An introduction to 10 of the female violinists who are leading British orchestras. You may also be interested to read about 10 Female Chief Executives of UK Orchestras and 14 Female Founders of Classical Music Organisations including agencies, businesses, orchestras and ensembles.

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**Alexandra Wood**

*Co-Leader of Aurora Orchestra since 2011 and City of London Sinfonia since 2012*
Alex graduated from Cambridge with a starred double first, and went on to the Royal College of Music to study with Itzhak Rashkovsky. She subsequently became a Junior Fellow. A prize winner of various international competitions, she leads both Aurora Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia, and is regularly invited to lead other ensembles including Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and London Sinfonietta. A keen ballroom dancer, she is also a huge (obsessed?!) figure skating fan. Alex can also play the bassoon.

Zoë Beyers

*Leader of Britten Sinfonia since August 2025*
South-African born Zoë Beyers has established a reputation as one of the finest and most versatile violinists based in the UK, and performs worldwide as soloist, chamber musician, director and orchestral leader. In 2020 she was appointed Leader of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician Zoë appears with the Hebrides Ensemble, Nash Ensemble, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the London Sinfonietta and recently joined the renowned Dante Quartet. Zoë has a passionate interest in education, teaching and coaching violinists and ensembles at the start of their careers. She is proud to be involved in ARCO, a distance learning collaboration between Birmingham Conservatoire and students in deprived areas of South Africa.

**Haim Choi**

*Leader of Sinfonia Cymru since September 2024 and Assistant Leader of Glyndebourne Sinfonia since 2024*
Born in Germany, South Korean violinist Haim Choi bases herself in London while enjoying a versatile freelance career. Haim studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music as an Orpheus Scholar, where she was awarded full scholarships to attain BMus (1st Class Hons), MPerf (Distinction) and Artist Diploma in Performance.
She is a founding member and 1st violinist of the award-winning Salomé Quartet, and in 2022, was awarded the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal presented by King Charles III, and performed at Buckingham Palace.

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**Maia Cabeza**

*Co-Leader of Aurora Orchestra since 2019*
Canadian-American violinist Maia Cabeza enjoys a multi-faceted performing career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. She has been successful in several international competitions, and her major awards include 1st prize at the 2013 Leopold Mozart Violin Competition in Augsburg. As a soloist, she has performed with several notable orchestras including, among others, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and Detroit Symphony. Maia is extremely passionate and dedicated to chamber music, and in November 2024 joined the UK-based Doric Quartet as First Violin. Maia was born in Japan in 1992 and is of Argentinean heritage.

**Lesley Hatfield**

*Leader of BBC National Orchestra of Wales since 2004*
Lesley Hatfield leads a varied musical life, combining her role as Leader of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with chamber music, solo playing and teaching. After graduating from Clare College, Cambridge, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She was co-Leader of the Northern Sinfonia and Leader of the Ulster Orchestra before taking up her current position.
She is a member of the highly acclaimed Gaudier Ensemble and is regularly invited to participate as a guest in a wide range of ensembles and chamber music festivals. She has been a regular invited performer at the International Musicians Seminar Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove since 1986.

**Caroline Pether**

*Leader of Manchester Camerata since 2020*
Caroline is the Leader of Manchester Camerata, often assuming the role of Soloist and/or Director with the orchestra. She is also a Violin Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and was previously the leader of the award winning Zelkova Quartet. Caroline has also worked as Guest Leader/Director at Royal Northern Sinfonia, Manchester Collective, The Hallé and Covent Garden Sinfonia. Chamber music sensibilities are at the heart of Caroline’s music-making; she enjoys a duo partnership with Camerata's Principal Cellist Hannah Roberts and works regularly with chamber ensembles across the UK. Caroline was also the Leader of Welsh chamber orchestra Sinfonia Cymru from 2016 until 2021. In 2022, Caroline was made an Associate Member of the RNCM.

**Sophie Rosa**

*Leader of Sinfonia Viva*
Sophie Rosa enjoys a varied career as a soloist, director and chamber musician. She has performed across the UK as a recitalist in venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Bridgewater Hall and has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata.
Sophie has broadcast live for BBC Radio 3 and has released CDs on Rubicon Classics, EM Records and Champs Hill labels.

**Thelma Handy**

*Leader of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic since 2007*
Thelma Handy was appointed Joint Leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007 and has directed the Orchestra and appeared as soloist on many occasions. Previously she toured worldwide as a member of the English Chamber Orchestra and worked extensively with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, the London Mozart Players and the London Symphony Orchestra. She has worked in Japan with the Mito Chamber Orchestra and in France with the baroque chamber ensemble Orfeo 55. Thelma is in frequent demand as a chamber music collaborator, most recently giving concerts with Catrin Finch and Julian Rachlin, and has directed a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra string ensemble in Mendelssohn’s Octet.
Thelma co-founded the Wirral Chamber Music Festival in 2020 and is its Artistic Director. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liverpool.

**Ioana Petcu-Colan**

*Leader of Ulster Orchestra since August 2023*
Leader of the Ulster Orchestra, Ioana Petcu-Colan was appointed to the RIAM String Faculty in 2024 and primarily teaches violin, drawing on her extensive experience as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader and violinist/artist in wider creative contexts. A second study in Baroque Violin, combined with a keen interest in championing new work, adds to Ioana’s broad breadth of stylistic awareness and expertise, crucial for a versatile professional musician in today’s world. On both modern and period instruments, Ioana has performed a considerable number of solo works with orchestra, including many of the great concertos, as well as shorter works and more contemporary offerings from composers such as Philip Glass, John Tavener and Arvo Pärt.

Sophie Langdon

*Leader of Bath Philharmonia*
Sophie Langdon is one of Britain's leading violinists. Her career encompasses concerto performances and recordings with many major orchestras - the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Berlin Radio Orchestra and others. Recordings for Chandos, Naxos and ASV were released to great critical acclaim. Notable performances include the Beethoven Triple Concerto in the Berlin Philharmonie with the Berlin Radio Orchestra, and the Berg Chamber Concerto also in Berlin. She performed the Weill violin concerto at the Spitalfields Festival - this performance established Langdon as a recognised musical force.

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Hannah Fiddy is the Founder of Alternative Classical and a freelance marketing consultant, developing audiences for classical music. Described as a "classical innovator" by Classical Whisper, Hannah has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs and museums; interviewed some of the world's most famous composers; and guest lectured on innovation in the classical music industry. Hannah has managed the digital marketing for many music organisations and artists including choral composer John Rutter and The King’s Singers. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.

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