Michael Beeston "He is a really great viola player - one of the very best in the UK - a gift to a world not completely aware of what it has." Nigel Osborne, composer, Reid Professor of Music, University of Edinburgh.

Michael is one of the UK's most distinguished and recognised musicians.
He graduated with distinction from the Royal Manchester College of Music where his teachers were Frederick Riddle, Alexandre Moskovsky and Cecil Cohen. Moving to Scotland to become co-principal violist with the BBC Scottish Orchestra, Michael has also been a guest principal player with the Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and others.
During this time, he spent 40 years as violist with the celebrated Edinburgh Quartet, travelling throughout much of the world, broadcasting and making many acclaimed CD recordings. He is perhaps particularly known for his championship of the music of Kenneth Leighton and Hans Gal, having partnered the latter in a series of concerts and broadcasts of the composer's works for viola and piano.
In the field of education, Michael has been Music Director of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, and Assistant Director of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival. He has taught at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, St Mary's Music School, City of Edinburgh Music School and North East of Scotland Music School. He is in demand as a chamber music and orchestral coach and as an adjudicator over a wide area.
Michael is now a busy freelance player with a practice extending over a very broad gamut of musical disciplines.
He graduated with distinction from the Royal Manchester College of Music where his teachers were Frederick Riddle, Alexandre Moskovsky and Cecil Cohen. Moving to Scotland to become co-principal violist with the BBC Scottish Orchestra, Michael has also been a guest principal player with the Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and others.
During this time, he spent 40 years as violist with the celebrated Edinburgh Quartet, travelling throughout much of the world, broadcasting and making many acclaimed CD recordings. He is perhaps particularly known for his championship of the music of Kenneth Leighton and Hans Gal, having partnered the latter in a series of concerts and broadcasts of the composer's works for viola and piano.
In the field of education, Michael has been Music Director of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, and Assistant Director of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival. He has taught at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, St Mary's Music School, City of Edinburgh Music School and North East of Scotland Music School. He is in demand as a chamber music and orchestral coach and as an adjudicator over a wide area.
Michael is now a busy freelance player with a practice extending over a very broad gamut of musical disciplines.
Elizabeth Beeston"... a virtuosic romany-style solo from orchestra leader, Elizabeth Beeston." Alan Coady, Bachtrack.

At the age of 8, Elizabeth was selected by the West Midlands Arts Council to receive one of four bursaries awarded to children who had shown outstanding musical ability, enabling her to begin violin lessons with members of the BBC Midland Light Orchestra. She progressed quickly, leading all the local youth orchestras, playing many of the violin solos in the symphonic repertoire, and appearing as soloist on numerous occasions at home and abroad. As a teenager, she was asked to join two of the local semi professional orchestras, an experience which was to prove invaluable in gaining knowledge of the orchestral genre.
She gained a coveted place at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied for four years with Richard Deakin, receiving chamber music coaching from Christopher Rowland, the Franz Schubert Quartet of Vienna and the Vermeer Quartet, and orchestral training under Tim Reynish, Malcolm Layfield and Ian Brown, amongst others. After graduating with honours, she enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with the help of a bursary from the Baylie's Education Foundation, to study with Warren Jacobs. On completing her post-graduate studies she returned to the West Midlands, where her first professional work was with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Soon after, she took up a position with the orchestra of Scottish Ballet (promoted to sub-principal 2nd violin in 1998, a position she holds to this day). More offers of work came in, and Elizabeth performed all over Europe with orchestras such as European Chamber Opera, Britten Pears Orchestra, English Touring Opera, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Northern Sinfonia as well as a variety of freelance orchestras. She has also performed on numerous recordings for TV shows and incidental music, and toured and recorded with various rock and pop groups.
During a fateful Scottish Ballet tour in 1998, she met her husband-to-be, Michael, and decided to return full-time to Scotland. She was immediately in demand by all the national orchestras, and still remains busy with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Inspiration from Michael's work with the Edinburgh Quartet led her to form the Glasgow-based Cadell Quartet, where she was 2nd violinist and was responsible for its administration, touring extensively around Scotland to great critical acclaim until her marriage and subsequent move to Edinburgh, along with other work and family commitments forced her resignation. Since moving to Edinburgh, while continuing her professional performance commitments, she has been very much in demand as a mentor and leader with several East of Scotland chamber and orchestral ensembles. She was invited by conductor James Lowe to become leader of the Edinburgh Contemporary Music Ensemble in 2007. She holds a teaching post at Merchiston Castle School, and provides cover teaching at the City of Edinburgh Music School for several of its regular teachers.
She gained a coveted place at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied for four years with Richard Deakin, receiving chamber music coaching from Christopher Rowland, the Franz Schubert Quartet of Vienna and the Vermeer Quartet, and orchestral training under Tim Reynish, Malcolm Layfield and Ian Brown, amongst others. After graduating with honours, she enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with the help of a bursary from the Baylie's Education Foundation, to study with Warren Jacobs. On completing her post-graduate studies she returned to the West Midlands, where her first professional work was with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Soon after, she took up a position with the orchestra of Scottish Ballet (promoted to sub-principal 2nd violin in 1998, a position she holds to this day). More offers of work came in, and Elizabeth performed all over Europe with orchestras such as European Chamber Opera, Britten Pears Orchestra, English Touring Opera, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Northern Sinfonia as well as a variety of freelance orchestras. She has also performed on numerous recordings for TV shows and incidental music, and toured and recorded with various rock and pop groups.
During a fateful Scottish Ballet tour in 1998, she met her husband-to-be, Michael, and decided to return full-time to Scotland. She was immediately in demand by all the national orchestras, and still remains busy with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Inspiration from Michael's work with the Edinburgh Quartet led her to form the Glasgow-based Cadell Quartet, where she was 2nd violinist and was responsible for its administration, touring extensively around Scotland to great critical acclaim until her marriage and subsequent move to Edinburgh, along with other work and family commitments forced her resignation. Since moving to Edinburgh, while continuing her professional performance commitments, she has been very much in demand as a mentor and leader with several East of Scotland chamber and orchestral ensembles. She was invited by conductor James Lowe to become leader of the Edinburgh Contemporary Music Ensemble in 2007. She holds a teaching post at Merchiston Castle School, and provides cover teaching at the City of Edinburgh Music School for several of its regular teachers.
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Musicians for Weddings in Scotland
String Quartet for Wedding Music in Edinburgh, Perth, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow.
Corporate Entertainment in Edinburgh, Scotland. String Quartet Edinburgh, Scotland.
Music Event Management, Wedding Music Edinburgh, Scotland
scottish wedding string quartet
[email protected]
String Quartet for Wedding Music in Edinburgh, Perth, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow.
Corporate Entertainment in Edinburgh, Scotland. String Quartet Edinburgh, Scotland.
Music Event Management, Wedding Music Edinburgh, Scotland
scottish wedding string quartet
[email protected]