Don Lusher, Guest Musician took up the trombone at the age of six and played in Salvation Army junior and senior bands. In 1942 he joined the Royal Artillery and after the war played in a forces concert party during which time he met many professional musicians and decided to take up a musical career. He went on to play in various bands and was Jead trombone in Ted Heath's for more than nine years. After a world tour and five tours of the USA, he left to concentrate on studio work and has played under numerous famous conductors and toured with Frank Sinatra. He now runs the Don Lusher Big Band, the DL Quartet and the DL Trombone Ensemble and directs the reformed Ted Heath Band as well as arranging, composing, making solo appearances and giving first performances. He was voted Musician of the Year in 1976 by the BBC Jazz Society and in 1979 and 1982 attended the International Trombone Association Workshop in Nashville, USA, where he gave master classes and recitals . His latest album is Cavatina and others.
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Nigel Kennedy, Guest Musician, born in 1956, attended the Yehudi Menuhin school where he studied first the piano and then the violin. He went on to the Juilliard School in New York. His Royal Festival Hall debut was in 1977 when he played with the Philharmonia Orchestra with Riccardo Muti. He has now played with all the major British orchestras as well as the Berlin Philharmonic and the St Louis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. Recent performances have included the EIgar Concerto with the RPO and the Walton Concerto with the Halle. He has played at the BBC Proms and at the Aldeburgh, Malvern and Gstaad Festivals. Nigel Kennedy has toured Hong Kong and Australia with the Halle and has pJayed in India, Turkey, Denmark, Norway and the USA. He is also interested in Indian Music and Jazz and has given concerts with Stephane Grappelli and has played at the Chichester and Cork Festivals with American jazz musicians. He now plays in the group (T) Zigane.
Anna Markland was born in Wallasey in 1964 and studies the piano with Heather Slade-Lipkin in Manchester. Amla is a third-year sixth form pupil at Chetham s School of Music where her musical studies also include singing. In addition to the piano she plays the harpsichord and the violin. Anna has taken part in masterclasses with several distinguished professors, including Kendall Taylor, Alberta Portugheris, and the late Gordon Green. In 1977 Anna Markland was awarded the Gold Medal by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and in 1981 she gained her ARCM Performer's Diploma with Honours. In 1982 Anna became the BBC Young Musician of the Year, and she has received invitations from all over the country to give concerto and recital performances, including many appearances on radio and television. Anna has met the Prime Minister and attended the 1982 Women of the Year lunch as guest of honour. Outside of music, Anna's wide interests include history and literature, and she also enjoys playing sports. 29