 0207 935 2141 or their website www.wigmore-hall.org.uk.