Carol is from Wick, in the far north of Scotland.
At 17, she won a Foundation Scholarship to study with Simon Rowland-Jones at London’s Royal College of Music. She furthered her studies in Utrecht, NL, as part of the Erasmus exchange programme, before returning to the RCM, where she performed the Bartok Viola Concerto with the RCM Sinfonietta, graduating with Distinction.
CAROL ELLA
Carol has always had a passion for orchestral playing, having held positions with both the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. She is a regular member of the John Wilson Orchestra and Sinfonia of London, and has played as Guest Principal with many UK orchestras, such as Aurora, Britten Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a tutor, Carol has taken viola classes at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
In 2011, Carol was selected by Oliver Knussen to play for his Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble in chamber performances across Europe with a subsequent recording of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia. She was honoured to play at his memorial concert ‘Celebrating Olly’ at the Royal Academy of Music in 2018 and has since played Principal Viola with the Knussen Chamber Orchestra.
Memorisation, choreography, and the occasional attempt at singing, are just a few of the exciting and challenging aspects of performing that Carol has grown to relish with such diverse and explosive groups as Manchester Collective and Scottish Ensemble.
Classical music aside, a love for musicals has been indulged over the years with forays into London’s West End. Carol has also enjoyed recording albums with the likes of Neil Diamond, Emeli Sandé, and Sir Paul McCartney, and has performed live with various rock and pop stars. Particular highlights being Ed Sheeran, and a series of concerts with Barbra Streisand at the O2 Arena.
Carol’s viola is by Nigel Harris, made for her in 2001, and generously supported by the Virtuosi Society of Scotland.
