I was born in London into a family of jazz trumpet players with a wide-ranging appreciation of music. At the age of seven I volunteered to start violin lessons at my local primary school. There I had the enormous good fortune to be taught by the local peripatetic teacher, a lady called Beryl Morreau. She had been a viola student of Lionel Tertis and a founder member of the McNaghten String Quartet between the wars. Under her guidance I made rapid progress and after eighteen months was accepted as a pupil at the then recently formed Yehudi Menuhin School. My memories of Mrs Morreau were of happy musical times and I particularly remember playing violin-viola duets with her and the sound of her wonderful old viola. This is now the instrument that I play. After nine tempestuous years at the Menuhin School, playing both violin and viola, I entered the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship. Here I concentrated on the viola continuing my studies with Peter Schidlof and Stephen Shingles. Chamber music played a major part in my musical life throughout school and college and so it was for me an almost seamless progression into professional string quartets.
Away from the Endellions I have always endeavoured to play chamber music with other friends and colleagues. These have included Sandor Vegh, Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, members of the Amadeus Quartet as well as many others. I particularly enjoy joining other established string quartets to play 2nd viola. As a soloist I have performed at Wigmore Hall and The Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, given broadcasts for the BBC and made several recordings.
Apart from music I have many interests, mostly outdoors, including walking, gardening, boating and horse racing. Recently I’ve had to become an expert on electric fencing for my wife’s horses!