Meet the Trio - Roy Theaker, violin: Simon Oswell, viola: Kalina Krusteva, cello
Roy Theaker - violin
A diverse and versatile musician, Roy is equally comfortable conducting symphonic and commercial music, as he is as a violin soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster. He is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Stonnington Symphony Orchestra, and continues associations in a variety of roles with many of the major Australian orchestras, commercial & music theatre producers, and educatory organisations. Recent activities include recordings, as conductor, with the RTE Concert Orchestra, Dublin and the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra, Sofia.
An avid chamber musician he has recorded with the Internationally acclaimed Brodsky String Quartet, and regularly plays with the Australian String Trio.
Invitations as a guest Concertmaster include the Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, Singapore Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Orchestra Victoria. As a soloist he has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious halls, from the South Bank, London to Santory Hall, Tokyo to more diverse venues such as the Holy City, Jordan & the European Parliament, Brussels, and with orchestras including, the Melbourne Symphony, the Ukrainian National Philharmonic & the Bulgarian National Radio.
Kalina Krusteva - cello
Kalina has performed with such eminent chamber musicians as Yuri Bashmet, Yo-Yo Ma and Roger Chase. She has guest led Orchestra Victoria and regularly plays with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras here and in Europe. Her solo and chamber music recordings can be heard on most major streaming platforms - including Elgar & Schumann Cello Concertoes with the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra. She teaches cello and chamber music at the Melbourne University. She holds a PhD from Sofia National Academy of Music, was Principle Cello of the Orquestra do Algarve in Portugal from 2002-9 and after completing a Masters at the Royal Academy of London, worked with the Royal Philharmonic, the Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and was Co-Principle Cello of Valery Gergiev’s “World Orchestra for Peace” at the Royal Albert Hall.
Simon Oswell - viola
Simon Oswell trained in Australia and the United States. He gained awards in the National Concerto competition and co-founded the Petra String Quartet in Tasmania. Simon has performed and recorded as a soloist and chamber musician in Australia, Europe and South East Asia and subsequently in the United States in the LA based chamber music groups, the Capitol Ensemble and Pacific Serenades. In California he occupied several Principal Viola positions including the Carmel Bach Festival and Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and recorded for the motion picture industry. He also performed with the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra and the American lutenist James Tyler. Since returning to Australia Simon has appeared as Principal Viola with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmanian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra (ARCO), as well as the Australian World Orchestra, Ensemble Liaison, Ironwood, Firebird Trio, Wilma and Friends, Quartz, Trio Dali, and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. Recent highlights have included performances in the UK at the Oxford May Chamber Music Festival, the North York Moors Festival, and performances with the Australian World Orchestra and Zubin Mehta, in Sydney, Melbourne, Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi. He currently directs an annual chamber music school, in Clunes, Victoria. www.clunesmusic.com, and plays on a Gaspare Lorenzini viola from Piancenza, Italy, made in 1740.